Hockey's Hidden Gods

A Library Journal Best Arts & Humanities Book 2022
The extraordinary true story of the U.S. sled hockey team that overcame physical adversity and internal strife to win Paralympic gold.
When former NHL star Rick Middleton accepted the position of head coach for the United States sled hockey team, he wasn't sure what to expect. The program had never medaled-had never even come close, in fact. But where Middleton might have found despair, he instead found an incredible group of men who had battled their way back from hell to play the sport they love.
In Hockey's Hidden Gods: The Untold Story of a Paralympic Miracle on Ice, S.C. Megale uncovers the remarkable tale of a team that shocked the world by taking U.S. sled hockey from worst to first in the 2002 Paralympics. Odds of winning were dismal. The road to victory seemed unfathomable. But this cast of fifteen athletes with disabilities, athletes who had helped build a groundbreaking U.S. sled hockey program with almost no outside support, ultimately persevered on the global stage.
Featuring a fascinating history of sled hockey, exclusive interviews with players and coaches, action-packed game coverage, and intimate profiles sharing the players' personal journeys, Hockey's Hidden Gods is the uplifting story of how once-shattered dreams can be reborn and rebuilt through tenacity, grit, and an indomitable spirit.

Volodymyr Kravchenko is professor in the Department of History, Classics, and Religion at the University of Alberta.

Foreword
Preface
Introduction
Key for Player Stats
Chapter 1: Lake of Legend: Sled Hockey's History, Rules, and Equipment
Chapter 2: Manny Guerra, Jr.
Chapter 3: Nagano
Chapter 4: Joe Howard
Chapter 5: Gathering the Team
Chapter 6: Sly Flis
Chapter 7: Training Champions
Chapter 8: Patrick Byrne
Chapter 9: Arriving in Salt Lake City
Chapter 10: Dave Conklin
Chapter 11: Game One: USA vs. Japan
Chapter 12: Chris Manns
Chapter 13: Game Two: USA vs. Canada
Chapter 14: Josh Wirt
Chapter 15: Game Three: USA vs. Norway
Chapter 16: Brian Ruhe
Chapter 17: Kip St. Germaine
Chapter 18: Game Four: USA vs. Sweden
Chapter 19: Dan Henderson
Chapter 20: Game Five: USA vs. Estonia
Chapter 21: James Dunham
Chapter 22: Pat Sapp
Chapter 23: The Storm Before the Storm
Chapter 24: Gold Medal Game: USA vs. Norway
Chapter 25: Lonnie Hannah
Chapter 26: Matt Coppens and Jack Sanders
Chapter 27: Aftermath
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
About the Author