All Roads Home: A Life On and Off the Ice

by Bryan Trottier

Overview

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

A poignant and inspiring memoir of the people and challenges that shaped the life and career of Canada's most decorated Indigenous athlete.

Over the course of his incredible career, Bryan Trottier set a new standard of hockey excellence. A seven-time Stanley Cup champion (four with the New York Islanders, two with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and one as an assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche), Trottier won countless awards and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. In 2017, he was named one of the NHL's Top 100 Players of All Time.

Trottier grew up in Val Marie, Saskatchewan, the son of a Cree/Chippewa/Metis father and an Irish-Canadian mother. All Roads Home offers a poignant, funny, wise, and inspiring look at his coming of age, both on and off the ice. It is a unique memoir in which Trottier shares stories about family, friends, teammates, and coaches, the lessons that he has learned from them, and the profound impact they have had in shaping the person he has become.

Some of the incredible characters featured in the book include Trottier's father Buzz; legendary Islanders coach Al Arbour; teammates Clark Gillies and Mike Bossy; and the Penguins' Mario Lemieux, to name but a few. He'll also talk about the high school English teacher and guidance counsellor who helped him develop self-confidence and encouraged him as a writer: Governor General's Award–winning poet, Lorna Crozier.

All Roads Home will also include a Foreword from bestselling author Jesse Thistle (From the Ashes) and two very special Afterwords: one from Trottier's daughter, Lindsy Ruthven, and the other from his life-long friend, beloved hockey great Dave "Tiger" Williams.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780771084492
Publisher:	McClelland & Stewart
Publication date:	10/22/2024
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.19(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

In 2017, BRYAN TROTTIER was voted one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" in history. He was born in Val Marie, Saskatchewan, and went on to win seven Stanley Cups (four with the New York Islanders, two with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and one as an assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche). He lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

STEPHEN BRUNT is an award-winning writer and broadcaster for Sportsnet, and the co-host of The FAN 590's Writers Bloc with Jeff Blair and Richard Deitsch. He is the author of the #1 national bestselling Searching for Bobby Orr and All the Way, with Jordin Tootoo. He lives in Hamilton, Ontario, and in Winterhouse Brook, Newfoundland.

Table of Contents

Hockey Accomplishments ix

Foreword Jesse Thistle xi

Prologue 1

Chapter 1 Valley of Mary 9

Chapter 2 The Ranch 15

Chapter 3 Family, Music, and Bouillon 23

Chapter 4 The Good, the Bad, and the Raggedy Andys 33

Chapter 5 A First for Everything 39

Chapter 8 Tiger and the Broncos 51

Chapter 7 Secret Draft 69

Chapter 8 A Taste for a Black Ace 81

Chapter 9 Making the Team 95

Chapter 10 Rookie 105

Chapter 11 Lessons from the Vets 117

Chapter 12 Trio Grande 127

Chapter 13 Best Feeling 145

Chapter 14 Dream Come True 157

Chapter 15 Again and Again 171

Chapter 16 Dynasty 179

Chapter 17 The Drive for Five 185

Chapter 18 It Had to Happen 197

Chapter 19 A New Identity 203

Chapter 20 Finding a Way 217

Chapter 21 Alone 229

Chapter 22 Coachin' 'n' Learnin' 239

Chapter 23 Always Keep Moving Forward 255

Afterword Dave "Tiger" Williams 263

Afterword Lindsy Charlie Ruthven 267

Acknowledgements 275

Editorial Reviews

With its mix of pathos, tragedy, humour and, above all, gentle macho positivity, this is one of the most Canadian hockey books yet written.” —Globe and Mail

"Regardless of your own experience in hockey, whether you’ve played it, watched it, or simply heard of it, All Roads Home is a lively, detailed, and heartfelt look into the game as well as the business and community sides of the sport. . . . Trottier is thoughtful and generous in a way that really comes through in this book, as he always makes time to recognize and appreciate the people in his life and the ways that they impacted him. . . . All Roads Home carries Trottier’s strong voice in this reflective memoir that spans his incredibly successful career." —NNSL

"Bryan Trottier has written a captivating book about his life. . . . A highly personal story, one that focuses on family and friendships as much as anything else." —Regina Leader-Post

"[A] remarkable story." —Vancouver CityNews

From the Publisher