I Hate Hockey

I hate hockey! is the first and last sentence in this novel that offers a great take on our love-hate relationship with hockey. Narrator Antoine Vachon blames the game for killing his marriage with his beautiful ex-wife (well, that and the power outage that brought her home unexpectedly to find him in bed with her intern). But hockey is a pretext for unlikely adventure in this sardonic roman noir that at times flirts with the outrageous.Antoine Vachon is a total loser living in a pitiful bachelor apartment after he has lost his wife and his job as a car salesman. When his son's hockey coach is found dead, he is browbeaten into coaching the team for one game. He makes it through the game (to great comic effect), but things take a turn for the worse when they stop at a motel after the game. Who killed the former coach and why? Was Antoine's son involved? Or his ex-wife? The late coach was liked by all and was a pillar in the community. He was close to his player, perhaps too close... Why is Antoine unable to communicate with his son?

François Barcelo is the author of more than 50 books in French, including Cadavres; Moi, les parapluies; and Nulle part au Texas. He was the first Quebec writer published in Gallimard's prestigious Serie Noire collection. He is the recipient of the Governor General’s Award for French-language children’s literature. He lives in Montreal, Quebec. Peter McCambridge is a certified, full-time translator, who has several years’ experience in translation, writing, editing, and international communications. He lives in Quebec City, Quebec.