Hockey in "literature"
Apparently, Malcolm Gladwell is out with a new book. His first one was a piece of feces, and his second one was somewhat a worthy read. In his new book, Outliers, Gladwell, born to a Jamaican mother and an English father in England, ponders about none other than hockey, so popular in both his home country and his mother's native country.
And here is the hockey player summary, from the NYT Sunday Book Review by David Leonhardt:
The book’s first chapter explores the anomaly of hockey players’ birthdays. In many of the best leagues in the world, amateur or professional, roughly 40 percent of the players were born in January, February or March, while only 10 percent were born in October, November or December. It’s a profoundly strange pattern, with a simple explanation. The cutoff birth date for many youth hockey leagues is Jan. 1. So the children born in the first three months of the year are just a little older, bigger and stronger than their peers. These older children are then funneled into all-star teams that offer the best, most intense training. By the time they become teenagers, their random initial advantage has turned into a real one.
At the championship game of the top Canadian junior league, Gladwell interviews the father of one player born on Jan. 4. More than half of the players on his team - the Medicine Hat Tigers - were born in January, February or March. But when Gladwell asks the father to explain his son’s success, the calendar has nothing to do with it. He instead mentions passion, talent and hard work - before adding, as an aside, that the boy was always big for his age. Just imagine, Gladwell writes, if Canada created another youth hockey league for children born in the second half of the year. It would one day find itself with twice as many great hockey players.
Just out of curiosity, I decided to look up birthdays of great hockey players. Starting with, of course, Sydney Crosby. Born in August. Canadian.
Bill Guerin, November, Massachussetts.
Tyler Kennedy, July, Canada.
Jordan Staal, September, Canada.
Ryan Getzlaf, May, Canada.
JS Giguere, May, Canada.
Rob Niedermayer, December, Canada.
Scott Niedermayer, August, Canada.
Corey Perry, May, Canada.
Chris Pronger, October, Canada.
Mark Savard, July, Canada.
Tim Thomas, April, Michigan.
Jarome Iginla, July, Canada.
Patrick Kane, November, NY
Jonathan Toews, April, Canada.
Joe Thornton, July, Canada.
Patrick Marleau, September, Canada.
Martin Brodeur, May, Canada.
Zach Parise, July, Minnesota
Jeff Carter - JANUARY 1ST, BINGO!!! Canada.
Blake Wheeler, August, Minnesota.
Steve Mason, May, Canada.
Roberto Luongo, April, Canada.
Sean Avery, April, Canada.
Marc Stall - BINGO! JANUARY 13!!!! Canada.
Brandon Dubinsky, April, Alaska
Scott Gomez, December, Alaska
I think I covered the top 10 players of last year born in US or Canada. Which makes Gladwell.. well, I don't want to be repetitive.
And here is the hockey player summary, from the NYT Sunday Book Review by David Leonhardt:
The book’s first chapter explores the anomaly of hockey players’ birthdays. In many of the best leagues in the world, amateur or professional, roughly 40 percent of the players were born in January, February or March, while only 10 percent were born in October, November or December. It’s a profoundly strange pattern, with a simple explanation. The cutoff birth date for many youth hockey leagues is Jan. 1. So the children born in the first three months of the year are just a little older, bigger and stronger than their peers. These older children are then funneled into all-star teams that offer the best, most intense training. By the time they become teenagers, their random initial advantage has turned into a real one.
At the championship game of the top Canadian junior league, Gladwell interviews the father of one player born on Jan. 4. More than half of the players on his team - the Medicine Hat Tigers - were born in January, February or March. But when Gladwell asks the father to explain his son’s success, the calendar has nothing to do with it. He instead mentions passion, talent and hard work - before adding, as an aside, that the boy was always big for his age. Just imagine, Gladwell writes, if Canada created another youth hockey league for children born in the second half of the year. It would one day find itself with twice as many great hockey players.
Just out of curiosity, I decided to look up birthdays of great hockey players. Starting with, of course, Sydney Crosby. Born in August. Canadian.
Bill Guerin, November, Massachussetts.
Tyler Kennedy, July, Canada.
Jordan Staal, September, Canada.
Ryan Getzlaf, May, Canada.
JS Giguere, May, Canada.
Rob Niedermayer, December, Canada.
Scott Niedermayer, August, Canada.
Corey Perry, May, Canada.
Chris Pronger, October, Canada.
Mark Savard, July, Canada.
Tim Thomas, April, Michigan.
Jarome Iginla, July, Canada.
Patrick Kane, November, NY
Jonathan Toews, April, Canada.
Joe Thornton, July, Canada.
Patrick Marleau, September, Canada.
Martin Brodeur, May, Canada.
Zach Parise, July, Minnesota
Jeff Carter - JANUARY 1ST, BINGO!!! Canada.
Blake Wheeler, August, Minnesota.
Steve Mason, May, Canada.
Roberto Luongo, April, Canada.
Sean Avery, April, Canada.
Marc Stall - BINGO! JANUARY 13!!!! Canada.
Brandon Dubinsky, April, Alaska
Scott Gomez, December, Alaska
I think I covered the top 10 players of last year born in US or Canada. Which makes Gladwell.. well, I don't want to be repetitive.