Undrafted: Hockey, Family, and What It Takes to Be a Pro

Former NHL player Kypreos takes a granular if cursory look at his life in this uneven memoir. Born in 1966, he recounts his childhood growing up in Canada as part of a close-knit Greek family, and describes how hockey enabled his immigrant father to feel more Canadian. Kypreos began playing the sport in elementary school and joined a minor league team at age 12. In 1985, he got his big break when he was invited to compete for a roster spot with the Philadelphia Flyers, and he later enjoyed a stint with the New York Rangers’ Stanley Cup–winning 1994 team. Kypreos’s on-ice belligerence (“We lined up for a face-off and... I whacked him twice really hard to send a message back that I wouldn’t be intimidated”) ended his career in 1997 after he suffered a particularly bad head injury during a preseason game. Soon, though, he was hired as a commentator by the Canadian sports network Sportsnet, where he worked for 21 years. Accounts of his playing days are strong, yet he provides little insight into what aspect of the game was so appealing to him. Nonetheless, hockey fans will appreciate this inside look. (Oct.)