If you're a hockey fan, you may be aware that Nathan Walker is the first
Aussie to play in the American Hockey League. He's just started (Oct
2013)and to all ice hockey fans Down Under this is a breakthrough that's
been a long time coming. Nathan's success is the culmination of many
years of struggle for hockey in the Land of Sun 'n Surf, yet Australia
actually has a very long history of the sport, some say the second
oldest hockey history outside of Canada. Hockey Night Down Under! is a
black comedy, written in a style that utilizes Aussie slang. It steals
your heart with its zany characters, its detailed account of hockey's
incredible history in Australia and its Ozzie Dictionary, which displays
a comprehensive list of Aussie slang words and phrases and their
meanings. The story is placed in the pre-digital age, before
iphones,Facebook and Twitter, when videos were the go and people still
used the regular house phone. Don't turn away! That time was not that
long ago! Gretzy was king, Fred Shero's triumphs with the Flyers were
recent history, and Australia had wrested the America's Cup away from
the US. But best of all, this is a story about the transition to
adulthood for a group of hockey-playing youngsters in a land where
hockey didn't exist for the general population. It is also a story about
the long-suffering 'oldies' (or parents) who participate to support
their kids ... we've all been there, one way or another! It combines
hockey and poetry - yes, poetry - in a journey towards fulfilment as
human beings for all involved in the crazy quest to win a national
junior hockey title. You'll be a better person for having read Hockey
Night Down Under! And if you're not, at least you'll know a lot more
about hockey as she's played Down Under.