Greg Oliver (born February 2, 1971, in Kitchener, Ontario)[ is a Canadians sports writer. He currently resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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Early life and education
He earned a Bachelor of Applied Arts in journalism, newspaper major, in 1993 from Ryerson Polytechnic University.[
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Writing
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Oliver has contributed to many other publications, including The Hockey News, Publishers Weekly, The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Sun, Kingston Whig-Standard, Kitchener-Waterloo Record, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Fighting Spirit Magazine. As a teenager, he published The Canadian Wrestling Report (1985-1990).[
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Oliver's work has been reviewed by Booklist, Quill and Quire, Publishers Weekly, Winnipeg Free Press, London Free Press, Kitchener-Waterloo Record, New York Journal of Books. Don't Call Me Goon: Hockey's Greatest Enforcers, Gunslingers, and Bad Boys, made The Globe and Mail Top 10 for non-fiction in October 2013, and Gibby: Tales of a Baseball Lifer written with baseball's John Gibbons rose to #2 on Canada's non-fiction bestseller list.
The 2017 documentary, Sweet Daddy Siki, about professional wrestler Reginald "Sweet Daddy" Siki, was written by Oliver.
In September 2021, it was announced that Oliver is working with Madusa Debrah Miceli on her autobiography, covering her time in wrestling and in monster trucks. The Woman Who Would Be King: The MADUSA Story
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In February 2024, Oliver teamed with Canadian comedian Eric Johnston on Run with the Bull: Three Generations of Sports and Entertainment (with Joseph Casciaro), which not only details Johnston's adventures in comedy and acting, but also his family's history in professional wrestling, namely his grandfather, Bull Johnson, father, Bullwhip Danny Johnson and uncle Randy Johnson.
Criticism
In July 2008 Bret Hart spoke about Oliver at the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame during the induction banquet for his father Stu Hart. Upset over his ranking in one of Oliver's books – #14 in the greatest Canadian performers, behind Midget wrestling Sky Low Low – Hart called Oliver a "charlatan".
Works
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The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Canadians (2002)
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The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams (with Steven Johnson) (2005)
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The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels (with Steven Johnson) (2007)
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(with Steven Johnson, Irv Muchnick and Heath McCoy) (2007)
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SLAM! Wrestling: Shocking Stories from the Squared Circle (Editor, with Jon Waldman) (2009)
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The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: Heroes & Icons (with Steven Johnson) (2012)
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Written in Blue and White: The Toronto Maple Leafs Contracts and Historical Documents from the Collection of Allan Stitt (2014)
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The Goaltenders' Union: Hockey's Greatest Puckstoppers, Acrobats, and Flakes (with Richard Kamchen) (2014)
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Don't Call Me Goon: Hockey's Greatest Enforcers, Gunslingers, and Bad Boys (with Richard Kamchen) (2015)
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Duck with the Puck (with Quinn Oliver) (2015)
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Blue Lines, Goal Lines & Bottom Lines: Hockey Contracts and Historical Documents from the Collection of Allan Stitt (2016)
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Father Bauer and the Great Experiment: The Genesis of Canadian Olympic Hockey (2017)
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Gratoony the Loony: The Wild, Unpredictable Life of Gilles Gratton (2017)
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Santa's Day Job (2018)
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The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Storytellers (From the Terrible Turk to Twitter) (with Steven Johnson) (2019)
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Who's The Man? Billy Van! (with Stacey Case) (2020)
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Mat Memories: My Wild Life in Pro Wrestling, Country Music, and with the Mets (with John "Alexander" Arezzi) (2021)
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Gibby: Tales of a Baseball Lifer (with John Gibbons) (2023)
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The Woman Who Would Be King: The MADUSA Story (with Debrah Miceli) (2023)
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Run with the Bull: Three Generations of Sports and Entertainment (with Eric Johnston and Joseph Casciaro) (2024)
Awards
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2021 Bill Fitsell President's Award from the Society for International Hockey Research
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2020 James C. Melby Historian Award from the Cauliflower Alley Club
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2008 James Melby Memorial Award for wrestling journalism
Personal
He is married to author Meredith Renwick, and he worked on the book, Duck with the Puck, with their son, Quinn Oliver. His brother, Chris Oliver, is a well-known college basketball coach and instructor.
External links
