When most sports fans hear the stat 3,000, they immediately turn to baseball. But for those fans whose breath comes out in frosty puffs, and who bleed ice and snow, 3,000 can only mean one thing—the glory of Montreal Canadiens hockey. The “Original One” of the “Original Six,” the Montreal Canadiens hockey team is practically synonymous with superlative: The most Stanley Cup championship victories, with 24? The Montreal Canadiens. The highest number of regular-season wins? The Montreal Canadiens. The oldest active franchise in the NHL? The Montreal Canadiens. Now the hundred-plus years of Canadiens triumphs, tragedies, and times like no other are captured in Robert Lefebvre’s Tales from the Montreal Canadiens Locker Room. In this unique compendium, Lefebvre brings to life both the history and the anecdotes of this incredible franchise. Stories of Maurice “Rocket” Richard’s incredible skills on the ice are paired side by side with locker room yarns and off-the-ice tales of Jean Beliveau, Dickie Moore, Serge Savard, Guy Lapointe, Patrick Roy, and more. With humor, wit, and a lot of adrenaline, Robert Lefebvre has compiled a collection of Montreal Canadiens stories sure to please any hockey fan.

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.

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.

In the late 1960s the New York Rangers transformed from NHL also-rans to Stanley Cup contenders. Gilles Villemure was part of that transformation. The little goaltender had a long wait to make it to the National Hockey League, which had only six teams until after the middle of the decade. Eventually Villemure joined Eddie Giacomin to give the Rangers a strong 1-2 goaltending tandem. The Vezina Trophy–winning twosome was a fixture for the Rangers, threatening to end the franchise’s long Stanley Cup drought, only to come up short. Now, forty years later, Villemure writes about his days with the Rangers in the newly updated Tales from the Rangers Locker Room. Villemure tells stories about old pals like Rod Gilbert, Vic Hadfield, Brad Park, Jean Ratelle—and his boss, Emile “The Cat” Francis. The Rangers finally won that Stanley Cup in 1994, ending over fifty years of frustration, but it was those Francis-led teams—the ones with Villemure and Giacomin in the goal—that brought New York’s Blueshirts, Madison Square Garden’s finest, to the top of the NHL. It is their influence that has continued to propel the Rangers forward even today, with a conference championship win in 2014 and the President’s Trophy in 2015. Fans young and old will want to hear Villemure’s stories come to life. 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.

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.

As one of the NHL’s original six teams, the Chicago Blackhawks have given their fans millions of heart-stopping memories, thousands of unforgettable stories, and now six Stanley Cup Championships with their recent 2015 win. Fans of this indomitable team can capture the excitement from the 2014–2015 season and relive all the memories of the beloved franchise in this newly updated edition of Tales from the Chicago Blackhawks Locker Room. From the “Curse of Muldoon” to three championships in five years, the Hawks have a rich history. With all the charm and wit of a sportscaster who has been covering the Blackhawks for over sixty years, Harvey Wittenberg shares the greatest Hawks stories, including their 2010, 2012, and 2015 Stanley Cup title runs. Straight from the source—players, coaches, and managers—Wittenberg offers an informative and entertaining look at the Chicago Blackhawks. Tales from the Chicago Blackhawks Locker Room is a riveting treasure trove of tales sure to delight any sports fan. 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.

In Tales from the Los Angeles Kings Locker Room, Bob Miller shares 40 years of Hollywood hockey with fans, reminding them of the highs and lows of Los Angeles hockey, while entertaining them with behind-the-scenes looks into the history of the 2012 Stanley Cup championship team. As the “Voice of the Kings,” Miller has been part of the Kings experience from the era of original owner Jack Kent Cooke to the days of flamboyant Jerry Buss; from the team’s first true superstar, Rogie Vachon, to then-owner Bruce McNall’s trade that put Southern California on the hockey map—the acquisition of Wayne Gretzky in 1988. Join Miller as he skates through Kings history, examining off-the-wall personalities and the team’s greatest moments—from thrilling playoff victories to the Kings’ involvement in the Lakers’ acquisition of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. You will read about the greatest personalities ever to don the royal black and silver—from the “Triple Crown” line to Jonathan Quick and today’s Kings—and relish the stories that make Tales from the Los Angeles Kings Locker Room the ultimate addition to any Kings fan’s library.

The Montreal Canadiens are one of the most successful teams in the NHL, with 24 Stanley Cup victories and stars like Guy LaFleur, Patrick Roy, and Carey Price, who have all left their mark on hockey history. Author Pat Hickey, as a longtime beat writer for the Montreal Gazette, has witnessed more than his fair share of that history up close and personal. Through singular anecdotes only Hickey can tell as well as conversations with current and past players, this book provides fans with a one-of-a-kind, insider's look into the great moments, the lowlights, and everything in between. Habs fans will not want to miss this book.

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.

Legendary Canadien and Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Larry Robinson takes readers rink-side in this highly anticipated and poignantly told memoir. Larry Robinson spent 20 seasons playing in the NHL -- seventeen with the Montreal Canadiens and retiring from the game after his final 3 seasons with the LA Kings. His great size gave his teams an incredible presence on the blue line and a tremendous defender in front of their net. But he was more than just big. He was agile, he could score and he played a style that provided both offensive and defensive strengths. For his effort, Robinson was twice recognized as the NHL's top defencemen and his contribution helped the Canadiens win the Stanley Cup six times during his tenure with the team. Never afraid to drop his gloves and play a physical game, Robinson is and will forever be regarded as one of the NHL's greatest defencemen. In The Great Defender, Robinson relives his road to the NHL and the unexpected NHL journey that has lasted over 4 decades. He has enjoyed the good fortune of playing with greats, including Ken Dryden and Guy Lafleur to coaching the greatest of all--Wayne Gretzky. His successes as a player and coach are well-documented and in his memoir, hockey fans will now enjoy the opportunity to experience the odyssey of this legendary player as seen through his eyes, lived through his emotions, and told through his voice. Robinson's story is one of triumph and will leave readers cheering for the man fondly nicknamed "Big Bird." In the process of writing this book, bestselling sports writer Kevin Shea interviewed many of Robinson's teammates, colleagues, players and family members and spent countless hours with Larry himself to capture a fascinating picture of one of hockey's greatest careers.