As It Happens

Roch Carrier reads his beloved short story The Hockey Sweater

It's the beloved Canadian children's story about life on the pond. Our annual reading of Roch Carrier's The Hockey Sweater.

A holiday reading from CBC Radio's As It Happens

An illustration of young boys on an outdoor ice rink, all wearing Montreal Canadiens jerseys with the number 9 on the back, glaring a lone boy in a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey.
An illustration by Sheldon Cohen, from Roch Carrier's The Hockey Sweater. (Roch Carrier and Sheldon Cohen)

This is part of As It Happens' annual holiday reading series.


As a child, Roch Carrier spent much of his time playing hockey with his friends. And when he wasn't playing, he was dreaming about life on the pond. 

Carrier's favourite team? The Montreal Canadiens. But, one winter, his mother ordered him the wrong team's jersey.

"That day, I had one of the greatest disappointments of my life! I would even say that on that day I experienced a very great sorrow."

It's the Canadian story that children — and adults — have loved for more than 30 years.

From our annual holiday reading series, here's Carrier's reading of The Hockey Sweater.