One Night Only: Conversations with the NHL's One-Game Wonders

Description

Get to know the men who fulfilled their childhood dream From the beer league to the minor league, hockey players from coast to coast often say they'd give anything to play just one game in the NHL. One Night Only brings you the stories of 39 men who lived the dream only to see it fade away almost as quickly as it arrived. Ken Reid talks to players who had one game, and one game only, in the National Hockey League including the most famous single-gamer of them all: the coach himself, Don Cherry. Was it a dream come true or was it heartbreak? What did they learn from their hockey journey and how does it define them today? From the satisfied to the bitter, Ken Reid unearths the stories from hockey's equivalent to one-hit wonders in the follow-up to his bestselling Hockey Card Stories.

Ken Reid co-anchors the weeknight prime-time edition of Sportsnet Central alongside Evanka Osmak. He is also a co-host of Prime Time Sports with Bob McCown on Sportsnet 590 The FAN. He lives in Toronto with his wife, Ash, and his two boys, Jacoby and Langdon. He still dreams of playing just a single shift in the NHL, but that ain't gonna happen. Jeff Marek hosts Sportsnet's Thursday Night Hockey and co-hosts Hockey Central Saturday. He is also co-host of the Marek vs. Wyshynski podcast with Greg Wyshynski.

"Fascinating." -- Publishers Weekly "Fascinating." -- Publishers Weekly "Reid has an encyclopedic grasp of the game and an affable storytelling facility." -- Toronto Star "They have just one line in the massive NHL Guide and Record Book for their single game, but here are the fascinating stories of how many unlikely players got their 60 minutes of fame." -- Toronto Sun "A brisk and occasionally uplifting volume for hockey nerds everywhere . . . It's easy to hold up Wayne Gretzky or Sidney Crosby as hockey inspiration, but statistically speaking, they are the outliers. The players in this book offer a much more practical guide to making it in life." -- Quill & Quire "We all scoff at one-hit wonders, but most of us would give our right arm to spend a couple of minutes in the limelight. Ken Reid shines a light on the one-game wonders of the NHL, who were good enough to get there, but couldn't stick for a variety of reasons. You'll find yourself pulling for these gentlemen, hoping they could get that second game under their belt. Another winner from Ken Reid!" -- Mick Kern, Sirius XM NHL Network Radio "The 60-minute NHL careers of this diverse group of players are quite a tale, but all hockey fans will identify with their difficult path to and from The Show. An entertaining and detailed account of some fascinating characters who've been overlooked in hockey history." -- Lance Hornby, Postmedia Hockey Columnist "They have just one line in the massive NHL Guide and Record Book for their single game, but here are the fascinating stories of how many unlikely players got their 60 minutes of fame." -- Toronto Sun "Each story eats at you--on one hand you feel sorry for the player because he didn't get another opportunity, but on the flip side, they all got to play that one game in The Show! Who knew one game could create so many great stories. Well done, Ken!" -- Daren Millard, Host NHL on Sportsnet "What a fantastic read. This will not surprise anyone who read Reid's bestselling Hockey Card Stories." -- Greatest Hockey Legends "One Night Only is a very entertaining and informative book about thirty-nine men you've probably never heard of and one man who you almost certainly have. Ken Reid does an excellent job in painting the pictures of that one big night for each of these men, and his writing style flows nicely so that the book is easy to read." -- Hockey Blog in Canada "One Night Only is pleasant and easy reading." -- Sports Book Review Center "One Night Only is my kind of book. Reid's angle is unique . . . For all you hockey fans who watch the games on TV or listen in on NHL Network Radio, or watch the future stars at your local minor league rink, Reid's One Night Only is a must read." -- UticaOD.com