Book launch celebrates Neepawa’s hockey history

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Published on Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Photo by Tony Eu. The book launch for Rick Sparling’s new book, ‘Amateur Hockey in Neepawa: A Scrapbook’ took place on Aug. 11. Among those helping celebrate the book launch were, from left to right: Dustin Howden, Head Coach of the Neepawa Natives Junior A Hockey team, Cam Smith, Rick Sparling, Ron Kleven, Barry Deveson. While Sparling’s book ends in 1989, the year Neepawa Natives started, Howden said, “I love history, this is great stuff.” Howden will keep a copy on his desk to check out Neepawa’s hockey history on a regular basis. Sparling and the his slightly more senior hockey friends all started school in Neepawa at about the same time. They joked, “We all started grade one together.”

By Tony Eu

Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press

Rick Sparling, former Neepawa resident and author of The History of Public School Hockey in Neepawa, launched his new book Amateur Hockey in Neepawa: A Scrapbook on Thursday, Aug. 11. The launch event took place in the Neepawa Public Library from 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm.

Approximately 38 people attended the launch over the three hours, with 39 books sold. Included in that number are the eight books people pre-ordered, as requested to make sure Sparling would have enough books at the event.

As well as Sparling being there to sign books and answer questions, the event also included coffee and chocolate chip cookies.

Sparling said he enjoyed the event, getting to talk to people he hadn’t seen in years and reminiscence about some of the memories included in the book.

Sparling is hoping to sell well over 100 books, with publisher sales being 60 to 70 per cent of total sales, as they were with the first book.