Which means nobody else could have written Tales from the Blues Bench. This rollicking book, co-written with award-winning St. Louis Post-Dispatch sportswriter Tom Wheatley, 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 Blues Bench 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 headed to the Hall of Fame. The early years also brought the three Plager brothers -- Bob, Barclay, and Billy -- together in St. Louis after they battled out of little Kirkland Lake, Ontario. 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. As head coach of the Peoria, Illinois, farm team, he led the Rivermen to a championship and a pro hockey- record 18-straight wins, developing future Blues like Kelly Chase and Nelson Emerson. The years unfortunately brought tragedy, as well, with the premature deaths of Bob Gassoff, Doug Wickenheiser, and Bob's beloved brother Barclay. The tears and the cheers, the fun and the frustration -- it is all found in Tales from the Blues Bench, as only Bob Plager could tell it.

    Hockey Tough provides players and coaches proven methods for mastering the mental side of the game. Author Saul Miller shares the psychological training and emotional management techniques he has successfully taught individual hockey players and teams for over 20 years.Throughout the book, NHL stars such as Mark Messier, Pavel Bure, Chris Pronger, and Markus Naslund offer insights and tips on a variety of topics related to achieving a winning mind-set for the sport. These players explain how to focus and score, how to deal with personality conflicts on and off the ice, and how to bounce back with confidence after a subpar performance.Miller, one of North America's most prolific and sought-after sport psychology consultants in hockey, presents mental exercises and assignments to help players-develop a winning attitude on and off the ice, -stay focused to execute skills and tactics, -maintain the mental stamina required in this physically demanding sport, -overcome emotional fatigue and physical aches and pains to perform at the highest level throughout the season, -manage their anger to avoid costly penalties in crucial game situations, and-develop the discipline and tenacity to force and capitalize on opponents' mistakes.Miller presents many other topics of interest, such as the intangibles that coaches and scouts look for in players and what it takes to make it to the top level of competition.Motivation, teamwork, leadership, and poise are essential factors to successful performance. Hockey Tough will strengthen each of these areas and help players achieve a mind-set to excel on the ice.

    . . colorful descriptions make this a fun read." -Los Angeles Times "One of the best sports books of the year." -Booklist Ken Baker wanted nothing more than to play ice hockey with the pros-until a brain tumor cut his dreams short while in college. After surgery and several years of rehab, Baker, who in high school was a top prospect for the U.S. Olympic team, put his successful journalism career on hold to attempt the seemingly impossible: a comeback. He moved away from his family to become the third-string goalie for the Bakersfield Condors, an AA-level minor-league team in the dusty oil town of Bakersfield, California. At the age of thirty-one, Baker became the oldest rookie in all of pro-hockey, facing 100-m.p.h. slap shots and long bus rides, hostile fans and cheap motel rooms, body bruises, and battle-worn teammates. From his visit to an NHL training camp to his first nerve-rattled minutes as a pro, Baker joins the rookies who still dream of making it to the Show, the veterans long past their prime, and the obsessive fans who keep them going. When the season is over, Baker's pro-hockey adventure ends up teaching him nearly everything he will ever need to know about life.

    Tree's dad is not the ideal hockey parent! He's determined to have a son in the NHL and it's making Tree's life miserable. Hockey's fun, but what Tree really wants to do is sing.One day the Icehogs get Tree to sing the anthem at their game. Tree's voice impresses everyone but his father. However, Tree decides it's time to make a stand, and the compromise he works out with his dad may just take them to the NHL a lot sooner than anyone imagined.

    Offering comprehensive coverage of the NHL from its inception in 1917 to the current season, this compendium features commentary on milestone achievements from each era, as well as final standings, top scorers, best goalies, playoff game scores, trophy winners, All-Stars, and much more.

    Updated with more than 1,000 short stories. Timeline that pinpoints each significant detail of every hockey season. More than 1,000 photos, many in full-color.

    To make it extra special, he decides to borrow his father's most cherished hockey souvenir -- a puck signed by Bobby Orr. Brady knows he's not allowed to play with it, but he convinces himself that his dad won't really mind.When Brady's friends arrive, they are so impressed by the puck, Brady decides they can play with it. Convinced it's helping his game, he winds up to take a shot... and misses! Unfortunately the puck soars over the net and into a snowbank! Everyone jumps in after it, but it's lost.Brady's friends try to help him think of an excuse, but by the time his father comes home, Brady decides he should tell the truth. Luckily, although his dad is hurt and disappointed, he's proud of his son for taking responsibility for his actions. And, just as luckily, he's noticed that Brady's dog has retrieved the puck, and assures his son that it's closer than he thinks.

    This is a must-have reference book for any devoted fan of the game of hockey, and a source of countless hours of reading pleasure.

    The small town Milton S. Hershey made famous with chocolate has also earned a place of honor on the sports map with its tradition-rich hockey club, the Hershey Bears. The Bears, eight-time winners of the Calder Cup,established an unparalleled puck legacy in the twentieth century. They continue to etch ice history in the twenty-first century at Giant Center. The Hershey Bears: Sweet Seasons tells the story of the oldest and most celebrated franchise in American Hockey League history. Venerable Hersheypark Arena opened on December 19, 1936, and the Bears played their last game there in 2002. With steeply graded seats and unobstructed views, the more than seven-thousand-seat arena was regarded by many as the best facility ever built for watching hockey. Lloyd Blinco, Arnie Kullman, Frank Mathers, Willie Marshall, Ralph Keller, Tim Tookey, and Mitch Lamoureux are a small fraction of the line of great players and coaches spanning more than seven decades who have earned hockey immortality in Hershey.

    Mary Shaw. Illustrated by Chuck Temple. 32 pp., pbk. Grades 1-3/ Ages 4-8.

     Hockey fans everywhere are always hungry for more information on the game. Hockey's Greatest Stars profiles hockey's greatest players -- the all-stars and the promising young lions. Fans will enjoy the book's lively and incisive commentary combined with memorable quotes and insider tales of trades and off-ice antics.The book profiles 60 of the greatest NHL players of all time plus the 20 top players of today. Each profile is illustrated with action-packed photographs.The legends include:Wayne GretzkyMaurice RichardBobby HullTim HortonGordie Howe. While the young lions include:Sidney CrosbyAlex OvechkinSteve StamkosDrew DoughtyCarey Price. Sure to be as popular as the first and second editions, this third edition of Hockey's Greatest Stars is an entertaining and informative book for every hockey fan.