Where
to begin? I had heard stories and rumors about Derek Sanderson, from
becoming the highest paid athlete in the 1970s, to losing literally
everything and living in a cardboard box, and making his way back up.
But where do you start to be able to tell the true parts from the
blown-up stories?
This
is the place, directly from the horse's mouth, so to speak. He speaks
candidly about the path through juniors, to the OHA, and eventually
being signed by the Boston Bruins. He a teammate of Bobby Orr, and
was on the club that won the 1970 Stanley Cup.
Through
it all, though, money was an issue. The issue was that Derek seemed
to do whatever he wished, and didn't seem to worry about whether
there would be more in the future. One tale stands out: he goes into
a Rolls-Royce dealership dressed very casually, kicks a few tires,
and seriously wants to buy one. The salesman barely looks at him. So,
Derek yells for a manager, states that he will be back at 5pm with
cash to buy the car, and doesn't want “that man” to get the
commission.
Sanderson
was also an instrumental part in the early days of the WHA, the World
Hockey Association, or as many still refer to it, the rebel league.
The Philadelphia Blazers were willing to throw a huge amount of
money, 2.5 million dollars, to sign him. Unfortunately, that didn't
last long, and they bought him out.
Derek
speaks candidly about his drug and alcohol problems as well; how they
started, grew into demons, and interfered with his playing career. He
would end up broke and living under a bridge in a box in Central Park
in New York.
He
would eventually work his way back up, and found a job working with,
of all things, a financial advisor. He even started a sports branch,
so that he could keep athletes from ending up like he did. Glen
Wesley, and Bobby Orr were his first two clients. That helped bring
in more clients quickly; after all, if it was good enough for Bobby
Orr, then others could definitely trust his judgment.
All
in all, I’d definitely recommend this book. It's a tale of someone
who had it all, lost it all, and managed to get back to where he
could begin to have most of it all over again.
Link
to Powell's City of Books:
http://www.powells.com/biblio/72-9781600786808-0
Link
to Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Crossing-Line-Derek-Sanderson/dp/1600786804/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374361205&sr=1-1&keywords=Crossing+the+Line%3A+The+Outrageous+Story+of+a+Hockey+Original
Link
to Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/crossing-the-line-derek-sanderson/1110072111?ean=9781600789243
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