Playing for Keeps

Hockey rules in Branko Stimac’s new hometown, where its star players get the royal treatment. Any other sport—like soccer, where Branko excels—is considered second-rate. This means the sacrifices Branko’s Croatian immigrant father made so he can play in Canada go unnoticed, as does Branko’s stellar goalkeeping.

When Branko makes it onto the Edmonton Select team as the second-string keeper, he keeps the accomplishment to himself, sure that no one in his home town will care. But then a video of one of his spectacular saves gets posted on a sports blog and goes viral. Suddenly Branko has more attention than he dreamed of.