Showing titles in Hockey

Mark Messier is one of the most accomplished athletes in the history of professional sports. He was a fierce competitor with a well-earned reputation as a winner. But few people know his real story, not only of the astonishing journey he took to making NHL history, but of the deep understanding of leadership and respect for the power of teamwork he gained.

In the fraternity of NHL coaches, some stand out for their winning records, some for their big personalities and some for their unprecedented methods. Mike Keenan stands out on all these counts, and more. Breaking into the NHL as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers in 1984, Keenan got instant results, leading them to the Stanley Cup final in his first year. In 1987, he coached Team Canada to victory in the Canada Cup using his intuitive bench management, putting superstars Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux together on a line at key times to great, winning results.

Now, in his most powerful and important book yet, Game Change, Ken Dryden tells the riveting story of one player’s life, examines the intersection between science and sport, and expertly documents the progression of the game of hockey—where it began, how it got to where it is, where it can go from here and, just as exciting to play and watch, how it can get there.

No one who knows the game is unfamiliar with the story of the NHL’s first Muslim Stanley Cup winner, Nazem Kadri, nor does anyone doubt his warmth and openness in front of a microphone, or his eagerness to challenge the next generation of Muslim athletes. He is a league All-Star, a highlight-reel player, and someone who has been called upon to be the face of his community from the moment he put on skates.

As one of the NHL's most polarizing players, Sean Avery turned the rules of professional hockey on its head. For 13 seasons Avery played for some of the toughest, most storied franchises in the league, including the Detroit Red Wings, the Los Angeles Kings, and the New York Rangers, making his mark in each city as a player that was sometimes loved, often despised, but always controversial.

When John U. Bacon played for the Ann Arbor Huron High School River Rats, he never scored a goal. Yet somehow, years later he found himself leading his alma mater’s downtrodden program. How bad? The team hadn’t won a game in over a year, making them the nation’s worst squad. With almost everyone expecting more failure, Bacon made it special to play for Huron by making it hard, which inspired the players to excel. Then he defied conventional wisdom again by putting the players in charge of team discipline, goal-setting, and even decision-making—and it worked.

One fall. One kiss. And one spicy fake relationship with a sassy redhead that shatters my playbook forever. Faye’s a young, cinnamon-sweet baker and a hopeless romantic. I’m a battle-scarred hockey player, rough on and off the ice. But when a slip, crash, and mind-blowing kiss go viral, the whole town thinks we’re a match. So we play along. She’ll hide my injury. I’ll bring crowds to her bakery. It’s a Win-Win. Until she moves in, and the late-night kisses turn into something more. And her laughter and her touch make me forget every rule I swore to play by. Just as things get ...

They are motivators, key strategists, tough bosses, and choreographers. They can be branded as heroes, ousted as scapegoats, quietly valued as friends, and everything in between. It's all in the job description for an NHL head coach. In Behind the Bench, Craig Custance sits down for film sessions and candid conversations with some of the game's most notable modern luminaries - names like Mike Babcock, Joel Quenneville, Dan Bylsma, Ken Hitchcock, and Claude Julien - all of whom share their singular views on topics ranging from leadership secrets to on-ice game plans.

A one-night stand. A fake relationship. And an irresistibly arrogant hockey player who’s about to turn my perfectly planned life upside down. I’m the queen of spreadsheets and five-year plans, but nothing prepared me for Zach Darling. With my ex-crush attending my best friend’s wedding, I need the perfect date. Someone who checks all the right boxes. Instead, I get Zach. The best man with a smile that could melt anyone, a body that's impossible to resist, and a talent for driving me insane. The same man who shattered my world with one reckless, mind-blowing night. Now he’s offering ...

He’s the type of guy I’ve always been warned about: dominant, too hot to handle, and my grumpy boss to boot! And yet, I jump willingly into that fire... I knew better. I mean, I’m a Badass Queen, ruling in a male-run world. But even Queens need to have fun, and what I needed was a dirty, flirty one-night stand Enter Dominic "Dom" Steele, billionaire hockey legend. At 6’ 3", his presence is commanding. Each muscle finely sculpted, his body is pure perfection. He moves with a confidence that screams, “I’m a man who knows what I want.” He wanted me and I wanted him. Simple enough...

SEPTEMBER 2, 1972, MONTREAL FORUM, GAME ONE: The best against the best for the first time. Canada, the country that had created the game; the Soviet Union, having taken it up only twenty-six years earlier. On the line: more than the players, more than the fans, more than Canadians and Russians knew. So began an entirely improbable, near-month-long series of games that became more and more riveting, until, for the eighth, and final, and deciding game—on a weekday, during work and school hours all across the country—the nation stopped.

Big, skilled, tough on the ice, and nearly indestructible, Howe dominated both the sport and the record books like no one has before or since. Over an incredible six decades, the Hall of Famer had so many accomplishments that he set the record for the most records by any athlete ever in any sport. He also achieved the remarkable feat of playing for six years with his own two sons, Mark and Marty.

More and more fans are watching the NHL each week, but many of them don't know exactly what they should be watching. How does an offense create shooting lanes for its best sniper? When a center breaks through and splits between two defensemen, which defender is to blame? This guide for sports fans on how to watch and appreciate the game of hockey takes you inside a coach's mind as he builds a roster or constructs a game plan, to the chaos of the goalie's crease, and deep into the perpetual chess match between offense and defense.

I broke my #1 rule and slept with the girl next door. Now, my usually guarded heart is skating on thin ice. New city, new NHL team, same dating rules: no doubling back. I learned the hard way after heartbreak that one and done is my MO. Then Emery, a past one-night-stand, moves in next door. I can't stop obsessing about her legs wrapped around my head again. I propose a friends-with-benefits arrangement and to my delight, she agrees. Passions explode and boundaries blur as I re-explore every inch of her curvy body. Our superficial game deepens faster than a slapshot from center ice. In ...

I turned in my secret lover, my brother’s best friend, to the FBI. Then I learned I was pregnant with his baby. Parker Sterling is a walking heat wave—broad-shouldered and hard-bodied, he radiates a raw magnetism that crackles in the air. His eyes? They aren't just blue; they're the kind of blue that knocks the breath right out of you. He ignited a primal need deep within me. We surrendered to a firestorm of passion that left me breathless and yearning. Then I discovered his shady play: he was a criminal who seduced me for FBI intel. Heartbroken, I had no choice but to do my duty and ...

I hooked up with a red-hot stranger while running for my life. Bad idea. Then I discover he’s my brother’s best friend—the one I’ve always wanted to punch in the face. Even worse. Now I’m his fake fiancée... and actually loving it. Hunted by a gang for knowing military secrets, I flee to my small town for safety. Along the way, I need... relief. Enter a tall, impossibly delicious hunk with a body that could make a six-pack look like a twelve-pack. Yum. We have a passionate fling that leaves me craving more. When I get home, I’m stunned to find the stranger is Mike Hunter—...

Dating my small town's hottest billionaire seems like a fairy tale. But little do they know, it's all a charade… Struggling after my dream coffee shop in Seattle crashed and having my heart broken by my ex, I flee to my hometown, determined to buy back my former café and rebuild my life. Back in Cedarwood, I face a double blow: my possessive ex tracked me down, and someone just beat me to buying ‘Mocha Memoirs’—by a day. Worse yet, that someone is none other than Jake Rogers—my best friend’s brother and my old flame, whose body is one hot chiseled masterpiece with well-defined ...

I’m the father of my best friend’s sister’s son—only she doesn’t know it. When I met Layla Craig years ago, I didn’t know she was my best friend’s off-limits sister— all I knew is she was a bombshell and I wanted her badly. One night we had a sizzling secret encounter and pledged to become inseparable. Yet fate had other plans. Drafted by the NHL, I left town. My calls unanswered, I tried to forget her—but never could. Six years later, I’m back home for the off-season. Running into the love of my life again feels like a thunderbolt. Learning she has a son who looks just ...

Are you a fan of hockey and the amazing stories that take place on the ice? Get ready to lace up your skates and dive into a world of slap shots, hat tricks, and heart-pounding action! Introducing The Most Incredible Hockey Stories Ever Told – the ultimate puck-tastic journey through the thrilling, chilling, and occasionally spill-filled world of ice hockey In this book, you'll be transported to the heart of the rink, where the icy battles of the coolest sport on earth come to life. Join us for a wild ride as we share incredible tales of determination, teamwork, and sheer, unadulterated ...

He took my V-card, then betrayed me with my 'bestie.' Now he wants a second chance. Ethan Anderson. My brother's best friend and my mega-sexy college sweetheart. The campus celebrity dating me, a homebody no one noticed, was a fairy tale. With smokin’ abs and a tight behind begging to be squeezed, I melted beneath his touch. But his betrayal destroyed me. Today, he's an NHL god who needs my PR skills to salvage his image, and I need the job to save Grandma’s boutique. In the attic, we uncover hidden treasures worth millions, thrusting us into a rollercoaster ride of danger. Fighting ...