On Jan. 18 & 19 at 8 PM, CBC "Ideas" will be airing a documentary on Lloyd Percival, titled "Canada's Sports Prophet." A podcast will also be available on that date, as well as the revised edition of Lloyd Percival: Coach and Visionary. Part II of the documentary, airing in Jan. 19, will be largely devoted to hockey, but don't miss Part I. Lloyd Percival had a profound influence on sport and culture in Canada during the 20th century and his influence on hockey represents only the tip of the iceberg.

When the first edition of Lloyd Percival: Coach and Visionary was published in 2013, an editorial decision was imposed upon the author to eliminate more than 1,000 endnotes. The decision to make the book more accessible to the average reader backfired when the book failed to sell. The only feedback the author received was from academics who complained that there were no "references." That criticism, along with conversations with the CBC regarding a documentary on Percival, led to the decision to reintegrate the endnotes into the book and to publish a revised edition. The inclusion of those endnotes dramatically changes an interesting biography into an important study of sport in Canada during the 20th century.

For all of those who did not read the book in 2013, learning about Lloyd Percival and the way he impacted the understanding of sport and fitness in Canada, as well as on more than one dozen specific sports, will be a revelation. For hockey fans in particular, even those who have heard 0f Percival, learning about how much he impacted hockey in Canada and how much more he could have done for the game, had the NHL listened to him, this is must reading. For those few who read it, the endnotes will change the book; so too will the revised section on international hockey, where research from two SIHR members has helped the author challenge academic criticism regarding Percival's influence on Soviet hockey.

Listen to the "Ideas" documentary, then read the book. Some of you will also be able to advance the research Percival, Tarasov and the development of hockey in the Soviet Union; everyone is welcome to comment and to be part of the discussion.

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