Old Pucksters and Their Playmates

About the Book

Old Pucksters and their Playmates

… playing hockey just for fun

“synopsis”

Old Pucksters and their Playmates is a fun read.  It’s about old guys who started playing hockey as little boys and still play this silly game as old geezers.  It’s about their playmates … the gals, friends, families and other folks enjoying good times … more or less related to playing organized shinny.  It’s about jocularity … a mixture of jock activities and hilarity.

There’s all kinds of fun times --- in arenas, on the ice, in bars, having bar-b-qs, on ball diamonds, golf courses and umpteen other places … sort of like Nathan Detroit’s “oldest floating crap game”, at Snoopy’s Senior World Hockey tournament or Barney’s Sports Bar in Joxville.

And there’s lots of “action” … off the ice as well as on it.   How about the Old Boys’ team having a petite exotic dancer for Max’s 65^th … in a grungy dressing room filled with over-sized, sweaty, smelly skaters, Gentleman Jock’s international pool tournament or the hi-jinks of the “inner sanctums”?  Then there’s the very special times … dining with the Great One, meeting the Big Man from Floral and caddying for Arnie.

On the ice, we’re captivated by endless “big screen”  highlights … like Charley Hustle’s whirling dervish plays, Dirk’s dastardly deeds and Boom Boom’s hat trick … of penalties!

How about such zany characters, like Andy, the flaky goalie who writes poetry and sings songs for the boys? … and Mikey the walking, talking joker? … and Larry, the ballerina?

Life has its “ups and its downs” …. so do the old pucksters.  Fiesty has a serious heart attack and returns to play and “ref”. Whale is an obese stinker with a barfy bag (of gear) … and that dreaded condition known as “oldzheimers”

 After all is said and done, the Old Pucksters and their Playmates share boundless camaraderie --- the most vital ingredient in seniors’ hockey.

About the Author

About the Author

Al Barnhill, his buddies call him Barney, was born and raised in the small Alberta city of Wetaskiwin, meaning “hills of peace” in the Blackfoot language. From the time he could walk, Al played “road hockey”.  At the age of seven tender years, he started playing organized hockey.  Ten years later, Barney attended the New York Ranger hockey camp.  The following year, he enrolled at the University of Denver.  As a “walk-on” player, he earned a four year hockey scholarship and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.  During that time, the DU Pioneers won two NCCAA hockey championships.

After earning an MBA and Ph.D. in Business Administration, Al embarked on a career in management; teaching in several U.S. and Canadian universities, then into practice and ultimately as a consultant. He is the author of four management books and a web-site. Old Pucksters and their Playmates is his first “creative” book.

For the past 20 years, Al has taught, conducted a variety of management consulting assignments and international development projects in 19 countries ranging from Armenia to Zimbabwe.  For his contributions to Canada and his community, he received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Award.

Al is married to Gretchen, an English Literature instructor.  He is the proud father of Ann Marie, an I.T. Project Manager with Microsoft and John Alexander, a surgeon who recently worked for Doctors Without Borders in Somalia, Africa.