Understanding Ken

It is the story of a hockey-mad ten-year-old incapable of dealing with the recent, bitter separation of his parents. The target of his frustration becomes none other than hockey legend Ken Dryden -- greatest goaltender in the history of the world -- who, after three brilliant seasons, has suddenly and inexplicably abandoned the boy's favourite team. The novel is set in the interior of British Columbia, where our young hero escapes into a fantasy world of family reconciliation, Stanley Cup statistics and the building of a backyard rink which, night after night, stubbornly refuses to freeze. When he is living with his mother, moments of peace are squashed by the anti-hockey atmosphere and the menacing presence of her boyfriend. When the boy is with his father -- a yelling, hockey-obsessed doctor -- chaos reigns in the form of snowdrifts and sawdust, the result of an ill-timed mid-winter renovation of the front room. But at least the two share that one binding and all-consuming Canadian dream -- for the boy to play professional hockey in the NHL. The season progresses with a tumultuous mixture of exhilarating on-ice triumphs, humiliations at his father's public tirades, and desperate hopes that all will lead to the one great event that could make everything right.McCormack, Pete is the author of 'Understanding Ken', published 1998 under ISBN 9781550542684 and ISBN 1550542680.