When a book has the phrase “A Life in Hockey” in the title, you would expect the transcribed thoughts of a retired player or coach, someone who has seen more sunsets than they’re going to see, whose arms have stretched to different continents and far above their heads, holding the Stanley Cup. That’s why I raised an eyebrow at the title of Kevin McGran’s first book, Auston Matthews: A Life in Hockey, wondering how much could be written on the Toronto Maple Leafs captain, whose 28th birthday came just under two weeks before the September release date of the book. But after reading, you can see that Matthews, whom the Leafs selected first overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, has a story as unique as any player we’ve seen at hockey’s highest level. Without speaking to Matthews or anyone from his immediate circle for this specific project, McGran, who has covered the Leafs for The Toronto Star since 2006 and has followed the star center since he first entered the league, expertly takes the reader through diffe
