Blake’s Amazing Trophy


Book Description

Blake is a spirited young boy with a passion for sports. He dreams of winning a trophy, imagining his joy and pride standing on the podium, celebrated by his teammates and friends. With determination and enthusiasm, he throws himself into various sports, from soccer to baseball to swimming, hoping for that elusive prize. However, despite his best efforts, Blake never seems to clinch the victory he craves. Disappointed and disheartened, he wonders if he's just not good enough. But as he navigates through the ups and downs of competitions, he realizes there's more to winning than just claiming a trophy. Through humorous misadventures and heartwarming encounters with his teammates and opponents, Blake learns valuable lessons about sportsmanship, teamwork, and the true meaning of success. Along the way, he discovers that being a champion isn’t just about scoring goals or crossing the finish line first—it’s about kindness, generosity, and supporting those around him.







Toe Blake


Book Description

The first ever biography of Toe Blake — Hockey Hall of Famer and eleven-time Stanley Cup winner “Holy Dirty Dora!” Hector “Toe” Blake would bark while pacing behind the Montreal Canadiens bench, hands thrust into his pockets, jawing at chewing gum before intentionally banging his forehead into the glass that separates players and fans. No lead was safe or sufficient for the lifelong hockey man at the helm of the greatest dynasty in NHL history. As a player, Toe won a Stanley Cup with the Montreal Maroons before captaining a stumbling Canadiens organization to glory and a pair of Cups. As the Habs coach, Toe cemented the team’s status as lords of the league with eight more. Born into a family of 11, Blake emerged from the poverty of the Depression and a youth spent working the mines of Sudbury’s Nickel Belt to find junior hockey success and an unlikely shot at the NHL. While a fiery temper and penchant for stick-swinging nearly railroaded Toe’s promise, the Canadiens recognized his talent and leadership, and he went on to spend more than 50 years with the organization. History remembers Toe being hoisted onto the shoulders of his beloved players, waving his signature fedora and sipping from the Cup, but behind the success was a man driven by fear and an obsessive desire for victory. Despite personal tragedy, Toe always put winning first, and as a result, there are few coaches in any sport who have enjoyed Blake’s success and even fewer who endured the toll that came with it.







The Down Goes Brown History of the NHL


Book Description

Sean McIndoe of Down Goes Brown, one of hockey's favourite and funniest writers, takes aim at the game's most memorable moments--especially if they're memorable for the wrong reasons--in this warts-and-all history of the NHL. The NHL is, indisputably, weird. One moment, you're in awe of the speed, skill and intensity that define the sport, shaking your head as a player makes an impossible play, or shatters a longstanding record, or sobs into his first Stanley Cup. The next, everyone's wearing earmuffs, Mr. Rogers has shown up, and guys in yellow raincoats are officiating playoff games while everyone tries to figure out where the league president went. That's just life in the NHL, a league that often can't seem to get out of its own way. No matter how long you've been a hockey fan, you know that sinking feeling that maybe, just maybe, some of the people in charge here don't actually know what they're doing. And at some point, you've probably wondered: Has it always been this way? The short answer is yes. As for the longer answer, well, that's this book. In this fun, irreverent and fact-filled history, Sean McIndoe relates the flip side to the National Hockey League's storied past. His obsessively detailed memory combines with his keen sense for the absurdities that make you shake your head at the league and yet fanatically love the game, allowing you to laugh even when your team is the butt of the joke (and as a life-long Leafs fan, McIndoe takes the brunt of some of his own best zingers). The "Down Goes Brown" History of the NHL is the weird and wonderful league's story told as only Sean McIndoe can.







The Beatles Digest


Book Description

Nostalgic and exciting, this book features articles on and interviews with members of the most influential band in the history of rock Tn' roll. The impact of The Beatles is illustrated through everything from the collectiblesQsuch as concert tickets, autographs, and bobble head dollsQto the extensive price guide to recordings that can be found in this guide.







Who's Better, Who's Best in Hockey?


Book Description

Who are the best centers in NHL history? How about wingers? How can we objectively rate the performances of individual defensive players? And how can we make reasonable judgments about players at different positions? Who is the greatest hockey player of the Expansion Era? Bobby Orr? Wayne Gretzky? Gordie Howe? Such are the questions debated by hockey columnist Steve Silverman in Who’s Better, Who’s Best in Hockey? In this book, Silverman includes analytics to help evaluate NHL players who have dominated over the last fifty years. The result is a fascinating ranking of the best on the ice, including legendary players like Gordie Howe as well as present-day superstars like Sidney Crosby. Throughout, Silverman discusses the many considerations that must be made when comparing modern players with players of past decades and players at different positions. Including biographical essays on those top fifty players and vital statistics for their playing careers, Who’s Better, Who’s Best in Hockey? is a must-have for anyone who considers hockey to be more than just a sport. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports--books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team. Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.




Serena vs. Venus


Book Description

The final match of the 2001 U.S. Open featuring tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams was groundbreaking. It was first time siblings had squared off in the final match for more than 100 years. And it was the first time both players were black. The photo of the smiling Williams sisters holding their trophies after the tennis match appeared in newspapers around the globe. It captured two athletes who fought, and would continue to fight, for a place for women and African-Americans in tennis and the world beyond.