Greg Oliver

Greg Oliver is a Canadian writer, editor, and producer whose books cover professional wrestling, hockey, and baseball. Based in Toronto, he was a cofounder and longtime producer of Slam Wrestling, a website he helped develop from 1996 until leaving in 2025. His work combines reporting and historical research with collaborative autobiographies, following both the public performances and working lives of people in sports.

His books include volumes in The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame series, studies of hockey enforcers and goaltenders, and memoirs with Gilles Gratton, John Gibbons, and Doug MacLean. The Society for International Hockey Research recognized him with its Bill Fitsell President’s Award in 2021. He has also received James C. Melby awards for wrestling history, reflecting a publication record extending across several kinds of sporting entertainment.

Wrestling Books

The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels: Oliver and Steven Johnson examine the performers known as heels, whose role is to attract hostility from wrestling audiences. Historical profiles and stories explain how villains created memorable rivalries and helped make their opponents popular. The book considers character, presentation, and audience response across different periods, exploring the craft behind a central part of professional wrestling’s entertainment. First published in 2007.

Benoit: Wrestling with the Horror That Destroyed a Family and Crippled a Sport: Four wrestling writers examine Chris Benoit’s life and the murder of his wife and son before his suicide. Oliver contributes an account placing the events within wrestling’s professional culture and drawing on his correspondence with Benoit. The collection considers reporting, the industry’s response, and the difficult relationship between a celebrated performing career and an appalling crime. Published in 2007.

Slam! Wrestling: Shocking Stories from the Squared Circle: Oliver and Jon Waldman collect stories associated with Slam Wrestling’s coverage of the business and its performers. The book follows the website’s reporting approach, combining attention to wrestling history and prominent personalities with the less visible realities of working in the industry. Accounts from behind the public spectacle emphasize the people whose experiences extend beyond their characters in the ring. Published in 2009.

The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Canadians: Oliver profiles Canadian professional wrestlers and families whose contributions were sometimes obscured by the nationalities and identities assigned to their characters. Bret Hart, Roddy Piper, Gene Kiniski, and other performers appear alongside families such as the Harts and Rougeaus. Photographs and career accounts connect the performers’ actual backgrounds with the stories presented to wrestling audiences. Published in 2003.

Hockey Books

Don't call me goon: hockey's greatest enforcers, gunslingers, and bad boys: Oliver and Richard Kamchen profile hockey enforcers, examining the players expected to protect teammates and intimidate opponents. Interviews and career accounts describe routes through the minor leagues, fighting roles, and lives beyond the ice. The collection considers the people behind a frequently criticized position, placing personal recollections alongside the physical demands and uncertain security of the work. Published in 2013.

The Goaltenders' Union: Hockey's Greatest Puckstoppers, Acrobats, and Flakes: Oliver and Richard Kamchen explore the lives of hockey goaltenders through interviews with more than sixty players and additional accounts from coaches and teammates. Personalities, innovations, mental pressure, and career changes emerge across generations. The book examines the paradox of an unusually solitary role within a team sport and the expectations attached to being its final line of defense. Published in 2014.

Blue Lines, Goal Lines & Bottom Lines: Hockey Contracts and Historical Documents from the Collection of Allan Stitt: Oliver uses documents from collector Allan Stitt’s archives to investigate hockey careers and business decisions. Contracts, scouting reports, correspondence, and other records reveal matters ranging from Wayne Gretzky’s early agreement to disputes over compensation. Historical photographs accompany the documents, allowing the book to connect familiar sporting figures with the paperwork behind employment, evaluation, and professional relationships. Published in 2016.

Gratoony the Loony: The Wild, Unpredictable Life of Gilles Gratton: Gilles Gratton recounts an unconventional playing life with Oliver, following his development in Montreal and years in the WHA and NHL. The autobiography addresses disputes with management, unusual beliefs, personal behavior, and his eventual decision to leave hockey. The narrative places an often-repeated public reputation within Gratton’s own account of a life that did not fit professional expectations. Published in 2017.

Game Day: The Uncensored Life of an NHL GM: Doug MacLean and Oliver investigate the responsibilities of an NHL general manager through MacLean’s experience and interviews with other executives. Roster construction, trades, coaching hires, contracts, and relationships with owners compete for attention. The book follows the decisions and pressures usually hidden behind public announcements, including regrets and the continuing uncertainty of a job judged by results. Published in 2026.

Baseball Books

Gibby: Tales of a Baseball Lifer: John Gibbons recalls his journey from a first-round draft pick and brief major-league playing career to managing the Toronto Blue Jays. Written with Oliver, the memoir follows early baseball experiences, coaching, and two periods in charge in Toronto. The 2015 and 2016 postseason runs accompany stories about personalities, relationships, and the practical work of managing a team. Published in 2023.