The Goal" is a book about Canada's national sport, hockey, but it goes beyond that. This is not a book of instructions or biographical notes by hockey stars. This is a book for and by the fans of the sport. The stories are about real people who love to play and watch the game, but they are also allegories about life itself. About trials and tribulation, about determination, kindness, inspiration, excellence, community, fellowship and fairness. In a world in which so-called "old-fashioned values" are seen as just that, this book reminds us there are still bedrock beliefs that knit us in a tiny strand across the enormous country that is Canada.