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Behind the Bench
Behind the Bench

Behind the Bench

Inside the Minds of Hockey's Greatest Coaches
By Craig Custance, Foreword by Sidney Crosby

SPORTS & RECREATION

256 Pages, 6 x 9

Formats: Trade Paper, EPUB, PDF, Mobipocket

Trade Paper, $16.95 (CA $22.95) (US $16.95)

ISBN 9781629372440

Rights: WOR

Triumph Books (Oct 2017)

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Overview

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.

Author Biography

Craig Custance
See Author
Craig Custance is a journalist who spent the last decade covering the NHL as a national hockey writer, including six years with ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine. He left ESPN to join The Athletic, a San Francisco–based sports media startup. He is currently an NHL Insider for The Athletic and editor-in-chief of The Athletic Detroit. Before working at ESPN, Custance wrote for The Sporting News. He spent the first 10 years of his writing career with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution after graduating from Michigan State University. He lives in Clinton Township, Michigan, with his wife, Cassie, and three children, Calvin, Cameron, and Cormac. You can follow Craig on Twitter @craigcustance or read more of his work at www.craigcustance.com. Sidney Crosby has captained the Pittsburgh Penguins to three Stanley Cup Final victories, in 2009, 2016, and 2017. He is a two-time winner of the Hart Memorial Trophy and the Conn Smythe Trophy, as well as two Olympic gold medals and a gold medal at the World Championships.

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Book Signings

Past Events

Dec
12
Craig Custance- "Behind the Bench"  ›
Shelby Township, MI
7:00pm
Dec
09
Craig Custance- "Behind the Bench" ›
Lansing, MI
3:00pm
Dec
08
Craig Custance- "Behind the Bench" ›
Brighton , MI
2:00pm

Press Releases

Behind the Bench

Inside the Minds of Hockey’s Greatest Coaches

By Craig Custance / Foreword by Sidney Crosby

 

Contact: Sam Ofman, Triumph Books, 312.568.5450, s.ofman@triumphbooks.com

 

The mind of an NHL coach is a strange and dangerous place. It’s comprised of equal parts genius and maniac, tactician and trickster. Some coaches utilize a level-headed approach, others rely on passion to motivate. Some are known for nurturing talent, others for disciplinary methods. But one quality unites each and every one: They all love to talk hockey.

 

In Behind the Bench: Inside the Minds of Hockey’s Greatest Coaches (Triumph Books, Oct 15th, 2017), Craig Custance goes one-on-one with the best hockey minds in the business as they watch tape from the biggest games of their careers. From Stanley Cup Finals to Olympic Gold Medal contests, these games defined the coaches’ legacies. Custance’s unique perspective as a student of the game, award-winning journalist and old-fashioned hockey fan lends his prose an authenticity and reverence that makes each experience jump off the page. Highlights include:

 

  • A heartfelt foreword from three-time Stanley Cup champion Sidney Crosby
  • Insights from some of hockey’s biggest names, including Joel Quenneville, Mike Babcock, Claude Julien and more
  • Never before published stories that will surprise and educate even the most diehard hockey fans
  • Reliving the excitement of victory, and thoughts on how to handle defeat
  • How coaches must adapt for the future of the game, in their own words

 

Behind the Bench offers fans a chance to grow their understanding of the sport they love. The stories Custance reveals in this book will enlighten and entertain, eliciting laughter and thought that will change the way readers engage with their favorite sport. No hockey fan’s library is complete without this must-read title.

 

About the Author:

Craig Custance is a journalist who spent the last decade covering the NHL as a national hockey writer, including six years with ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine. He left ESPN to join The Athletic, a San Francisco-based sports media startup. He is currently an NHL Insider for The Athletic and Editor-in-Chief of The Athletic Detroit. Before working at ESPN, Custance wrote for The Sporting News. He spent the first ten years of his writing career with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution after graduating from Michigan State University. He lives in Clinton Township, Michigan with his wife Cassie and three children, Calvin, Cameron and Cormac. You can follow Craig on Twitter @CraigCustance or read more of his work at www.CraigCustance.com.

 

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