for the Toronto Star between 1991–1993; his stories were written on a portable typewriter from the road and submitted via gas station faxes, and his 1996 tour diary for the same paper became the essence of his first book. His second book, Tropic of Hockey, about playing hockey in China, Dubai and Transylvania, was named one of the Top 100 Canadian books of all-time, and established what would become the writer's template: travel, sports and music written from an experiential perspective. He has been called everything from "the Ry Cooder of hockey" to "George Plimpton soaked in maple syrup." His 2006 book The Five Hole Stories, a compilation of erotic short stories set in the world of professional ice hockey, was adapted by One Yellow Rabbit into the stage play Five Hole: Tales of Hockey Erotica, and by Cam Christiansen as the animated short film Five Hole: Tales of Hockey Erotica. In 2010, broadcaster Ron MacLean told a Saturday night audience on Hockey Night in Canada that Bidini was "one of this country's most important voices in music and hockey" before premiering a track, "The Land is Wild," from his band's first album. In 2007's Around the World in 57.5 Gigs, he documented being among the first ever Canadian rock bands to embark on a festival tour of China, performing in towns that had never seen western rock music before, and in Home and Away, he wrote about the experiences of Canada's homeless soccer team at the Homeless World Cup. After the book's success, Bidini later became a board member for Street Soccer Canada, a non-profit body that sends teams annually to the tournament. Bidini wrote a weekly Saturday column for the National Post, but was dismissed in 2015. His 2002 book Baseballissimo was optioned for the screen by co-producer Geddy Lee of Rush with a script written by actor Jay Baruchel (Goon). In 2011, On a Cold Road was named a finalist for Canada Reads, CBC Radio's national books contest. In 2009, he successfully championed Paul Quarrington's novel King Leary on the same series. He is currently the editor and publisher of The West End Phoenix, a weekly community newspaper in Toronto. Books On a Cold Road: Tales of Adventure in Canadian Rock (1998) Tropic of Hockey (2001) Baseballissimo (2004) For Those About to Rock (2004) The Best Game You Can Name (2005) The Five Hole Stories (2006) For