Zach Hyman holds special reading event for early literacy initiative

Oilers' winger Zach Hyman read his own children's book "Hockey Hero" to families at West Edmonton Mall on Saturday.

The Edmonton Oilers’ Zach Hyman played for a different kind of audience on Saturday morning as he read his own children’s book, Hockey Hero, to families at the West Edmonton Mall.

“It’s a little bit unorthodox, but I was a children’s book author before I became an NHL player,” he said at the sold-out event.

“I try to promote literacy and try to promote reading and writing, just with the age we live in now.”

Hockey Hero was the Oilers winger’s first book, written in 2015. Its main takeaway, he said, is about the power of believing in yourself.

He’s since written The Bambino and Me, another sports-themed picture book, and The Magician’s Secret, an action-adventure picture book about a grandfather and grandson duo.

As a father of three boys himself, Hyman said he can appreciate the variety children may need during storytime.

All of the ticket sales were donated to the Edmonton Public Library’s early literacy initiative, which offers resources to families with young children and creates booklists for all reading ages.

Kids also walked away from Saturday’s storytime with a signed copy of Hockey Hero to bring home.