How We Did It

November 20, 2017
With his three sons drafted into the NHL (superstar defenseman P.K., goalie Malcolm, and up-and-comer Jordan), Subban, a school principal who was a university-level basketball player, candidly shares how it all happened, stressing there is “no such thing as a hockey gene.” His own story of emigrating from Jamaica to Sudbury, Ont.; falling in love with basketball and hockey; and then meeting his wife, Maria—the other coach of “Team Subban”—is eminently readable. As two daughters and three sons arrive, he bounces between stories on hockey, parenting, school, and life with ease. The Subbans believe in “lifeguard parenting,” encouraging kids to think for themselves. They gave their children room to grow and find what they excelled at, and didn’t push them as stereotypical hockey parents do. Subban is a teacher and administrator, and toward the end, the book reads like a product to be sold at motivational speaking engagements, with catchphrases and acronyms such as “the four Ts—time, task, training, and team.” Nevertheless, hockey fans will find plenty of insight into how the Subbans have risen through “the hockey pyramid,” from minor hockey maneuvering to the Ontario Hockey League and the NHL, and the rest of Subban’s story and advice is well worth reading. Agent: Carolyn Forde, Westwood Creative Artists.