Puck Poet; Grenfell professor's book based on life of hockey great Terry Sawchuk

CORNER BROOK - Some hockey fans might consider Canada's national pastime poetic.

When a player like Terry Sawchuk graced the ice it was easy to see why Randall Maggs saw poetry in it. He is still considered by many to be the greatest goaltender to ever play the game, and was voted top goalie of all time by The Hockey News.

However, beyond the star ability, the Sawchuk story is one of turmoil and tragedy - something that has been more typically depicted by poets than hockey. This month, Brick Books will publish Night Work: The Sawchuk Poems, a collection of poems by Maggs that draws the reader inside the complex personality of the netminder and follows him through the triumphs and failures of his 20-year NHL career. It tells the story of the game itself and much of the culture that produced it.

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Man., Sawchuk's greatest achievement was his 103 career shutouts - a record that still stands. In 1967, he backstopped the Toronto Maple Leafs to their last Stanley Cup.

Off the ice, he suffered from untreated depression and died at 40 years of age after a scuffle with a teammate.

Promotional material says Maggs, an English literature professor at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, probes Sawchuk's upbringing in a household of Ukrainian immigrant parents, a "faraway father" and a mother who was the "only one in the world who scared him" - forming a dark and unpredictable character that would be at odds with his highly public athletic life. The book draws a reader inside his complex personality and follows him through the triumphs and failures of his NHL career.

The Sawchuk Poems is illustrated with photographs mirroring the text, depicting key moments in his career - his exploits and his agony.

"The Sawchuk story is like the Titanic," Maggs told The Western Star. "The guy's life was unbelievable, living the Canadian dream at the top of his game and he wasn't in the league too long before he was absolutely miserable."

The poet, who played most of his minor hockey career in Winnipeg, remembers the respect he had for the goalie throughout his career. He recalls his own youth, opening up a pack of hockey cards and after sniffing that unforgettable smell of bubble gum, looking down to see Sawchuk's card on top of the pack.

Maggs - whose brother Darryl played professionally - admits a personal hiatus from the game in its expansion years, but found that admiration again in more recent years.

A newfound interest brought him back to the days of the NHL's original six, and he grew increasingly intrigued the more he learned about Sawchuk.

Through his research he found that the star netminder had played with the Boston Bruins during an exhibition tour in Corner Brook and Harbour Grace, and the momentum built.
For the compilation of poetry, Maggs spoke to retired players and others associated with the professional sport. He tied the hockey world together by adding the perspectives of amateur players here in Newfoundland.

"It's more than about Terry, it is about the game at that time, the age, and the country" he said. "I was very fortunate to find out they did come here in 1956, and when I found that out I knew I had something."

The book is described as "exhaustively researched, but then thoroughly imagined".

The book will be available locally within a week to 10 days. There are also a number of launches planned, the first on Feb. 19 at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto and the second on Feb. 21 in Winnipeg.

A home town launch will take place on Feb. 26 at the Newfoundland and Labrador Hockey Hall of Fame at the Pepsi Centre.

A BookShort film based on the book is also being produced - a co-production of BookShorts Literacy Program, Newfound Films, and Brick Books with the assistance of the Department of Canadian Heritage.