When I first began reading Behind the Bench: Inside the Minds of Hockey’s Greatest Coaches by current editor-in-chief of The Athletic Craig Custance, I was just getting settled into my senior year at Providence College. The book had been out for maybe a month by that time and I already had my copy. Once I picked it up, it was hard to put down.
What is it about?
The concept was intriguing. Craig sat down with ten men perceived to be the greatest and most successful coaches of the modern NHL. The idea was to record their comments and reactions as they watched some of the highlight moments of their careers.
Craig asked seven of the ten coaches to relive past Stanley Cup victories, while Mike Babcock and Todd McLellan were taken through major triumphs on the world stage at the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2015 World Championship respectively. Ron Wilson was the only coach asked to watch a loss, the same Gold Medal when his team USA was defeated by Babcock’s team Canada in 2010.
As a hockey fan reading Behind the Bench, it can create a rush of fond emotions looking back on the time when your favorite team won the Stanley Cup for the first time, or when your team broke a 39 or even 49-year drought to bring the Cup back to the city you call home. I can also understand why it may be difficult for someone to read about the time their San Jose Sharks were two wins away from a franchise-first Stanley Cup, only for all hope of victory to be dashed by a power house Pittsburgh Penguins team coached by Mike Sullivan.
Behind the Bench: It’s hard to put down
While Behind the Bench may be an emotional roller coaster, I highly recommend reading it cover to cover much like I did myself. It takes a special sort of power for me to actually pick up and read something other than a text book when I’m enrolled full-time as a college student, yet, I found myself pulling this book out of the drawer on my side table whenever I had a few minutes of downtime.
Even if you’re a die-hard fan of team USA, and reading about another heart-wrenching defeat at the hands of team Canada seems just about as appealing as walking on nails, Mike Babcock is possibly one of the most inspirational people I have ever read about and you would be doing a huge disservice to yourself by skipping his section in the book. Learning about his work ethic and the ways that he constantly challenges himself as a person and a professional was inspiring and made me think about my own personal goals in life and how I could change the ways I look at a situation to allow myself to be more successful.
Great for casual and die-hard fans
Craig gives hockey fans rare insight into the thoughts and emotions of the guys responsible for crafting many of the greatest championship teams the sport has offered up over the last two decades. This book is a must-read for new and veteran hockey fans alike, and makes a perfect addition to the library of any sports fanatic.
Behind the Bench: Inside the Minds of Hockey’s Greatest Coaches on Amazon
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