Nominated in the nonfiction category for the 2004/2005 Red Cedar Book Awards (British Columbia's Young Reader's Choice book award) Brian McFarlane, one of hockey’s best known and most respected historians, has gathered stories from the very first organized game of hockey, to the Olympic gold-medal face-off between Canada and the US at the 2002 Olympics. Whether through a story of courage – such as Mario Lemieux’s comeback from cancer – or through a story of the ridiculous – such as the notorious flying hot dog – Real Stories from the Rink presents tales about men’s and women’s hockey that cover players of every position, as well as coaches. It also includes the kind of statistics and records that are dear to every hockey fan.