Many of the experiences of every hockey dreamer are the same--games played on the backyard rink, Stanley Cup fantasies and hero-worship for the stars on the ice. Are those experiences any different for someone who makes it to the NHL? Living the Hockey Life tells the stories of people from around the hockey world-players and broadcasters, Hall of Famers, average folks and officials, even the "Keeper of the Cup"--showing that, in the end, the hockey experience is universal: - Eric Staal and his three brothers had perhaps the most famous backyard rink next to Gretzky's'”that and the work ethic their parents instilled in them as kids led the Staals to the NHL = As a kid, Marcel Dionne could look out his living room window to check whether the other kids in the neighborhood were out on the rink; little did he imagine that they would soon be watching him go on to score 731 NHL goals - The distance Jordin Tootoo crossed to become the first Inuk player in the NHL is more than space--it's a cultural gap that gives him a sense of appreciation of what he's gained but also reveals the value of where he comes from - Jim Pappin scored the goal that won the Maple Leafs their last Cup, in 1967; his Stanley Cup ring then spent 30 years at the bottom of the ocean before being found and returned to him a few years ago - Jean Labonté never thought when he lost a leg to cancer that he'd be a hockey gold medalist'”the captain of the Canadian men's sledge hockey team led his squad to gold in 2006 - Phil Pritchard goes to bed about 160 nights a year with the Stanley Cup locked in a case right beside him, but as the Keeper of the Cup, that's a duty he gladly embraces - Ray Ferraro never wanted to do anything else but make the NHL, so in Grade One, he ignored all the other career possibilities listed in the scrapbook his mom kept for him and had her write "NHL player" - Ian Laperriere wears the scars of his profession all over his face, but he's proud of his role. When people ask him, "Are you a boxer?" he tells them, "No, I'm a hockey player.".