By John Shannon
I have often been quoted as saying that hockey succeeds in spite of itself. Its greatest attribute isn’t the speed or athletic ability required to play the game. Nor is it the sounds of the game or its physical nature. Hockey succeeds because of the people in and around the game and the stories they tell.
This book is a great example of that.
I first heard of Rob Simpson as the play-by-play voice of the Boardwalk Bullies of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). They were a short-lived franchise that won the league championship only to disappear almost as quickly as they appeared. The team could only wish to have the same shelf life and passion for hockey as Rob Simpson. You see, Simpson isn’t that run-of-the-mill guy who works on the fringes of the game (like the rest of us in the media). He is a passionate survivor. He sees things in the game that many do not. He is able to dissect why people play this great game at any level, from peewee to pro, from Chattanooga to China. He sees and respects the game at any and every level.
Over the last two decades, I have hired Rob for at least three jobs. It was never boring with him around. Make no mistake about it, Rob can be a pain in the ass. He is relentless in his pursuit of what makes hockey so important to so many people. He believes in the game so much that he expects others to believe in and understand it as well. It is a blessing and a curse.
What is endearing about Rob is his ability to find a story in the minutiae of sport or, rather, those people in sport. And as you will read, his love of competition and athletes goes beyond hockey: he has an innate ability to look beyond the competition to find the humorous, the eccentric, even the emotional side to a competitor’s story. That’s what makes Rob what he is: an excellent storyteller.
With that in mind, sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. And know that Rob Simpson makes every journey well worth the time.