"They said I couldn't make the NHL, so I went out and proved them right!"

That's the sub-title to the recently published book "Memoir of a Hockey Nobody" by former senior Assiniboia Southern Rebel Jerry Hack

.  

Hack, who's originally from BC, didn't start skating or playing hockey until he was 18 and said he had to fight his way onto the Rebels, who weren't exactly jumping at the idea of signing a goalie who had just learned to skate.

"There was an ad in the paper one day that a senior team in Saskatchewan was looking for a goalie. They told me 'We'll give you one practice, if you show enough ability, we'll give you one game. If you show enough ability in that one game, we'll sign you for the rest of the year', and I ended up spending the next three and a half seasons there."

The book covers Hacks life leading up to the signing, as well as all of the games, tournaments, and nights-out with his teammates. After his days in Assiniboia, Hack would go on to play in California for a stint, before playing in Whitehorse for two years.

"The book is different," says Hack, "It's a different take because you know I never made it to the NHL, never even came close. My story is more of a rags-to-rags story about modest dreams, achieving them, and being happy with that."

He says he never planned on writing a book but decided that it might be a good story after hearing positive feedback on social media.

"I just happened to be posting some stories on Facebook and people were saying I should write a book. I hadn't written anything since high school, and now the book is a thing, and everybody who's read it loves it. I'm absolutely stunned."

Hack's book has received glowing reviews from many across North America and can be purchased on Amazon, Google Play Books, and Walmart.ca.