Sports is one of the favorite pastimes in Canada. The nation has given us many stars in different sports, mainly ice hockey and basketball. Of course, that’s not to say Canada isn’t successful in other sports, with many big stars in soccer, and even tennis in the past decade.
One of the things that made Canadian athletes so popular are online betting sites. Armed with bonuses and promotions. Sports betting and Canadian sports go hand to hand, and the top casinos/betting site hybrids have definitely played a part in the popularization of some sports. There are more betting markets than ever online, with live betting part of the mix as well. On top of that, you can get a variety of bonuses for best casino experience as well as a variety of free bets that make sports betting a blast in Canada.
The country has given us dozens—and even more—superb athletes that have mastered the sports trade. Many of them have written memoirs and autobiographies detailing their careers, and in this article, we’ll tell you more about the books on this topic you can’t miss.
Burke’s Law by Brian Burke
There aren’t many bigger figures than Brian Burke in Canadian ice hockey. He worked with several majors teams in the NHL during his career, including the Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Ducks, the latter of which he won the Stanley Cup with in 2007. He’s a member of Rugby Canada’s board of directors too, so his impact on Canadian sports is undeniable.
His personal story of success and challenges are detailed in the book Burke’s Law. He shares challenges he faced in his career when his son Brendan was killed in a car crash in 2009. Before that, Brendan came out as gay with major support from his dad. Since then, Burke has been one of the biggest supporters for LGBTQ rights, honoring the memory of his son.
Rapture by Nick Nurse
Nurse may not be Canadian by nationality, but he has left a deep mark on Canadian sports. In 2019 as head coach of the Toronto Raptors, he helped end one of the greatest dynasties in the NBA of all time – the Golden State Warriors. By then, the Warriors were looking for a three-peat, until they were stopped by the Raptors led by Kyle Lowry, Kawhi Leonard, and Fred VanVleet. Even though the had Leonard in the lineup, it was still a major feat as the Raptors weren’t big bookie favorites before the season started.
Nurse’s Rapture is one of the best memoirs for Canadian basketball fans. It chronicles his life in detail, from this first career moments to becoming a head coach in the UK and making the jump to Canada. It also details his time spent with the Raptors and the Canadian men’s national basketball team, sharing moments that every Canada NBA sports fans should read.
Steve Nash by Clayton Geoffreys
It’s safe to say that Steve Nash remains one of the best basketball players in Canadian history. Until someone surpasses it, it’ll stay that way. The two-time NBA MVP never got the chance to win a ring, yet his feats on the court remain legendary. This book by Clayton Geoffreys details Nash’s life starting as a skinny kid from British Columbia and making it to the big leagues. It also tells the story of how fond he was toward soccer. Nash had the dream of becoming a soccer star before he started playing basketball where he grew into one of the best point guards of all time.
For his great NBA career, Nash was inducted in the Hall of Fame. If you’re interested in his story, this is the book to read.
We the North by Doug Smith
The famous Toronto Raptors slogan is the name of this book by NBA reporter Doug Smith. He has covered the Raptors for 25 years and has written the team’s history on paper. It covers every inch of Raptor history, starting with Smith’s beginnings as a writer for the Raptors in 1995. He witnessed the Vince Carter era and his ferocious dunks, his emergence as an All-Star, the heartbreaking departure, and how the team recovered fantastic basketball players such as DeRozan, Lowry, and Kawhi Leonard.
It’s a great book for every Toronto basketball fan, especially for the holidays. If we’re being honest, it begins on the shelves of every basketball fan in Canada. This book is the pinnacle of Doug Smith, a loyal Raptor fan who finally got to cover a championship team in 2019.
Playing the Long Game by Christine Sinclair and Stephen Brunt
Christine Sinclair is the best female soccer player in Canada’s history. Period. She’s an Olympic gold medal winner, a two-time Olympic bronze medallist, and won the Canada Soccer Player of the Year rewards a whopping 14 times. She’s also the world’s leader in international goals scored with 190, and that’s for both men and women. Sinclair has over 300 appearances on the international stage, being the absolute leader. There isn’t a record she hasn’t broke, and you can read more about it all in Playing the Long Game.
Co-created by Sinclair herself and journalist Stephen Brunt, this book tells the story of her extraordinary career and life. It’s not easy to achieve everything she’s done, and you can read more about it from her personal perspective in this amazing book.
The Voyageurs by Joshua Kloke
In 2022, the Canadian soccer men’s national team finally returned to the World Cup. It was a long time waiting for soccer fans, with the last time the team played on this stage being in 1986. Canada’s soccer was an afterthought for a long time until the emergence of young stars such as Jonathan David and Alphonso Davies. One of the youngest and best teams in the world, Canada may not have made a big impact at the World Cup, but will be a force to come.
Joshua Kloke masterfully details the events that led to Canada’s resurgence in this book. He conducted in-depth interviews with players and coaches about the rise of men’s soccer in Canada and what’s to come in the future.