The Long Car Ride Home

It's all fun and games until you join the youth leagues.

From a young age, Mark "The Diesel" Deazeley played in the Metro Toronto Hockey League, where he quickly learned competitive youth hockey wasn't as fun as it seemed. Growing up in a dysfunctional family, he was the outlet for his father's toxic parental behavior-behavior he often saw reflected by his teammates' family members and their coaches. Deazeley chose to keep playing...only to notice that everything just seemed to be getting worse.

Starting from one of many long car rides home, the author explores the effect of sports on child development and calls attention to mental illness in athletes. Deazeley uses his own perspective and experiences with substance abuse to share his story and put an end to child abuse.

Because even the best and brightest are sometimes struggling behind the scenes-and it's time we stop using the ends to justify the means.