Hockey Night in Kenya

Kitoo dreams of someday playing real ice hockey and Nigosi helps him realize that sometimes dreams can come true. Hockey Night in Kenya is ultimately a story about friendship, support and having big dreams. This book addresses abandonment, parental death and being an orphan, but the real focus is about finding happiness in the life you have and also about having dreams of greater things. Co-author Danson Mutinda’s parents founded an orphanage, the Hope Development Centre, with Eric and Anita Walters in 2007. Danson is currently patron of the program and Eric is considered an elder and an important member of the Hope Development Centre community. While the characters and story are fictional, the orphanage and ice rink exist in real life. In 2018, coffee and doughnut chain Tim Hortons brought the 12 players of the Kenya Ice Lions, who practice at the Panari Hotel rink, to Canada to play hockey. Twice a week the Kenyan team gathers in Nairobi to practice, but there aren’t enough players to create a second team so their trip to Canada was the first time they had a proper opponent. Features several black-and-white illustrations.