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.

THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS HAVE BECOME ONE OF THE MOST STORIED FRANCHISES IN NHL HISTORY. Winners of five Stanley Cup championships, the Penguins have hosted generations of stars from Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr to Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, all of whom have left an indelible mark on team history. Phil Bourque, who helped earn two of those Stanley Cup victories and who now serves as color commentator alongside Mike Lange for Penguins radio broadcasts, has gotten to witness more than his fair share of that history up close and personal. In If These Walls Could Talk: Pittsburgh Penguins, you'll relive some of that history, from Bourque's memories of training camp with Lemieux to his stories of celebrating with (and having to repair) the Cup. Through singular anecdotes only Bourque can tell about current and past players, coaches, and opponents, this book provides fans with a one-of-a-kind, insider's look into the Penguins' greatest moments, disappointments, and everything in between.

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. The team's games once played on a station called WEEP, and its first mascot, a penguin named Pete, died of pneumonia. In Tales from the Pittsburgh Penguins, sportswriter Joe Starkey takes fans inside the locker rooms, onto the team buses (including the one defenseman Bryan "Buggsy" Watson hi-jacked) and behind the personalities that have shaped Penguins hockey since 1967. 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.The bitter, often comical lows only made the ride to the top that much sweeter, and the Penguins have spent quality time at the summit. Mario Lemieux led the team to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships and later bought it out of bankruptcy court. Rarely has this franchise ever taken the middle ground. When it was bad, it was very, very bad. When it was good, it was sublime, graced with some of the greatest hockey personalities of the 20th Century. Hall of Fame coaches Herb Brooks, Bob Johnson, and Scotty Bowman plied their trade in Pittsburgh, as did Hall of Fame talents such as Lemieux, Paul Coffey, Jaromir Jagr and Ron Francis. The characters, too, were the cream of the crop. Wild men such as Eddie Shack, Brian "Spinner" Spencer, and Darius Kasparaitis provided entertainment in the best and worst of times, likethe night Kasparaitis was tossed into a Calgary police car for jaywalking or the time Shack drove his dune buggy onto the ice at the Civic Arena. To borrow a phrase from legendary Penguins announcer Mike Lange, you'd have to be h

Tells the story of how the Penguins overcame obstacles and tragedy to win two straight Stanley Cup Championships.

Do you consider yourself a Pittsburgh Penguins fan? It's easy to see why! From Mario Lemieux to Jaromir Jagr, Sidney Crosby to Evgeni Malkin, and all the excellent players in between, the Penguins are a star-studded, top-flight NHL franchise. But, do you know which of those players scored the most goals for the team? How about which was drafted the highest? If you think you've got what it takes to show off your expertise in all sorts of Penguins knowledge, you can put that confidence to the test with The Ultimate Pittsburgh Penguins Trivia Book! This book will set the record straight on such team history as: What celebration made history after the Pens won their first Stanley Cup Which Penguins player had his jersey retired after just 86 games Which jealous NHL team filed a protest after seeing Pittsburgh's new uniforms Which father and son shared the same nickname while playing for the Pens How a Penguins player became the team's owner while still starring on the ice Impress your friends by showing off the depth of your fandom through a series of challenging trivia questions. Select the correct option from the multiple-choice answers provided. Place your bets on whether some of the unbelievable team facts are true or false. And pick up some great anecdotes to share about all the colorful characters who make up Penguins history! Whether you've believed in the team for decades and want to show that you know your stuff, or you're new to Pittsburgh Penguins hockey and can't get soak up knowledge fast enough, this book is sure to please anyone with the good taste to call themselves a Penguins fan!

Skillfully edited by John McNally, Bottom of the Ninth: Great Contemporary Baseball Short Stories collects nineteen contemporary baseball short stories from a successful mix of well-established writers, lesser-knowns, and a few up-and-comers. These stories are characterized by the same dramatic elements that draw people to the sport itself--the mythologizing of players, the obsessions and romance of the game, the bonds between players and fans, parents and children. From a key play, a missed catch, a chance lost, these are tales of characters facing high stakes and calls to action, metaphorically and literally, in the bottom of the ninth.

The best stories about hockey's three-time Stanley Cup Champions presented by a popular former player and current broadcaster. Newly updated with more tales.

Selected especially for appeal to upper-elementary and middle-school students, each story in this collection has been crafted through multiple performances in school and library settings. All are sure to engage the most reluctant reader.

#1 National Bestseller This hockey generation's brightest talent has been plagued by concussions. Now, the very style of play that has brought Crosby such success may be heralding the end of his career. Sidney Crosby is arguably the best player ever to put on skates. You could argue that Bobby was better, or Wayne, or Gordie. But it would be hard to argue that any of those guys changed the game as much as Sid. No defenceman came along in Bobby's wake to play like him. There will never be another 99. But in Crosby's case, the entire league was re-made in his image. The game can be divided into two eras: before and after Sidney Crosby arrived in 2005, breaking Mario Lemieux's rookie scoring record. Says NHL star Matt Duchene, who entered the league in 2008, just three years after Crosby: "Just in the time that I was going from peewee and bantam to junior, there was a whole other game before and after. You didn't have a choice really--you had to adapt and adopt the way he did things or get left way behind." In an effort to keep up with Sid, the game changed. It's faster now, more skilled. There are more highlight-reel goals, and fewer fights. And in many ways, Crosby has thrived. Three Stanley Cups. Two Olympic gold medals. A World Cup. And enough individual trophies to fill a truck. But then, if Crosby hadn't changed the league, he might expect a longer career. Today, Sidney Crosby is the first generational superstar whose every shift could be his last. He invented a faster game, and the faster game has taken its toll on its creator. Crosby has suffered several concussions, and missed most of an entire season with symptoms. He plays the game fearlessly, but he also plays it without a bodyguard. The irony is that he created a league that made it harder for him to thrive. And the tragedy may be that he has created a league that will bring his career to an end in one fell swoop, in front of millions. Telling the story of a generational talent and the way he has revolutionized the game, Gare Joyce will also bring into focus crucial questions about the way the game is played today, assessing fighting and concussions in the light of the way these issues impinge on arguably the greatest player ever to skate.

The best-selling hockey drill book returns, bigger and better than ever! Now with 500 drills for all aspects of the game, The Hockey Drill Book, Second Edition, is a must-have for every coach and player! With more than 40 years at the junior, university, NHL, international, and World Championship levels, five-time Coach of the Year Dave Chambers has spent countless hours on the ice developing players at every level. Practice after practice, he puts drills to the test, compiling the best here in The Hockey Drill Book. Accompanied by step-by-step instructions, diagrams, illustrations, and coaching tips, the 500 drills cover essential skills for each position, offensive and defensive systems, pregame warm-ups, on-ice conditioning, and game-specific situations, including power plays, penalty killing, and face-offs. A collection of skill evaluation drills will help players and coaches identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. Whether your goal is to raise your game or coach your team to the top, The Hockey Drill Book is the go-to resource. It’s the only drill book you’ll ever need.