So I wrote another book

"We Win Here," a Texas Stars book I co-wrote with Stephen Meserve is available now

The creative process can be weird and wonderful.

For years Stephen Meserve and I have informally kicked around the idea of writing a book about the Texas Stars. It would often start with a conversation over a beer, we’d discuss a certain element of the franchise or the AHL, and at some point someone would laugh, and mention, “man, we should write a book about this,” before ordering another beer.

So we finally wrote it.

While the idea of a Texas Stars book didn’t become a formality until 2023, it’s been rattling around in our brains for years. Life circumstances and opportunity collided, and starting today We Win Here: The Definitive Essays You Need About the Texas Stars is available for purchase.

It’s a collection of 12 essays examining the Texas Stars, the AHL, and hockey in general.

We explore the legend of Jamie Benn and the 2010 Calder Cup playoffs. How Jack Campbell failed so Jake Oettinger could soar. How the Texas Stars set the ball in motion for AHL movement and ask the key question, “Does the Calder Cup really matter?”

Oh, and I offer my final dispatch on the Honka Wars…

Here is the full table of contents.

If you’ve followed my work to this Substack from my time in Texas or Dallas, you’re going to enjoy this book. Having combined with Stephen on this project, this is the finest coverage you’ll ever find of the Texas Stars.

If you aren’t a Stars fan, the themes and examination of the AHL’s place in the world apply to any franchise and therefore any hockey fan.

The book is available in both digital and physical formats at WeWinHere.com. Digital copies are $14, physical copies are $18.23.

Growing up I always wanted to write a book. I wanted to see my name on the spine as it sat on the bookshelf, there was something magical about it. The feeling didn’t go away after I published my first book, “100 Things Stars Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die” in 2018.

That first book was with a publisher, they reached out to me. This one is independently published, a passion project that started because of a friendship formed in an AHL press box. I hope you check it out and enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it.