Behind the Bench: Inside the Minds of Hockey's Greatest Coaches

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About Behind The Bench: Inside The Minds Of Hockey's

Product Description 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, ESPN's 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, Todd McLellan, Ken Hitchcock, and Claude Julien—all of whom share their singular views on topics ranging from leadership secrets to on-ice game plans. Dissect some of hockey's greatest moments with the men who set the pieces in motion. Go straight to the source on what it's like to manage a dressing room full of the league's top stars or execute line changes with everything at stake. Signature games, including Stanley Cup finals, Olympic gold medal clashes, and World Championship contests—both wins and losses—are reflected upon and broken down in detail, making this essential reading for current and aspiring coaches, players, and hockey fans alike. Review "It takes a unique person to get access to the brightest minds in hockey; it takes someone special to get them to open up; and it takes an extraordinary individual to bring all of that together in what will be this season's must-read hockey book. Craig Custance is that guy." - BOB MCKENZIE, TSN Hockey Insider"These are the great games that I remember watching and covering. You're always thinking, 'Why did the coach do that? What was he looking for there?' Now we know the answers." - ELLIOTTE FRIEDMAN, Sportsnet "Craig Custance is a modern journalist with an old-school storytelling style. What he gives you on every page is insightful perspective and entertaining prose." - KEVIN ALLEN, USA Today"NHL coaches know so much and usually say so little, but Craig Custance cracks them open and finds all kinds of insight, humor and honesty through the biggest moments of their careers. You get to relive the games, and see them through fresh eyes. I love this book." - BRUCE ARTHUR, Toronto Star"The idea of sitting down with all these respected coaches and watching great games together is an unbelievable concept. The execution from Craig Custance is top notch. Hockey fans will love this book but if you're coaching sports at any level, it should be required reading." - MIKE VALLEY, NHL goalie coach From Stanley Cup of Chowder: "The beauty in this book is that the coaches interviewed had a chance to drop their guard in a way most fans or even writers are usually privy to. There's a unique value in getting to hear a coaches real thoughts, far enough after the fact that they aren't worried about the next series, or guarding their words so as not to upset their opponent. To no ones surprise, Custance goes out of his way to interview and talk with various friends, former players and peers of each coach, in an effort to give a holistic view of who they are, not just as head coaches but as people." From Raw Charge:  "Custance included enough behind-the-scenes stories (let's face it everyone loves stories) that the casual hockey fan will thoroughly enjoy reading the book. Who doesn't want to know which player Ron Wilson refers to as "impossible to talk to" (take a guess), or what Joel Quenneville did for Pavol Demitra that cost his owners a sizable chunk of money? Not only was it a fantastic look into the minds of hockey coaches, Custance included personal moments that it's clear a memoir devoted entirely to his experiences as an NHL writer would be entertaining as well. From last-minute downloads to forgotten digital recorders and temperamental RVs, he showed that life on the road wasn't exactly as glamorous as readers might think.  Should a hockey fan buy this book? Yes. Undoubtedly." From the Boston Globe:  'Behind the Bench' is a good reminder that there is no NHL coaching template