• Age: 12 to 18
• Grade: 7 to 12
• Reading age: 8 to 10

Professional hockey is a fast game, and a dangerous one. Skates slice like razors; a hard-shot puck can take out an eye; and the ice surface is as hard as rock, especially when skulls are slammed against it. Innovations in equipment make the game faster and more exciting -- and have to be countered by measures that keep it safe for players.

From hockey heroes like Jacques Plante, Mario Lemieux, and Sidney Crosby, to an avid 11-year-old player on a mission, there have been players who have campaigned to make hockey a safer game. They have done this often in the face of denials and opposition from league managers, sports writers, fans, and sometimes other players, too. But they've persisted and made the game safer for players of all ages.

This book tells the story of hockey's safety stars, the opposition they faced, and how they persisted and ultimately succeeded in their campaigns.

[Fry reading level - 4.4

SUE IRWIN is a teacher and author. Her writing has been published in a variety of children's publications and won several awards. Her Lorimer Recordbook Safety Stars was nominated for the 2017 Non-fiction Silver Birch Award, was on the Canadian Children Book Centre's Best Books for Kids and Teens list, and won the EFTO's Curriculum Development Award. A lifetime sports fan, Sue lives in the Niagara region with her husband.

Sue Irwin's profile page

• Short-listed, Silver Birch Non-Fiction Award Nominee
• Winner, Canadian Children's Book Centre Best Books for Kids and Teens Selection
• Winner, Elementary Teachers? Federation of Ontario (ETFO) Curriculum Development Award — 2015

"A child who reads this book and then watches an NHL game will realize that very little has been done to make the game safer since Jacques Plante first wore a mask in 1959 even though masks and helmets are now worn by all players. Even with all the protective gear NHL players wear, hockey is a very dangerous game."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

"There is perhaps no other health and safety topic that is so timely as concussion awareness in youth and adult sports and recreation. Sue's book is an invaluable resource for teachers and students and it is written in easy-to-read format ideal for middle school students, struggling readers and ESL students."

Sam Hammond, President, Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario

"This accessibly written, straightforward text, interspersed with black-and-white photos and lively touches of hockey action, will likely draw in reluctant readers and hockey fans."

Booklist

"For readers who enjoy sports stories and sports information, this book combines the two by using real-life happenings to showcase the dangers of the sport and how they have been addressed. This is interesting and easy to read nonfiction."

Librarian at Fairview Elementary School Library

"[Safety Stars offers intriguing facts and back-story on a perennially important topic."

Publishers Weekly

"Safety Stars is a good examination of the important topic of safety in professional hockey. She dicusses the contributions of several hockey greats such as Jacques Plante, Mario Lemieux, and Sidney Crosby. Irwin also describes the determination of 11-year-old Chase McEachern, a devoted hockey fan who suffered from atrial fibrillation (AF), to place life-saving automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in all schools and hockey arenas."

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