Game Change: The Life and Death of Steve Montador and the Future of Hockey

Dryden, a former NHL goalie, retired Canadian politician, and author (The Game), offers a startling hybrid of a biography and a call to save the lives of athletes who are vulnerable to brain damage caused by concussions. His subject, Steve Montador, was a journeyman hockey player who “was never not on the margins.” After a decent career, with more than 500 games on six NHL teams from 2001 to 2012, Montador dealt with concussion-related health issues. He died in February 2015 at age 35. Montador’s story begins as an inspiring one as he moves from being an unlikely prospect to making the big leagues, but it becomes harrowing as he descends into addictions to deal with his deteriorating physical and mental health. Dryden includes excerpts from the journal Montador kept during his last years, which increases the drama. His story is a page-turner. The book also ventures into the stories of other players sidelined by brain injuries and the doctors who study the condition. Dryden proposes dramatic fixes for the “ever-escalating game,” such as limiting when players can be checked and eliminating all hits to the head and fighting, that are sure to anger traditionalists, but it’s hard to deny his powerful warning that by delaying taking action “we waste careers and lives.” Agent: Bruce Westwood, Westwood Creative Artists. (Oct.)