Thirteen-year-old Robbie leads a double life. It's just Robbie and his dad, but no one knows that his dad isn't like most parents. Sometimes he wakes Robbie up in the middle of the night to talk about dying. Sometimes he just leaves without telling Robbie where he's going. Once when Robbie was younger, he was gone for more than a week. Robbie was terrified of being left alone but even more scared of telling anyone in case he was put into foster care. No one can know. Until one day when Robbie has to show the tough new girl, Harmony, around school. Their first meeting ends horribly and she punches Robbie in the face. But eventually they come to realize that they have a lot more in common than they thought. Can Robbie's new friend be trusted to keep his secret?
Bill Mosienko was one of Manitoba’s greatest hockey players and athletes. Mosienko became a hockey legend in 1952 when he recorded the fastest hat-trick in NHL history—a record that stands to this day. This biography tells the story of a Manitoba legend, from his childhood spent skating on the rinks of Winnipeg’s North End in the 1920s and 30s, to his illustrious fourteen-year NHL career, to his return to Winnipeg to play with the Winnipeg Warriors, to his post-retirement career as the owner of the iconic Mosienko Bowling Lanes. Through exclusive interviews with Mosienko’s friends, family, and teammates, Dilello paints a vivid picture of Mosienko, a man known for his sportsmanship and community spirit as well as his incredible hockey talent.
Ty Dilello’s beautifully written biographical account of William “Bill”Mosienko also depicts some of the National Hockey League’s other G.O.A.Ts. (Greatest of All Times). We follow their journey from virtually unknown to world famous players. The book chronicles the early days of immigrant families living in North End -- one of Winnipeg’s poorest neighborhoods, plagued by poverty and diseases -- and how they dealt with culture shock, economic hardships and racism.
The family’s initial trip should have taken them to Saskatchewan, but a chance encounter with the Shibickys (NHL star Alex Shibicky’s parents) may have been a blessing in disguise.Roman Shibicky somehow convinced them to go to Winnipeg and this is where Bill was introduced to the sport that would eventually make him a household name.
Daniel Mosienko certainly had it hard -- maintaining his extremely large family on such a minimal salary ($1.25 per hour) from his job as a boilermaker with Canadian Pacific Railroad. The depression certainly made life unbearable, yet amidst all that hardship, the Mosienkos found a way to make it through.
