AMHL Glory: Book Description and Table of Contents

AMHL Glory: A Passion for Morning Hockey (and Donuts):

Front cover: In the background, imaginary AMHL fans roar their approval from the stands. In the foreground, the arena’s dim lights cast a subtle shadow over a middle-aged amateur holding aloft the AMHL equivalent of the Stanley Cup: The Koffey Cup—with its Maple Leaf Mug affixed atop a clunky hunk of hardware—that has adult men and women chasing their hockey dreams. At the man’s feet lie two boxes of donuts (one from Dunkin’ Donuts, the other from Canada’s premier donut purveyor, Tim Hortons).

What’s the book about? AMHL Glory: A Passion for Morning Hockey (and Donuts) is the true story of a nomadic NHL fan and stay-at-home defenseman who rediscovers his love for his favourite sport (and pastry) in the ultimate co-ed, early morning hockey league.

Timeframe: Spring 2003 with flashbacks to players’ (including a more detailed chronological account of my own) hockey histories.

Primary Location: New England

Secondary Locations: New York, Oklahoma, Colorado, Minnesota, Ontario, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, British Columbia.

Primary Market: the 15- to 105-year-old who loves the game of hockey, admires NHL players, and gets a certain feeling of “mini-greatness” by playing the only place he/she can—at the local level.

Secondary Market: anyone who knows someone in the Primary Market, i.e., most Canadians.

Book Length: about 250 pages, with 25 chapters, including...


Chapter One: Legends and the Lunatic

Off-season. The new season is two weeks away, so I reflect upon last season’s championship game (when my skates failed me). I meet a Bruin legend and shake hands with a “legendary” dog. Meet my wife (and AMHL photographer) as I defend my delirious behavior during the bonding process with my new skates.

Chapter Two: Tuesday

My season is still two days away, but because a dozen or so players belong to both the Tuesday and Thursday leagues, their season starts this morning. I’m strictly an observer at the rink on Tuesdays, introducing you to AMHL characters such as the league’s only female goalie, and my “chauffeur.” I also illuminate league rules and conventions.

Chapter Three: Thursday

Ladies and gentlemen, meet your AMHL Avalanche. I put on my game face, illustrate my pre-game rituals, and grant you special access to the Avalanche locker room. I transmit the game action against the Capitals and then diagnose a dilemma.

Chapter Four: The Wonder Years

While at a college hockey game in Rhode Island, I flash back to my earliest hockey memories. New England loses a well-respected sportswriter. Relax while I take a pre-game nap for a special annual night game and then eavesdrop as I fish for quotes at the post-game festival.


Chapter Five: The Kid from Cut Knife

I learn one AMHL icon has called it quits and try my hand at trivia. I marvel at the first miracle of the season but still have to visit the dreaded dentist. Tune in as I turn the tables on a local TV reporter.

Chapter Six: The Rink

I describe not only the history, look, and feel of my home rink (from locker room to trophy room to the Wall of Fame), but also resurrect the rink’s magical moments. I introduce its hockey heroes, including the Barrassos, “Badger” Bob, and Laurie Baker. Read more about it here!

Chapter Seven: “It Was 1970 Somethin’”

In this second flashback segment, I introduce my family and describe how I developed my devotion to Dunkin’ Donuts. I also conduct a tour of my current environs, shedding light on my day job activities and weekend routine.

Chapter Eight: Stage Three

I comment on my role with the Avalanche as we combat the Panthers. Following our game, my Canadian goalie enlightens me with his hockey story, which overlaps my adolescent hockey experience. I visit with my parents (one of whom has cancer) and my brother (a vegan) when they stop in Beantown en route to the Mother Country.

Chapter Nine: McNichols Arena and the Marina Monster

As the NHL approaches the All-Star break, I describe what the Boston Bruins are up to as well as the unusual happenings during our second game against the Capitals. I also revisit, with an assist to my little brother, the pond where I first played hockey.

Chapter Ten: Play Tough

NHL defensemen are scoring goals left and right, which prompts me to wonder when I’ll rise to the occasion again. I recount my parents’ overseas hijinks, which take place at about the same time as my journey into unfamiliar territory and bout with self-confidence. The new AMHL Avalanche jerseys have arrived just in time for our second battle against the Bruins. After the game, my chauffeur shares his hockey history.

Chapter Eleven: Slap on, Slap off, the Slapper

A phone call with my brother in St. Louis prompts a flashback to my high school hockey days. I also narrate my minor league media experience—filled with unexpected donut anecdotes and defensive heroics—and relive the story’s second miracle on ice.

Chapter Twelve: Tuques and Timmy’s

February 13: the midpoint of the AMHL season. I analyze our place in the standings and identify the league’s scoring leaders. I learn why the AMHL’s all-time points leader (and self-proclaimed putz) despises breakaways. The AMHL’s commissioner talks about tuques and Tim Hortons, and the ex-commissioner repeats his fascinating first four words as a human being and Boston Bruins’ fan. I also pen a poem for my wife.

Chapter Thirteen: 10,000 Lakes and the Turtle

In another flashback segment, I write about selecting a college and my preparation to make the hockey team. I also introduce my “extraterrestrial” roommate and divulge what it was like to be a stranger in a strange land with a strange nickname.

Chapter Fourteen: Love is in the (Frigid) Air

It’s Valentine’s Day, so I reveal a glimpse of my love life, past and present, as well as a budding AMHL love affair (all set to musical references you can sway to). I also elaborate on my on-ice alter ego, the one that treats rules more like fuzzy guidelines. In another flashback segment, learn why I fled the country.

Chapter Fifteen: Frozen Phalanges and the Powerful Podiatrist

In NHL action, two Harvard graduates from different decades go head to head. The AMHL Avalanche team doctor is on call as we battle the Capitals for the third time. I detail a defenseman’s dilemma and announce another’s retirement in the heat of battle.

Chapter Sixteen: End of an Era

Experience the rise and demise of the Dunkin’ Doughnut. Relive the radio call as Donny Defense lights the lamp, and pinch yourself when you witness the AMHL points leader play defense. Hear what music is playing in my chauffeur’s head.

Chapter Seventeen: Nicknames and Stick Games

Injuries take their toll, and a rookie makes his mark in our bout with the AMHL Bruins. An Avalanche teammate unveils a surprise about his relationship with his boyhood idol, and our team captain and chief legal counsel provides full disclosure about his hockey history. A co-worker compares me to the “Great One.”

Chapter Eighteen: Alien Abduction

Tuesday players dis’ the AMHL media, and a rumored alien abduction is dispelled. Join the discussion on the way to work: Would you play in the NHL if given the chance?

Chapter Nineteen: Of Mice and Ice

Rodents plague the pre-game conversation as the AMHL Avalanche prepare for our last regular season game—against the Panthers. “Gump” and “Grump” display their displeasure. Meet the league’s MVP (Most Volatile Player) and his mentor as they provide the post-game entertainment.

Chapter Twenty: Road Trip

Ride along on the pilgrimage to the Heart of Hockey and the Home of Defence. Learn what it takes to be a Complete Hockey Player and if I apply my newfound knowledge on the ice—just in time for the AMHL play-offs. In another flashback segment, I expose an off-ice omen.

Chapter Twenty-one: Power Thoughts and the Piano Man

Drive south into enemy territory as the NHL trading deadline approaches. Squirm in the dentist chair and discover grit. Meet “Mr. Points” while I try to find my pants (and my happy place).

Chapter Twenty-two: Crash and Burn

Help me with my hockey homework as the AMHL Avalanche prepare for our first-round play-off game. Meet the sister I never had and, after I endure scarring setbacks, the wife I had never envisioned. Leukemia rears its ugly head at an innocent child, and that makes a cross-country move all the more difficult.

Chapter Twenty-three: “Canadian Spy?”

Travel with me, on a six-province tour of the Heart of Hockey, to discover how an ardent American evolved into a covert Canadian.

Chapter Twenty-four: Or Double Agent?

Learn how I respond to repeated inquiries about my ancestry and to which county I pledge allegiance. A special flashback reveals a surprise about a family eager to escape a collapsing country where snow does not fall—and which lands on the Dwyer doorstep.

Chapter Twenty-five: Peaches and Herb

Join the crowd and cheer the AMHL play-off victors. Witness the beginning of one AMHL career and mourn the end of another. An ESPN hockey commentator announces a major reunification as the NHL gears up for the play-offs, and AMHL management reunites old friends for the next season.

Epilogue

Donut Boy, Mr. Points, the Chauffeur…Where are they now? My parents, my points total, and my petulant push toward perfectionism…How are they faring? Listen to a poignant interview with the Koffey Cup!