Michael McKinley

Sean Avery

Controversial hockey star Sean Avery's no-holds-barred memoir of high living and bad behavior in the NHL--coupled with the behind-the-scenes glitter of celebrity and media nightlife in New York and LA. As one of the NHL's most polarizing players, Sean Avery turned the rules of professional hockey on its head. For thirteen seasons, Avery played for some of the toughest, most storied franchises in the league, including the Detroit Red Wings, the Los Angeles Kings, and the New York Rangers, making his mark in each city as a player that was sometimes loved, often despised, but always controversial. In Ice Capades, Avery takes his trademark candidness about the world of pro hockey and does for it what Jim Bouton's game-changing Ball Four did for baseball. Avery goes deep inside the sport to reveal every aspect of an athlete's life, from what they do with their money and nights off to how they stay sharp and competitive in the league. While playing the talented villain in the NHL, Avery broke far away from his on-ice character in the off-season, and Ice Capades takes the reader inside the other unexpected and unprecedented roles that Avery inhabited--Vogue intern, fashion model, advertising executive, restauranteur, gay rights advocate, and many more. Love him or hate him, Sean Avery changed the way professional hockey is played today. Rollickingly honest and compelling throughout, Ice Capades transcends the "sports book" genre and offers a rare, unvarnished glimpse into the world of 21st century hockey through the eyes of one of its most original and memorable players.

A Memoir of Fast Living and Tough Hockey

Ice Capades

Hockey's most polarizing figure takes us inside the game, shedding light not only on what goes on behind closed doors, but also what makes professional athletes tick. Sean Avery has one of the biggest profiles of any NHL player in the past decade. He has appeared on Dancing with the Stars, Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show, Letterman's Late Show, Good Morning America, and more. He's modeled for ads in Vanity Fair and was named to People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive list. He writes for The Players' Tribune. His wedding to supermodel Hilary Rhoda was covered in the media across North America. And when he was arrested the day before the ceremony, the story appeared in media as varied as the New York Times, the Daily Mail in the UK, and Perez Hilton. (The charges were later dropped.) Avery is not afraid to break the rules laid down by hockey tradition. And the most respected of these is the code of silence. For the first time, a hockey player is prepared to reveal what really goes on in the NHL, in the spirit of what Ball Four did for baseball. The money, the personalities, the adultery, and the drugs--and also the little things that make up daily life in the league. Most athletes have little to say, but Sean doesn't have that problem. Yes, he tells us about the guys he's fought and the guys he's partied with, and he tells us where to find the best cougar bars in various NHL cities and what it's like to be hounded by the media when you're dating a celebrity. But Sean's job on the ice was always to get inside the heads of the guys he played against, and that insight on human nature is on full display in Offside. What makes millionaire athletes tick? What are their weaknesses? And in the end, what makes Sean Avery--once called "the most hated player in the NHL"--who he is? What is it like to make people hate you for a living? Sean Avery's misdeeds on and off the ice are well-documented, and he certainly has his detractors. But on the other hand, he has a lot of supporters, in part for things like being the first North American athlete to come out in favour of marriage equality, and in part just for being an interesting guy. Love him or hate him, he is one of the best-known players of the past few decades, and certainly one of the most colourful and outspoken. In Offside, he meets his accusers head-on, and gives them something to think about.

My Life Crossing the Line

Offside

A sweet picture book with a different take on metamorphosis and a surprising ending Two tiny eggs, one in a pond and one on a tree, survive a brutal storm and hatch at the same time. Harold is a tadpole and Grace is a caterpillar. Neither of them can find similar creatures, and they are mocked and ridiculed by those around them until they find each other and become friends. But as they grow, they grow apart. Harold explores further in the pond and leaves Grace behind on her tree. Harold's new friends, the fish, think he's great until he starts growing legs, then they turn on him. Sad and dispirited, Harold returns to find Grace but she is nowhere to be seen; in her place is just a hard little chrysalis. Harold mourns for Grace and keeps vigil over the chrysalis. One morning Harold wakes to something fluttering in the dim light. Hungry, he flicks out his tongue and grabs it, but the fluttering is no meal, it is Grace, hatched at last and now a beautiful butterfly. Back together again they remain true friends and live happily ever after.

Harold and Grace

Some White Guy

Eon Montgomery, aka E the MC, is at the top of the Hip-Hop food chain. His music is burning up the airwaves and he cares more about making money than making sense. In the blink of an eye Eon's world takes a vicious turn for the worse. He is forced to move back to his hometown where the horrible discoveries of his past create an evolution that will change his life forever!

E.O.N.: Evolution of a Nigger

Hockey's most polarizing figure takes us inside the game, shedding light not only on what goes on behind closed doors, but also what makes professional athletes tick. As one of the NHL's most polarizing players, Sean Avery turned the rules of professional hockey on their head. For thirteen seasons, he played for some of the most storied franchises in the league, including the Detroit Red Wings, the Los Angeles Kings, and the New York Rangers, making his mark in each city as a player who was sometimes loved, sometimes despised, and always controversial. In Offside, Avery displays his trademark candor about the world of pro hockey and does for it what Jim Bouton's game-changing Ball Four did for baseball. Avery goes deep inside the sport to reveal every aspect of pro athletes' lives, from how they spend their money and their nights off to how they stay sharp and conditioned and employed. Avery also examines his singular career path–while playing the talented villain on ice, he skated out of character in the off-season, taking on unexpected and unprecedented roles: Vogue intern, fashion model, advertising executive, restaurateur, gay rights advocate, and many more. Rollickingly honest and compelling throughout, Offside transcends the sports book genre and offers a rare, unvarnished glimpse into the world of twenty-first-century hockey through the eyes of one of its most original and memorable players.

Sean Avery

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