The Hockey Sweater is among the most beloved children’s books in Canadian history. Author Roch Carrier and journalist Shireen Ahmed discuss how the story was written, and what it still has to teach us about our world, and our game. 

Roch Carrier’s The Hockey Sweater still has an immense amount to say about sports, identity and belonging. It is still among the most read hockey stories written for children, but, as Shireen Ahmed acknowledges in this episode, keeping up with how the game is changing requires broadening the stories we tell about it as well. 

Here, courtesy of Shireen Ahmed, are four children’s books for that young reader in your life; stories that follow in the footsteps of The Hockey Sweater and capture the diversity of experience defining hockey in 2020:  

1. Kicking Ice by Stephanie Philips - a Graphic Novel about the importance of inclusivity, equality and empowerment in sports. 

2. Lucy Tries Hockey by Lucy Bowes - the story of a young girl who finds and falls in love with hockey. 

3. Willie O’Ree by Nicole Mortillaro - the inspiring story of the NHL’s first black player. 

4. And of course, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention our very own Zach Hyman's inspiring Hockey Hero, about how an awkward teen boy finds inner strength while at a PeeWee hockey tournament. 

Check out Shireen's own podcast, Burn It All Down and visit her website. 

To learn more about The Hockey Sweater, how it was written, translated and turned into an NFB documentary, check out Roy MacGregor’s piece in the Globe and Mail. 

And for those who’ve never seen Sheldon Cohen’s award-winning National Film Board short film, The Sweater, you can watch it for free on the NFB website. 

CREDITS: Leafs Forever is hosted by Scott Willats & written by Paul Matthews. This episode was produced by Katie Jensen & Vocal Fry Studios. Production & research assistance from Ellen Payne Smith, Erin Brandenburg, and Erika Dreher. Special thanks to Roch Carrier, Shireen Ahmed, and Jenny Ellison for speaking with us. And special thanks to Mike Ferriman, Mike Zemaitis and Nick Konarowski for helping us out with the archives. Subscribe to Leafs Forever on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.