Love What You Play

Sean Fitz-Gerald is the senior national writer for The Athletic, Toronto. He is the author of Before the Lights Go Out: A Season Inside a Game On the Brink, a poignant insight into Canadian hockey. The book highlights Fitz-Gerald’s season with the Peterborough Petes, providing his own experience of the conflicting perspectives and motivations that affect hockey in Canada. As a sports journalist, Fitz-Gerald has written for the National Post, Canadian Press and the Toronto Star. He was named Canadian sportswriter of the year by Sports Media Canada in 2015. Table of Contents  0:00 - Intro  2:30 - Growing up  3:35 - Working in journalism  5:05 - Top 3 characteristics of great coaches  6:50 - Life-long learning  9:20 - Athletics Canada  11:00 - Writing Before the Lights Go Out 13:10 - Top 3 issues facing hockey in Canada 18:15 - The element of fun 22:40 - Early-window sports 27:05 - Hockey and Canadian identity 29:10 - Balancing structure and free play 35:30 - Secrets of Swedish hockey 37