12 Canadian books to give the sports fan this holiday season

Books are a great gift for everyone! Here are 12 Canadian titles covering soccer, basketball, hockey and more for the sports fan in your life.

Playing the Long Game by Christine Sinclair, with Stephen Brunt

In collaboration with the Canadiansportswriter Stephen Brunt who has followed her career for years, Olympic soccer gold-medallist Christine Sinclair provides an in-depth look into what led her to becomethe top international goal scorer of all time and one of Canada's greatest athletes. She tells the stories behind some of her brightest successes and heartbreakingfailures. InPlaying the Long Game,Sinclair shares the wisdom gleanedfrom a career spent changing the game ofwomen's sport.

• From 'obnoxious' U.S. team to life-changing coaches, Canadian soccer icon Sinclair opens up in memoir

Sinclairis the long-time forward and captain of Canada's national soccer team and the Portland Thorns FC of the National Women's Soccer League.Born and raised in Burnaby, B.C., she now lives in Portland, Oregon.

Bruntis a Canadian writer and broadcaster with Rogers Sportsnet and the author of multiplebooks includingFacing Ali,Searching for Bobby OrrandGretzky's Tears.

LISTEN | Christine Sinclair talks about life in soccer and the 2022 World Cup:

The Sunday Magazine24:30Christine Sinclair on World Cups, equal pay and valuing the journey

Canadian soccer star Christine Sinclair has played in five World Cups, won Olympic gold, and holds the record for the most goals scored in international play. But she doesn't get a cut of her Team Canada jersey sales. And she and her teammates are still fighting for pay equity with their male counterparts. As the men's World Cup kicks off in Doha, Piya Chattopadhyay sits down with the Canadian women's soccer team captain to talk about her long and storied career, and how she and the country are evolving when it comes to equality in sports and beyond. While she often shuns the spotlight, Sinclair says she penned her new memoir, Playing the Long Game, to shine a light on women in sport in the hopes of inspiring a new generation.

The Save of My Life by Corey Hirsch &Sean Patrick Conboy

By age 22, Corey Hirsch had played in the NHL and won both anOlympic medal and a Stanley Cup. While he realized his dreams in the arena, off the iceHirsch was plagued by mental health issues, often unable to get out of bed and stop the cycle of dark thoughts.The Save of My Lifereflects on Hirsch's journey to a diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder and his road to recovery as a professional athlete.

• Former Canucks goalie Corey Hirsch opens up about struggle with OCD

In 1994,Hirschwon the Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers as well as a silver medal at the Olympics. Born in Medicine Hat, Alta. and raised in Calgary, he was drafted by the New York Rangers and played for many seasons with the Vancouver Canucks. After retiring from play, Hirsch became an NHL coachand later an analyst with Sportsnet. Healso became thenational youth ambassador for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and a co-host ofThe Players' Tribunepodcast,Blindsided.

SeanConboyis the editor-in-chief of thePlayers' Tribune, and was previously a contributing writer forWiredmagazine.

LISTEN | Why Corey Hirsch is sharing his story in a new book:

After the NFL, this Canadian plans to save lives

2 years ago

Duration 11:04

Weeks after winning the Super Bowl, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif shocked the football world when he walked away from his NFL career to work on the front line of the pandemic. He talks to The National's Ian Hanomansing about that tough decision and his future as a doctor.

Red Zone by Laurent Duvernay-Tardif

In July 2020, Laurent Duvernay-Tardifmade headlines when he decided to opt out of the upcoming NFL season due to the global pandemic. A professional football player for the New York Jets and a graduate of medical school, Durvernay-Tardif made the unique decision to step out of the limelight in order to step onto the frontlines where he worked as an orderly in a long-term care facility in Montreal during the pandemic. He shares this story inRed Zone.

• Super Bowl champ Laurent Duvernay-Tardif's medical scrubs on display at Hall of Fame

Duvernay-Tardif isa football playerfor the New York Jets.He won a Superbowl in 2020 with the Kansas City Chiefs. He graduated with a medical degree from McGill University in 2018 and then worked as an orderly in a long-term care facility in Montreal during the COVID-19 pandemic.In 2021, hereceived the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award.His scrubs and lab coat are on display in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

LISTEN | Why Laurent Duvernay-Tardif joined the COVID-19 frontlines:

The Current24:08Bryan Trottier on being one of the NHL's elite Indigenous players

NHL Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier discusses his leap from small-town Saskatchewan to the big leagues and how the lessons of his Indigenous community played into his journey.

All Roads Home by Bryan Trottier, with Stephen Brunt

All Roads Homeis a memoir byseven-time Stanley Cup championBryan Trottier. The Saskatchewan-raised Trottier is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.Trottiergrew up the son of a Cree/Chippewa Mtis father and an Irish Canadian mother and hismemoir shares personal stories about his life, family and the lessons learned along the way.

• Bryan Trottier reflects on his journey from small-town Saskatchewan boy to 7-time NHL champion

Trottieris a former professional hockey player and assistant coach.

Stephen Bruntis a Canadian writer and broadcaster with Rogers Sportsnet and the author of multiplebooks includingFacing Ali,Searching for Bobby OrrandGretzky's Tears.

LISTEN | Bryan Trottier reflects on his NHL career:

Pain and pride after Canada eliminated from World Cup

2 years ago

Duration 2:54

Canadas men's soccer team was eliminated from the World Cup Sunday, but not before scoring a history-making goal against Croatia.

Rebound by Perry King

Reboundexamines the ties between sports, community, environment and the transformative power of urban communities whose residents are physically active and socially connected.

• Perry King's Rebound examines the role of community sports in diverse cities

Perry King is a Toronto journalist, communications officer and author. Hiswriting focuses on themes of sports, community, culture and education. His work can be seen in Spacing Magazine, Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail.

The Voyageurs by Joshua Kloke

The Canadian national men's soccer team nearly slipped into obscurity. The last time Canada qualified for a men's World Cup was in 1986. Now, soccer is once again a national passion with players likeAlphonso Davies and Jonathan David known around the world.How did this happen? Through in-depth interviews with players and coaches,sports journalistJoshua Klokecharts the rise of men's soccer in Canada from near obscurity to super stardom inThe Voyageurs.

• 'He can be the best in the world': Former coach sees no limit to Alphonso Davies' rise

Klokeis a sports and music journalist. He previously wroteCome on You Redsand he is currently a staff writer atThe Athletic.

WATCH | Canada's bittersweet performance in the 2022 World Cup:

The Sunday Magazine21:07Bianca Andreescu on rising to the top of the tennis world, and how she stays grounded

After rocketing up the Women's Tennis Association rankings in 2019, Canadian tennis phenom Bianca Andreescu has had a tough couple of years, between injuries, COVID-19 cancelling much of the 2020 season and personal struggles. Now, Andreescu is sharing some of her story about growing up as a child athlete. She tells Piya Chattopadhyay she hopes her new children's book, Bibi's Got Game, helps kids deal with setbacks, feeling like an outsider and wanting to quit. After taking some time off in 2022 to "re-set, recover and grow," Andreescu now feels her mental health is in the best shape possible to make her mark, once again, on the WTA tour.

The Running-Shaped Hole by Robert Earl Stewart

At 38 years old, Robert Earl Stewart weighed368 pounds and wasslowly eating himself to death. After a terrifying doctor's appointment, he decidedto go for a walk, which sethim on a life-altering course. Within a year, he ranlong distances and lost weight, but not without setbacksand some time in jail.

• This Windsor man made a life changing transformation, after taking a walk

Stewart is a writer and poet. His first book of poetry,Something Burned Along the Southern Border, was shortlisted for the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award. Stewart lives in Windsor, Ont.

LISTEN | How running changed Robert Earl Stewart's life:

The 1972 Summit Series changed hockey forever | Ken Dryden

2 years ago

Duration 11:07

To mark the 50th anniversary of Game 8 of the Summit Series, NHL legend Ken Dryden shares his memories of playing in one of the biggest games in hockey history, and reflects on how it transformed the game.

Bibi's Got Game byBianca Andreescu, with Mary Beth Leatherdale, illustrated by Chelsea O'Byrne

Canadian tennis star Bianca Andreescu's debut picture bookBibi's Got Gamefollows an energetic young girl named Bibi who discovers that she loves playing tennis. Co-authored by Mary Beth Leatherdale and illustrated by Chelsea O'Byrne, the story involves Bibi dealing with feelings of sadness and doubt after she gets hurt playing on the playground. With encouragement from her mom and dog Coco, Bibi learns how to meditate and focus on what she's grateful for getting her mind ready as her body heals.

• Tennis star Bianca Andreescu publishing picture book about sports, mental health and furry friends

Andreescu is a Canadian professional tennis player and author whois the highest-ranked Canadian in the history of the Women's Tennis Association.

Mary Beth Leatherdale is an author and storytellerbased in Toronto. She, along with co-writer Lisa Charleyboy, won theBest Young Adult Book at the 2018AILAYouth Literature Awards for their anthology#NotYourPrincess.

Chelsea O'Byrne is a Vancouver-based freelance illustrator and art instructor. She is also the illustrator ofHello, Crow!by Candace Savage andMarisa and the Mountainsby George M. Johnson.

LISTEN | Why tennis star Biance Andreeescu wrote a children's book:

The Series by Ken Dryden

Ken Dryden may have been on the ice to experience Paul Henderson's historic goal in game eight of the 1972 Summit Series, but, as the team's goalie, he didn't have the best view of the moment. Fifty years later, he still feels the impact of that series and that iconic goal.The Series: What I Remember, What it Felt Like, What it Feels Like Now, explores Dryden's memories from the iconic series. It also features postcards, letters and other mementos from Canadian and Soviet fans that give the series a more personal look.

• 'This, finally, was our opportunity': Ken Dryden explores 1972 Summit Series emotions in new book

Dryden was a goalie for the Montreal Canadiens in the 1970s, during which time the team won six Stanley Cups. He has been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. His books includeThe Game,Home GameandGame Change.

WATCH | Ken Dryden reflects on the 1972 Summitt Series:

Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas

Swim Teamfollows middle schooler Bree as she navigates swim class.Bree is excited for her first day at her new middle school until she's stuck with the only elective class that fits her schedule, Swim 101. Swimming makes Bree sick to her stomach, but she's forced to dive headfirst into her fear. With the help of Etta, her elderly neighbour and former swim team captain, Bree becomes good at swimming. Her swimming obsessed community is counting on her to guide her school's failing swim to a state championship, but first, they have to defy all odds and beat their rival, Holyoke Prep.

Swim Teamis for ages 8 to 12.

• Johnnie Christmas's graphic novelSwim Teamis buoyed by themes of community, perseverance and overcoming fear

Johnnie Christmas lives in Vancouver and is a #1 New York Times bestselling graphic novelist. He's the author of the sci-fi seriesTartarusandCrema, the bookFirebugand is working on three middle-grade graphic novels. He's best known for creating theAngel Catbirdseries with Margaret Atwood and adapting the lostAlien 3screenplay into a graphic novel of the same name.

Chasing Rivers by Tamar Glouberman

Chasing Riverstakes readers headfirst into the life of female whitewater guide, Tamar Glouberman, who has traversed some of the most difficult rafting rivers in North America, including in the Grand Canyon. At home on the water, Glouberman's love for rafting and paddling brought her community, friendship, romance, increasing self-confidence to overcome challenges and unfortunately, tragedy in the form of afatal accident for one of her passengers. Navigating her guilt and love for the water, Glouberman's memoir asks deep questions about how to make a meaningful life, the potential for self-sacrifice and self-forgiveness and what it means to chase adventure around every corner.

Glouberman is an outdoor guide anda graduate of the Creative Writing MFA program at the University of British Columbia.When she's not off exploring the wilderness, she can often be found in Whistler, Montreal or on Vancouver Island.

On Account of Darkness by Ian Kennedy

InOn Account of Darkness, Ian Kennedy collected over 100 years of stories about athletes who triumphed despite systemic racism. Focusing on Ontario's Chatham-Kent region, the book exploreshowthe history of sport in the region is a microcosm for the successes and challenges non-white athletes have faced forgenerationsacross Canada. Combining individual stories of athletesand social commentary, Kennedy examines systemic racism and Canadian multiculturalism against the backdrop of sports history.

• Exploring how sports, racial history intertwine in an Ontario community

Based in Erie Beach, Ont., Kennedy is a sports journalist and secondary school teacher. In 2011, he founded theChatham-Kent Sports Network,an online news outlet covering both amateur and professional athletes.

LISTEN | Ian Kennedy on racism in sports: