So Your Son Wants to Play in the NHL

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Summary: This is more than hockey, it is a great book of life.
Review: I had a chance to review the galleys before it went to press, it is a wonderful book that shows how values, character and sportsmanship can take you to the highest levels of life. It is a preparation for success in life. A father son team, where the player Dan Bylsma is a great young player, but when he hits college and pros, he has to be a smarter, harder working player.

Bylsma is a true role model, especially in today's world.

Jay Greenberg of the NY Post writes, "THE BEST ADVICE SINCE DON'T RILE GORDIE HOWE!"

For all sports, for kids and parents alike. Inspiration, motivational, I couldn't put it down

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Summary: The parent and son's view of the same events were great.
Review: I have a son and two daughters who lettered several times in high school sports. I got caught up in not only the book but in thinking about the opportunities I missed to use sports to teach about life. My kids were home for Christmas and I found myself reading and sharing from this book. I wish I could have read it 20 years ago because I would have been less tied into what the kids were doing for me, and more in tune to struggles my kids were going through. I got choked by the story and was unprepared for the epilogue. The structure of the book was very good. Jay the parent's discription of what was happening did not always match what Dan was experiencing. Reading about the samething throug two view points added to the value of the book. Dan and Jay speak less to the potential pro than to every son or daughter who has suited up. The message of love the kid no matter what happens in a game is a powerful one. The "how to directions" are on the money and help to give structure that parents need. I did not expect to have any emotional reaction to this book. I was wrong and glad of it. Wayne Van Zomeren

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Summary: former college hockey player and father says first rate
Review: I highly recommend this book to any father, coach or athlete of any age. I think if I had read it in high school, it may have changed my outlook on sports and life. The book takes you from a player and his father's beginnings in sport, through other people's (parent's) interferences to show how following one's goals can lead to success.

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Summary: This book makes a father think.
Review: It's not easy raising a successful athlete, and it is even more difficult raising a successful adult. Your Son Wants to Be in the NHL shows us a young adult who seems to have become both. It tells the tale of how Dan Bylsma grew from childhood success to success in the NHL. More importantly, it shows us how a boy can grow into manhood and become a person you would like to have as a neighbor.

OK, the first few chapters, when the never ending succuesses of the Bylsma boys in athletics became almost as difficult to read as the phone book are a bit numbing after a while. Once parental pride calmed down the book turned into a compelling look at how difficult it is for a parent to find balance in their children's lives, to teach life lessons as well as sports techniques and to turn out a good person who also happens to be an NHL player.

The struggles Dan had after leaving home at such a young age are dealt with forthrightly, which multiplies the shock you feel at stories of sexual abuse and the physical sacrifice players at the lower minor level make to reach the NHL. That shock is no stronger than when the reader learns that Dan and his wife lost their first child just as he was establishing himself in the NHL.

This book gives the parent of an athlete much to think about. In a society where it seems more and more boys go through life without their fathers this book shows you that those boys lose something that may be irreplaceable.

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Summary: These guys walk the talk!
Review: Since reading "So your son..." nearly two years ago, through various routes, my son and I have become good friends with both Dan and Jay Bylsma and the rest of the Bylsma family. I can honestly say that these guys really do "walk the talk" by putting into practice what the book says. It's a great read if you're a hockey fan but its not just about how one of kid made it to becomming a professional sportsman - their emphasis on a moral compass, sound family values and good educaton really can be used as a practical guide to parenting. Kids don't come with an instruction manual and most of us parents need all the help we can get! I would suggest to anyone wanting a "how do you do it" guide to practical, commonsense, no nonesense child rearing "GET THIS BOOK!" and read it. Great stuff!

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Summary: This is THE book for hockey parents.
Review: We have several hundred books in our hockey library. Ken Dryden's "The Game" was at the top of my list until I read Dan & Jay Bylsma's book. My son and I play on 4 roller hockey teams year round, play ice hockey during the summer, go to Kings games, watch the Ice Dogs and college hockey on TV, and are devout readers of "The Hockey News". Without a doubt, "So Your Son Wants to Play in the NHL" is the single best publication I've read as a hockey parent and amateur adult player.