Terry Ryan was poised to take the hockey world by storm when he was selected eighth overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1995 NHL draft, their highest draft pick in a decade. Expected to go on to become a hockey star, Ryan played a total of eight NHL games for the Canadiens, scoring no goals and no assists: not exactly the career he, or anyone else, was expecting.

Though Terry’s NHL career wasn’t long, he experienced a lot and has no shortage of hilarious and fascinating revelations about life in pro hockey on and off the ice. In Tales of a First-Round Nothing, he recounts fighting with Tie Domi, partying with rock stars, and everything in between. Ryan tells it like it is, detailing his rocky relationship with Michel Therrien, head coach of the Canadiens, and explaining what life is like for a man who was unprepared to have his career over so soon.

Born in Newfoundland, Terry Ryan was drafted eighth overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1995 NHL entry draft. Despite some injuries and setbacks, he played parts of three seasons for the Habs and played hockey professionally for almost a decade. After an ankle injury derailed his career in 2003, he joined the national ball hockey program and won three world championships as a member of Team Canada. “TR” graduated from Memorial University in 2013 with honours. He obtained a B.A. in Folklore/English and proceeded to begin an interesting life in the arts, highlighted by acting roles on popular TV shows like Frontier, Letterkenny, Little Dog, and Hudson & Rex. In 2016, Terry tried his hand at stand-up comedy and opened up for Gerry Dee at various venues across the country, eventually leading to a public speaking career. Fights, Film, and Folklore is Terry’s second book. His first book, Tales of a First-Round Nothing (2014), is a multiple bestseller and was well-received by fans and critics alike. Terry regularly guests on various sports channels and podcasts across the world like Sportsnet and Spittin’ Chiclets, and his own popular podcast on the Hockey Podcast Network is called Tales with TR. TR has been inducted into the Mount Pearl Hockey Hall of Fame, the Mount Pearl Sports Hall of Fame, and the Canadian Ball Hockey Hall of Fame. These days TR plays senior hockey for the St. John’s Caps and also teaches hockey locally. He is a big music fan and collector and lists The Beatles as his favourite band. He resides in Mount Pearl, where he raises his beautiful ten-year-old daughter, Penny-Laine, and their curious cat, Princess.

Terry Ryan's profile page

Arron Asham was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 1996 and has played more than 850 NHL games for the Habs, Islanders, Devils, Flyers, Penguins, and New York Rangers.

Arron Asham's profile page

Jim Cuddy is a Canadian singer-songwriter primarily associated with the band Blue Rodeo. He attended North Toronto Collegiate Institute, where he met and befriended Greg Keelor, his future bandmate. He also went to Upper Canada College and Queen's University. Cuddy was born in Toronto, Ontario.

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“I never thought of Terry Ryan’s pro hockey career as memorable until I picked up a copy of his soon-to-be-published book, Tales of a First-Round Nothing: My Life as an NHL Footnote … The book is an honest, poignant and often funny look at the life of a player on the fringe.” — Montreal Gazette

“The title shows that he’s willing to have fun with his career, while the book shows that he’s willing to have fun with almost anything.” — Sports Book Review Center