Business lessons from one of the greatest Olympic teams of all time

It's been called the greatest upset of all time, the most memorable Olympic moment ever, the "Miracle on Ice." No matter which superlative is used, no one can deny that the U.S. men's hockey team's defeat of the Soviet Union in the medal round of the Lake Placid Olympic Games was a defining moment for Cold War America.

The U.S. team's goalie was a Boston University student named Jim Craig, who is now a leadership expert and keynote speaker to business audiences. "Gold Medal Strategies" gives you Craig's unique lessons from the "Miracle" team on team dynamics, leadership, motivation, and other important management topics. With his unparalleled perspective, Craig dissects and analyzes the elements of a successful team, how to assemble one, and what philosophies will keep the team's shared goal a reality. This book outlines the necessary skills and details the specific techniques you need to maximize your business readiness, hone competitive cooperation, gather your strategies, and attack your challengers.

The athlete's go-to guide for creating mental strength and achieving peak performance. Even among the most elite performers, certain athletes stand out as a cut above the rest, able to outperform in clutch, game-deciding moments. These athletes prove that raw athletic ability doesn't necessarily translate to a superior on-field experience, its the mental game that matters most. Sports participation is at an all-time high. While the calibre of their games may differ, athletes at every level have one thing in common: the desire to excel. In The Champion's Mind, sports psychologist Jim Afremow, PhD, offers the same advice he uses with Olympians, Heisman Trophy winners, and professional athletes, including: How to get in a "zone," thrive on a team, and stay humble; How to progress within a sport and sustain long-term excellence; Customizable pre-performance routines to hit full power when the gun goes off or the puck is dropped.

Celtic Football Club's story is laced with drama and excitement, featuring a host of colourful individuals and a social history matched by few, if any, football clubs. In Celtic: Pride and Passion, Lisbon Lion Jim Craig and Pat Woods, a historian of the club, take a fresh look at several lesser-known episodes in Celtic's history, including: the fascinating link between Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show and a dramatic Ne'erday match at Celtic Park; the unforgettable night the 'playboy of the Eastern world' lit up Parkhead with a performance that helped to sow the seeds for a revolution at the club; the remarkable story of a trophy that was such a source of friction that the club kept it locked in a safe; and the pivotal year in which the rivalry between Celtic and Rangers took on a darker hue. They also recount the revealing story, told through the eyes of the European press, of how Celtic captivated a continent in the annus mirabilis of 1967. Celtic: Pride and Passion is a book that no discerning fan of Celtic Football Club will want to be without.

Once upon a time, they taught us to believe. They were the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, a blue-collar bunch led by an unconventional coach, and they engineered perhaps the greatest sports moment of the twentieth century. Their "Miracle on Ice" has become a national fairy tale, but the real Cinderella story is even more remarkable. It is a legacy of hope, hard work, and homegrown triumph. It is a chronicle of everyday heroes who just wanted to play hockey happily ever after. It is still unbelievable.
"The Boys of Winter is an evocative account of the improbable American adventure in Lake Placid, New York. Drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews, Wayne Coffey explores the untold stories of the U.S. upstarts, their Soviet opponents, and the forces that brought them together.
Plagued by the Iran hostage crisis, persistent economic woes, and the ongoing Cold War, the United States battled a pervasive sense of gloom in 1980. And then came the Olympics. Traditionally a playground for the Russian hockey juggernaut and its ever-growing collection of gold medals, an Olympic ice rink seemed an unlikely setting for a Cold War upset. The Russians were experienced professional champions, state-reared and state-supported. The Americans were mostly college kids who had their majors and their stipends and their dreams, a squad that coach Herb Brooks had molded into a team in six months. It was men vs. boys, champions vs. amateurs, communism vs. capitalism.
Coffey casts a fresh eye on this seminal sports event in "The Boys of Winter, crafting an intimate look at the team and giving readers an ice-level view of the boys who captivated a country. He details the unusual chemistry of theAmericans--formulated by a fiercely determined Brooks--and he seamlessly weaves portraits of the players with the fluid, fast-paced action of the 1980 game itself. Coffey also traces the paths of the players and coaches since that time, examining how the events in Lake Placid affected and directed their lives and investigating what happens after one conquers the world.
But Coffey not only reveals the anatomy of an underdog, he probes the shocked disbelief of the unlikely losers and how it felt to be taken down by such an overlooked opponent. After all, the greatest American sports moment of the century was a Russian calamity, perhaps even more unimaginable in Moscow than in Minnesota or Massachusetts. Coffey deftly balances the joyous American saga with the perspective of the astonished silver medalists.
Told with warmth and an uncanny eye for detail, "The Boys of Winter is an intimate, perceptive portrayal of one Friday night in Lake Placid and the enduring power of the extraordinary.

"From the Hardcover edition.

Johnny Wainwright is a bush pilot repo man in South Central Alaska. One September afternoon he flies Alaska State troopers to a remote island in Prince William Sound on a routine case of domestic violence. But the troopers disappear, thick fog rolls in and things get strange. Add to the mix a peculiar lodge owner, a flirtatious cover girl model and gunfire. There must be an easier way to barely make a living. In this sequel to Jim Craig's first Alaskan novel, North to Disaster, you'll be reacquainted with Johnny's quirky cohorts, old flames from the Yukon Bar and the infamous Alaskan weather. If you like adventures with twists and turns, buckle up for a ride into the off the wall world of Johnny Wainwright and the bizarre bush pilot lifestyle unique to Alaska. For more information go to www.bushakpress.com.

Lawrie Reilly is one of Hibernian and Scotland's greatest ever players. A member of Hibs' legendary Famous Five forward line, he played a key part in the most successful period in the club's history. Lawrie's career was a real success story. He won the Scottish League title three times with Hibs and was the club's leading goal scorer for seven successive seasons - a record that remains unmatched. In Last Minute Reilly, Lawrie now reveals for the first time what it was like to be a member of the Famous Five, what made him the incredible player he was, his views on why his Hibs team never won the Scottish Cup and his thoughts on the characters in the game. He also tells the full story of why he decided to go on strike, who brokered the deal to get him back on the field doing what he did best and how he sustained the injury that ended his career before the age of thirty. In his international career, Lawrie Reilly achieved a goals per game record for Scotland that has never been bettered - 22 goals in 38 games. He was always at his very best against England and his knack of scoring late equalisers against the Auld Enemy earned him his nickname of 'Last Minute Reilly' along with everlasting popularity amongst Scotland fans. Last Minute Reilly is the story of a genuine footballing great, a legend of the game and one of football's true gentlemen.