Tales from the Pittsburgh Penguins Locker Room


Book Description

Readers have the chance to meet the Pittsburgh Penguins, one of the wildest, wackiest, most wonderful sports franchises that ever waddled its way across North America. If Penguins fans are not shedding tears of sadness, they are crying for joy or simply laughing so hard they cannot stop. No franchise has survived more near-death experiences than this one, which twice went bankrupt and many times escaped the threat of relocation. In 1975, things were so tough that players had their postgame oranges taken away. Nevertheless, they have persevered. Known across the league as lovable losers for its first 24 years, the team began the climb to the top in the 1990s, winning the Stanley Cup twice in that decade and again in 2009 and 2016. In Tales from the Pittsburgh Penguins Locker Room, sportswriter Joe Starkey takes fans inside the locker rooms, onto the team buses (including the one defenseman Bryan “Bugsy” Watson hijacked), and behind the personalities that have shaped Penguins hockey since 1967.




Tales from the Sacramento Kings Locker Room


Book Description

Jerry Reynolds was country before country was cool. He also was part of the Sacramento Kings before that was cool. 2015 marks the team’s 30th season in California’s capital, and Jerry has been there from the start. Quietly, he has been instrumental in the team’s growth from a shoestring operation that couldn’t compete to a model NBA franchise that is always on the short list of title contenders. He has been a firsthand witness of the league’s evolution, from Bird and Magic, to Jordan, to LeBron and Yao Ming. Jerry Reynolds has been a human Swiss Army knife, serving the Kings as a scout, assistant coach, head coach, player personnel director, general manager, and television analyst. Because he has held so many positions in the Kings’ front office the last two decades, Jerry has a unique perspective on how the Kings have evolved, and he offers that perspective in Tales from the Sacramento Kings Locker Room. For those who’ve been on the Kings bandwagon only the last decade, it wasn’t always C-Webb, Peja, and Bibby. In this reissue of Reynolds Remembers, Jerry recounts the hollow feeling of putting a CBA-quality lineup on the floor for an exhibition game against the Lakers: set for the tip-off, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and . . . Randy Allen? He remembers being left to explain the Kings’ latest defeat to the media while Bill Russell snuck out the side door. But there were victories, too. He also still has a spark in his eye from trading draft rights to Billy Owens for superstar Mitch Richmond. Whether the Kings were stuck in the mud or winning 50-plus games, Jerry Reynolds remained the same—colorful, outspoken, engaging, and insightful. 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.




Tales from the New Jersey Devils Locker Room


Book Description

From the moment Dr. John McMullen brought professional hockey to New Jersey to the moment Scott Stevens lifted the Stanley Cup over his head for the third time, the Garden State has been in love with its New Jersey Devils. In Tales from the New Jersey Devils Locker Room, former New Jersey goalie Chico Resch and co-author Mike Kerwick bring readers along for a wild ride from the lean early seasons to the three Stanley Cup championships and beyond. The book has it all, including details about John MacLean’s game winner against Chicago, the goal that propelled the Devils into the playoffs for the first time in 1988; Ken Daneyko’s emotional curtain call in Game 7 of the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals; Martin Brodeur’s yearly playoff dominance and today’s Eastern Conference contenders. Tales From the New Jersey Devils Locker Room is an easy skate through Devils history, revealing insights behind the stories fans have heard and many others they have not heard until now. 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.




Tales from the Duke Blue Devils Locker Room


Book Description

The Duke Blue Devils have a long and glorious history of success, and that history comes alive in this newly revised edition of Tales from the Duke Blue Devils Locker Room. The Blue Devils’ storied past includes forty NCAA tournament appearances, sixteen trips to the final four, and five national titles. In this treasure trove of Duke history, Jim Sumner recalls the most legendary games and unique players that have come to define this championship team. Read about the 1968 ACC Tournament, North Carolina’s scoreless half at Duke in 1979, Duke’s upset win over UNLV in the 1991 Final Four, and the 1992 Duke-Kentucky Eastern Regional classic. Duke University has been home to thirty-six All-American basketball players. Nine of them have been named national player of the year: Dick Groat, Art Heyman, Johnny Dawkins, Danny Ferry, Christian Laettner, Elton Brand, Shane Battier, Jason Williams, and J. J. Redick. Their tales are included here along with stories from Duke coaching legends Eddie Cameron, Vic Bubas, Bill Foster, and Mike Krzyzewski. This is a must-read for any fan of Duke basketball. 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.




Tales from the Arizona Wildcats Locker Room


Book Description

The images are forever etched in the minds of Arizona basketball fans, from Miles Simon falling to the court clutching the basketball as Arizona won its first and only NCAA title in 1997, to Lute Olson’s hair being mussed in the process, to Jason Terry sleeping in his uniform for four consecutive games in the middle of all the madness. All are indelible in Wildcats history as Arizona calmly drove the winding and bumpy road to the Final Four and beyond. Before Simon, Terry, and Olson, however, there were the likes of Sean Elliott, Steve Kerr, Fred Enke, and Pop McKale—all pivotal figures in Arizona’s hoops history. There were also Fred Snowden, Mo and Stewart Udall, and a host of others who helped bring prominence to a school looking for respect first in the Southwest, and then in the rest of the nation. Arizona’s rise has made them one of television’s must-see teams and one of the country’s top winning programs over the past 25 years. In Tales from the Arizona Wildcats Locker Room, author Steve Rivera takes readers back to the time when James Pierce wanted to be more of a movie idol than a coach. They will learn about the troubled times of the 1950s and ’60s, when racial tensions were high, and how Arizona’s first black player, Hadie Redd, dealt with them. Rivera also details Arizona’s participation in the Border Conference, its switch to the Western Athletic Conference, and its current dominance of the Pacific-10 Conference. This book is sure to be a must-have for any true Arizona fan.




Tales from the Kansas Jayhawks Locker Room


Book Description

One of the most storied collegiate basketball programs in the nation, the Kansas Jayhawks have produced some of the greatest players to ever hit the hardwood. In this updated edition of Tales from the Kansas Jayhawks Locker Room, diehard Jayhawks fans will thrill over the treasure trove of stories and memories from the players and coaches who have made the University of Kansas into a basketball powerhouse. For over a century, Kansas has been the home of storied coaches—from the game’s inventor James Naismith to the current reign of Bill Self—and prominent players including Wilt Chamberlain, Paul Endacott, Danny Manning, Paul Pierce, Drew Gooden, and dozens more. ,i>Tales from the Kansas Jayhawks Locker Room includes stories of all of them and is a must-read for any Jayhawks fan.




Tales from the Boston Bruins Locker Room


Book Description

In this fascinating collection of Bruins tales, Kerry Keene brings readers behind the scenes and captures the stories that have defined the franchise throughout its storied history. From the team’s inception in 1924 to their 2011 championship run and beyond, Tales from the Boston Bruins Locker Room has it all. This treasure trove of Bruins lore brings Boston’s best hockey players to life with stories about Bobby Orr, Ray Bourque, Phil Esposito, Cam Neely, Tim Thomas, Patrice Bergeron, and other Bruins legends. Learn what Bruins jersey number was retired twice, who started the tradition of painting stitches on hockey masks, and how the 1977 Bruins team inspired author George Plimpton to write the book Open Net, and relive the greatest moments of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals.




Tales from the Toronto Maple Leafs Locker Room


Book Description

The glory years for the Toronto Maple Leafs—four Stanley Cups in the 1960s—may be distant memories, but what the team lacks in recent accomplishments is made up for by their history, which is rich in drama, pathos, and, most of all, humor. Figures connected to the Maple Leafs from the 1950s to the present offer their best stories, including some new takes on the team’s legends. Players, coaches, broadcasters, and team executives come together to share a long list of funny anecdotes about their time with the Leafs. Bobby Baun recalls the unprecedented moment in the 1964 Stanley Cup finals when he slammed a game-winning goal into the net while skating on a broken leg. Bob Haggert, a former Leafs trainer, shares his memories of Conn Smythe, the unyielding military man who founded the team. Also telling tales is Jim McKenny, defenseman-turned-forward-turned broadcaster, whose sense of humor is as deft as his skating. Joe Bowen, long the voice of the Maple Leafs on radio and television, is along for the ride, as are Bob McGill, Glenn Healy, Walter Gretzky, and so many more.




Tales from the St. Louis Blues Locker Room


Book Description

Nobody bleeds Blue like Bob Plager, considered one of the funniest men in hockey. This rollicking book details Plager’s romance with the Bluenotes from day one in 1967 to the present day. He was an original Blues player, a rugged defenseman whose specialty was the hip check. He remains an original personality and a good-humored man whose specialty is now the quick quip. As a master storyteller, Plager packs Tales from the St. Louis Blues Locker Room with insights from every level of the hockey rink. He chronicles the puzzling mind games of a young Scotty Bowman, the quirky coach whose legend began with the original Blues. In those old-school days, Plager learned memorable lessons from veterans like Al Arbour, Doug Harvey, Glenn Hall, Dickie Moore, and Jacques Plante, all future Hall of Famers. The early years also brought the three Plager brothers—Bob, Barclay, and Billy—together in St. Louis. Bob played long enough to help break in two Western Canadian kids, future captain Brian Sutter and future Hall of Famer Bernie Federko. Plager later coached a new generation of stars in St. Louis, players like Brett Hull, Brendan Shanahan, and Curtis Joseph. The tears and the cheers, the fun and the frustration—it is all found in Tales from the St. Louis Blues Locker Room.




Tales from the Chicago Bulls Locker Room


Book Description

Chicago Bulls fans thought they had it so good. From 1991 through 1993 the Bulls won three consecutive NBA titles behind the talents of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. When Jordan retired in the fall of 1993, those fans thought the good times were over. In the fall of 1995, however, Jordan was ready to make a full return to NBA action, Pippen was still the best number-two man in basketball, and then bad-boy Dennis Rodman was signed to join the franchise that had grown to hate him. Suddenly, the Bulls had the greatest team in NBA history. Tales from the Chicago Bulls Locker Room tells some of the inside stories from that team, the one that won three more NBA titles from 1996 through 1998. Seen from the eyes of three-time NBA champion center Bill Wennington, the Bulls come to life from an insider’s point of view. Followed everywhere and talked about endlessly, the 1995-96 Bulls captured a national and international audience and continued to keep all eyes upon them for three seasons. Fans will read about some of the most famous names in basketball history. Jordan, the demanding team leader; Pippen, the true teammate; Rodman, the reckless rebounder; Toni Kukoc, the outsider; Ron Harper, the former star-turned-role player; Luc Longley, the affable Aussie; Steve Kerr, the John Paxson sequel; all playing for Phil Jackson, the Zen master coach. These are stories fans have not heard before, but it’s not their fault. They just weren’t there the way Bill Wennington was. 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.