What makes players simply the best? That’s what coach Mike Johnston and former NHL great Ryan Walter set out to discover in Simply the Best: Players on Performance. The authors interviewed these top competitors to discover how they prepare to be the best in the world, how they lead a dressing room from the inside out, and how coaches best inspire their winning performances.

In their previous book, the hugely successful Simply the Best: Insights and Strategies from Great Hockey Coaches, Johnston and Walter asked top hockey coaches to talk about the methods they use to get the best performance from their players. In seeking the players’ perspective, the authors have again compiled fascinating information that is as relevant to the game of life as it is to hockey. Young and old alike will be inspired and motivated as they gain access to exclusive insights directly from the players. Simply the Best: Players on Performance is not only a must-read for hockey fans, players, and coaches, but will also resonate with anyone pursuing excellence, individually or as part of a team.

Born in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Mike Johnston has had a long and notable career coaching hockey, including coaching and assistant coaching for the Vancouver Canucks in 1999, Canada’s National Men’s Team, the Canada Selects, Canada’s 1998 Winter Olympics team, Canada’s junior team, Team Canada at the World Championships from 1995 to 1998 and again in 2007 as well as the University of New Brunswick men’s Varsity Reds hockey team, where he was 1994 coach of the year. Mike was an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Kings from 2006 to 2008 and is currently the head coach and general manager of the WHL’s Portland Winter Hawks.

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