Did the U.S. men's Olympic hockey team really win the gold medal by beating the Soviet Union in 1980? Do Detroit Red Wings fans really throw octopuses onto the ice at home games? Do hockey players really get to take the Stanley Cup home with them? Get ready to learn the real stories behind these and other great hockey myths and legends!

The Great Book of Ice Hockey is a must for anyone who loves sports trivia. The book is a compendium of interesting facts and sport stories about the great game of ice hockey, with information about the early days before the National Hockey League (NHL) all the way to the stars of today. There are random facts about leagues, rules, coaches, players, and inside stories about the early days of the game. The answers to hundreds of trivia questions lie in these pages. Learn about foreign leagues, junior hockey, and superstars like Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, and of course "The Great One," Wayne Gretzky. You can find interesting facts about the builders of the game, including Maurice "Rocket" Richard and Coach Jack Adams, both of whom have NHL trophies named in their honor. You will meet scoring leaders, winning coaches, amazing goalies and ice hockey royalty. Whether you're a long-time fan of ice hockey, or if you're just looking for answers to troublesome trivia questions in your latest game of Trivial Pursuit, "The Great Book of Ice Hockey" is the book for you. Presented in a clear and engaging manner, this collection of sports trivia will give fans of ice hockey a new and entertaining set of random facts to liven up a boring day or fill the time during intermission.

Finally, hockey's rabid fans have an anthology of their own, a showcase of writing as dynamic and diverse as the fastest sport itself.

Fifty-seven incredible stories from hockey’s biggest names, greatest characters and unsung heroes Essential reading for every fan, Beauties is a collection of the best stories that players tell each other. Grab a seat with TSN’s James Duthie as hockey’s finest relive highs, lows and hilarious moments on and off the ice from superstars, journeymen, coaches, referees, broadcasters, agents, and hockey moms and dads. In Beauties, you’ll find out: · How Sidney Crosby’s most unusual nickname came to be · How Steve Stamkos’s dad accidentally stole Steve Yzerman’s car · How Paul “Biznasty” Bissonette almost had the Arizona Coyotes kicked out of a Winnipeg hotel on game day · How Wayne Gretzky’s greatest one-liner may have turned around the Stanley Cup Final in 1985 · About the night that Hayley Wickenheiser went blind · Why the St. Louis Blues credit Laila Anderson, a brave young girl, for their Stanley Cup win · What Bobby Orr said the first time he saw Connor McDavid play at a rink in Toronto And more!

Humorously illustrated and accompanied by exciting photographs, Inside Hockey! explores the facts, adventures, and one-of-a-kind anecdotes that make hockey one of North America's most popular sports. This highly energetic book gives kids an inside look at the facts about male and female hockey superstars, inventions, rules that changed the game, and some of the dazzling science behind the sport. Perfect for diehard hockey fans and those new to the game, Inside Hockey! has something for everyone. Readers of all ages will discover the stories behind the greatest goal scorers, crazy goalies, practical jokers and hijinks, superstitions, the most ferocious fights, players overcoming obstacles, and the obsession with that Cup called Stanley. In what other sport could you find a player who would rather fight than score, and one who used to sleep in his uniform so he wouldn't miss a second of ice time in the morning? Or a goalie who sewed an elastic mesh net (like a spider web) between his legs to catch the puck, and one who talked to the goalposts like they were his old friends? With insider information about the game and behind the scenes profiles on players and their incredible experiences, Hockey Night will never look the same way again.

In this sports memoir, Wayne Gretzky weaves memories of his legendary career with an inside look at professional hockey and the heroes and stories that inspired him. From minor-hockey phenomenon to Hall of Fame sensation, Wayne Gretzky rewrote the record books, his accomplishments becoming the stuff of legend. Dubbed “The Great One,” he is considered by many to be the greatest hockey player who ever lived. No one has seen more of the game than he has—but he has never discussed in depth just what it was he saw. For the first time, Gretzky discusses candidly what the game looks like to him and introduces us to the people who inspired and motivated him: mentors, teammates, rivals, the famous and the lesser known. Weaving together lives and moments from an extraordinary career, he reflects on the players who inflamed his imagination when he was a kid, the way he himself figured in the dreams of so many who came after; takes us onto the ice and into the dressing rooms to meet the friends who stood by him and the rivals who spurred him to greater heights; shows us some of the famous moments in hockey history through the eyes of someone who regularly made that history. Warm, direct, and revelatory, it is a book that gives us number 99, the man and the player, like never before.

Profiles of the greatest National Hockey League players of all time plus those who are current players.