Game Change: The Life and Death of Steve Montador, and the Future of Hockey

- Blurb -

From bestselling author and Hall-of-Famer Ken Dryden, this is the tragic story of NHLer Steve Montador (who was diagnosed with CTE after his untimely death) and a passionate prescriptive to counter the #1 risk to hockey in the future: head injuries. First, Ken Dryden articulated our undying love for hockey in The Game, one of the best books ever written on the sport. Then he spoke to our national pride and examined what hockey really means to Canadians in Home Game. Now, in his most daring and powerful work yet, the NHL Hall-of-Famer and former MP issues a challenge to make hockey safer, or risk losing it altogether. Bobby Orr. Gordie Howe. Wayne Gretzky. Whether you are a hockey fan or not, these names mean something to you. They show that a single player can, and often has, changed the game for the better. Hockey is now more skilled and more tactful and, like pro football and basketball, the players are bigger, stronger, and faster. This is the game that Steve Montador gave his life to. Steve was never the fastest, the strongest, or the most skilled player on the ice. He was never a star. But yet, he changed the game as we know it when he was found dead at the age of 35, later diagnosed with CTE -- the result of multiple concussions he sustained throughout his playing career. With extensive research and insightful interviews with friends and former players such as Rhett Warrener, Marc Savard, Keith Primeau, as well as with leading figures in the fields of neurobiology and sports concussions, Ken Dryden tells the remarkable life story of an unremarkable journeyman NHL defenseman -- a life story that brings to the fore the underlying concerns of the way we play hockey at all levels. In the end, Dryden outlines a plan directed to players, fans, parents, and most of all to decision makers at the NHL, that can make the sport safer for everyone, without sacrificing the integrity of the game.