The Seven A.M. Practice: Stories of Family Life - Tapa dura

n parents are familiar with the painful tradition of the seven a.m. practice. It is enacted weekly across the country – hours before most sane people think of rising from their beds – as long-suffering mothers and fathers bundle sleepy children into the family car or minivan, then drive their budding athletes to the arena, the pool, the field, the gym...

Roy MacGregor knows the joys and frustrations of cheering on a sporting child. He has, in particular, become known as an expert on the subject of fathers, sons, and the game of hockey, where parent and child often find a rare opportunity to meet on common ground and forge a relationship mediated by their love of the sport.

But Roy MacGregor also has some first-hand experience on the subject of fathers, sons, and ear-piercing; fathers, daughters, and the pre-teen dance. In the funny, sometimes hair-raising stories collected in The Seven A.M. Practice, in which he describes life at home with his own

Roy MacGregor has been involved in hockey all his life. Growing up in Huntsville, Ontario, he competed for several years against a kid named Bobby Orr, who was playing in nearby Parry Sound. He later returned to the game when he and his family settled in Ottawa, where he worked for the Ottawa Citizen and became the Southam National Sports Columnist. He still plays old-timers hockey and has been a minor-hockey coach for more than a decade.

Roy MacGregor is the author of several classics in the literature of hockey. Home Game (written with Ken Dryden) and The Home Team were both number one national bestsellers. He has also written the game’s best-known novel, The Last Season. His other books include Road Games, The Seven A.M. Pr