Review of Randall Maggs' Night Work: The Sawchuk Poems

If the Olympics proved anything, it’s that Canada rules hockey. No wonder then that even some of our greatest literature revolves around the sport. Roch Carrier’s The Hockey Sweater. Paul Quarrington’s King Leary. And now you can add Randall Magg’s Night Work: The Sawchuk Poems.

Told in a series of mostly narrative poems, Night Work is the biography of Terry Sawchuk, one of the NHL's greatest goalies of all time. Had Sawchuk been an entirely fictional character, Maggs' poetry would stand on its own. That Sawchuk actually existed simply adds to the mystique.

It's a mystique that Maggs' somehow manages to salvage, while paradoxically making Sawchuk more human. How can you relate to a man that spits out bits of his teeth and continues to play a game? Because he feels the rejection of fickle fans. Because he doesn't always behave responsibly. Because he knows the pressure of expectation. Maggs presents a quintessential hero with humanity.

The strengths of Maggs' poetry are many. Often told from varying points of view (Terry, other players, Maggs himself) the changing perspective might be confusing at first. But it’s something you eventually get used to , without the help of a FoxTrax puck. Maggs captures the language and feel of the game without patronizing it or dumbing it down. "Arse" has never sounded so poetic.

This is one of the best biographies you’ll ever read, even if you’re not a fan of the sport.

Randall Maggs, winner of Newfoundland’s Winterset Award and most recently the $25,000 Kobzar Award (for literature with a Ukrainian Canadian theme), will be visiting Yellowknife at the end of March. Stay tuned to the this blog and to the Yellowknifer for reading times and locales as well as how to sign up for a poetry workshop.