Ottawa native and TSN host James Duthie’s sense of humour enlivens his new book, The Day I (Almost) Killed Two Gretzkys, a collection of 75 of his most popular sports columns from the last decade.
So you don’t have to be a sports fan to enjoy the book?
A lot of the columns are sports-related, but sports are on the periphery. There are columns about having an MRI, remote controls, Anna Kournikova and my dog. There’s quite a bit in there about my kids and things that appeal to the casual sports fan.
How did you choose which columns would be included?
I dug through my hard drive. It was really fun going back. Some of the columns are moments in time, but it’s a snapshot of sports over the last 10 years. It’s also my life.
Tell me about the title.
I played in Wayne Gretzky’s golf tournament two or three years ago, and I almost killed Wayne and (his father) Walter in the same round of golf … That would have been my legacy.
If you weren’t a journalist, what do you think you would be?
I was going to be a gym teacher. I got into McGill for phys-ed and Carleton to take journalism.
I thought I was going to (be) homesick, so I went to Carleton. It worked out really well. So a gym teacher, a cop or personal masseuse for Scarlett Johansson.
