The story recounts how, although young Roch was an ardent fan of Maurice “Rocket” Richard, his mother made him wear the Toronto Maple Leafs sweater on his neighbourhood ice rink while all the other children were wearing jerseys with the Rocket’s number 9 on the back. Writer, dramatist and poet, The Hockey Sweater is one of his most famous tales. Roch Carrier, born in Sainte Justine, Quebec in May 1937, is one of the best-known authors in English Canada. Now a classic of Quebec and Canadian literature, the story was produced as an animated short film by the National Film Board of Canada in 1980. It highlights the rivalry and partisanship between the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs that still carries on today. Carrier's story tells the tale of a Quebec boy whose mother orders a Montreal Canadiens sweater from the Eaton’s catalogue, but receives a Toronto Maple Leafs sweater by mistake.

Inspired by popular culture, story-telling is a valuable tool for sharing our values.Ī story that's often told in the Canadian school system, in both French and English, is Roch Carrier’s The Hockey Sweater, published in 1979. Education starts at a young age, in part thanks to storytelling. In recognition of Family Literacy Day on January 27, the Canadian Race Relations Foundation celebrates equality and equal access to basic needs as at the heart of the Canadian values.

The Hockey Sweater : A Classic of Quebec and Canadian Literature

The hockey sweater by roch carrier