Justin Bourne is a hockey writer, broadcaster, former player, and former coach. The son of New York Islanders Stanley Cup winner Bob Bourne, he grew up around professional hockey. He played four seasons at the University of Alaska Anchorage before competing professionally in the ECHL and American Hockey League. His later career included work as a video coach for the Toronto Marlies.
Bourne moved between hockey media and coaching before joining Sportsnet in 2019. His media experience has included The Score and The Athletic, followed by radio, television, and online work for Sportsnet. His first book, Down and Back: On Alcohol, Family, and a Life in Hockey, was published in 2023. He later collaborated with Darryl Sutter on The Code of the West: Lessons from the Ranch and the Rink, released in October 2026.
Justin Bourne Books
| Book | Year | Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Down and Back | 2023 | Description / Buy at Amazon |
| The Code of the West | 2026 | Description / Buy at Amazon |
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
At Sportsnet, Bourne has cohosted Real Kyper & Bourne with former NHL player Nick Kypreos, contributed written analysis, and appeared on television coverage including Hockey Night in Canada. These roles draw on experience viewing the sport from several positions: as the child of a professional player, a college and minor league competitor, a coach responsible for reviewing video, and an analyst explaining decisions to an audience.
His professional playing career included the Alaska Aces and time with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, then the Islanders’ AHL affiliate. The connection with his father’s former organization forms part of the family background to his own pursuit of a hockey career. After playing, Bourne’s work increasingly involved explaining why events occurred on the ice, an interest he discussed in an interview with the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League.
The two books use different voices and subjects. Down and Back is Bourne’s own memoir, while The Code of the West presents Sutter’s experiences with Bourne’s contribution as collaborator. The latter follows a career that included captaining the Chicago Blackhawks, coaching several NHL teams, and winning two Stanley Cups with the Los Angeles Kings. Its organizing principles connect those professional experiences with Sutter’s agricultural background.
Hockey Books
Down and Back: On Alcohol, Family, and a Life in Hockey: Bourne examines his relationship with hockey, alcohol, and his father, former NHL player Bob Bourne. The memoir follows sporting ambitions and the development of a drinking problem that threatened his work and marriage. His account of seeking treatment and sobriety also considers the culture in which he grew up and the ways family expectations shaped his life. Published in February 2023.
Bourne’s memoir considers the appealing and difficult aspects of the environment he inherited. His father’s career supplied an early model of athletic achievement, while his own account describes the need to reconsider habits that damaged life beyond the rink. Recovery and self-examination are therefore central subjects alongside the effort to establish a place in hockey. The book’s first publication in February 2023 preceded its September 2025 paperback edition.
The Code of the West: Lessons from the Ranch and the Rink: Darryl Sutter recounts lessons from hockey and ranching in this collaboration with Bourne. The book connects his experiences as a player and coach with ten principles he displayed in team dressing rooms. Family history, leadership, competitiveness, and personal responsibility provide the framework for an account of the standards through which he approached work and relationships. Published in October 2026.