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Reidgreg/sandbox/Mr. Hockey
Written byMalcolm MacRury
Directed byAndy Mikita
StarringMichael Shanks
Kathleen Robertson
Martin Cummins
Music byJames Jandrisch
Country of originCanada
United States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducersIan Dimerman
Brendan Ferguson
Brendon Sawatzky
CinematographyJames Alfred Menard
EditorJason Dale
Running time87 minutes
Production companiesBrightlight Pictures
Mike Ilitch Jr Productions
David E. Kelley Productions
Original release
ReleaseApril 28, 2013 (2013-04-28)

Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story is a 2013 Canadian-American television film.[1] Directed by Andy Mikita, the film centres on hockey legend Gordie Howe's 1973 return to playing hockey with the new Houston Aeros of the World Hockey Association.[2]

The film stars Michael Shanks as Howe, Kathleen Robertson as his wife Colleen Howe and Martin Cummins as Aeros coach Bill Dineen, as well as Lochlyn Munro, Dylan Playfair, Andrew Herr and Donnelly Rhodes in supporting roles.[3]

The film premiered on April 28, 2013, on CBC Television in Canada, and May 4, 2013, on Hallmark Channel in the United States.

Synopsis

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764 words - needs trimming

Grainy black-and-white television coverage shows Gordie Howe scoring for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League, described by a commentator as "unstoppable", with numerous records for scoring and games played. He retires in 1971 after a 25-year NHL career. He takes up a backroom executive job with the Red Wings which has little authority or challenge.

Two years later, Gordie's sons Mark and Marty are playing junior hockey for the Toronto Marlboros (nicknamed the "Marlies", a farm team for the Toronto Maple Leafs). They help the team win the Memorial Cup and Mark is named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament. However, they're too young to join the NHL and Colleen suggests that the new World Hockey Association (WHA) take advantage.

At the first WHA amateur draft, Mark is selected as the first draft pick for the Houston Aeros by family friend and Aeros coach Bill "Foxy" Dineen. Marty is also drafted by the team, with each offered $100,000 contracts, which Gordie says is more than he earned in 25 years playing for the Red Wings.[a] Harold Ballard, majority owner of the Maple Leafs, is incensed and organizes his colleagues. Bruce Norris, owner of the Red Wings, offers Gordie more involvement in the team's operations but wants him to quash his sons' WHA deal, threatening that they will never play in the NHL.

Gordie discusses his return to professional hockey with Colleen and moving the family to Houston. She has concerns with him in his mid-forties, but he'd always dreamed of playing professionally with the boys and "starting them off right". Colleen tells the Aeros manager that the three Howes are a marketing dream that will be the biggest publicity the WHA has ever had, and insists Gordie paid commensurate with the risks and the career he's leaving. It is a televised event when the three sign their contracts. Notably slower than the other prospects, Gordie undertakes intensive training to make the lineup.

In their first exhibition game with the Winnipeg Jets, Gordie takes the puck off of Bobby Hull and scores, then later acts as an enforcer when Marty is hit. The boys don't want their father fighting their battles for them, and the team also seem concerned as the young rookies are hazed to test their mettle. They stand up for themselves by exploiting a teammate's insectophobia.

The boys are afraid that their father will get hurt while Gordie worries about the boys having so much money. Marty starts seeing girlfriend Mary James and helps assistant coach Harvey when he struggles with his sobriety. Mark makes an ill-advised comment about his father "playing dirty" which is published in a Sports Illustrated cover story on Gordie, incensing him. Mark later apologizes, explaining that he meant his father was an honourable "policeman"[b] like Dirty Harry.[c]}}

Late in the season, Gordie suffers a hairline fracture in his leg. While recuperating at home, on his forty-sixth birthday, his scoring lead for the WHA season is overtaken. He becomes dejected but Colleen encourages him with a bigger achievement: to win a championship alongside his sons. Meanwhile, Harvey loses his job due to his alcoholism and counsels Marty to seize every moment because careers like their can be over in an instant. Encountering Norris at an airport, the boys say that even if they can't ever play in the NHL, it's been worth it to play a season with the greatest Red Wing in history.

In the WHA playoffs, the rival team in the finals attempts to unnerve Gordie by bringing in a trash-talking goon from the minor leagues and putting a rocking chair with his number on the ice. Seeing the team nervous before a game, Gordie makes a rare dressing room speech, recalling his first advice about enjoying the game, and thanking everyone for making the past season something special and the most fun he's had playing hockey. They win the championship, with Gordie winning MVP and Mark wins rookie of the year. Gordie skates to Colleen and thanks her for being the best teammate he's ever had.

The film jumps forward to 1980 and Hockey Night in Canada coverage of the NHL All-Star Game in Detroit. The NHL-WHA merger in 1979 has brought all the top players into one league. Gordie, now playing for the Hartford Whalers in his fifth decade as a professional player, skates onto the ice and receives a four-minute standing ovation.

Cast

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Production

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Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story was written by Malcolm MacRury and directed by Andy Mikita.[7]


Filmed entirely in Manitoba

Received financial assistance from the Canadian Media Fund and Manitoba Film & Music.

NHL footage courtesy of the NHL Network.

Release

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The film premiered on 28 April 2013 on CBC Television in Canada,[7] and 4 May 2013 on Hallmark Channel in the United States.

In 2020, the film was scheduled for rebroadcast on CBC's Movie Night in Canada, its temporary replacement for Hockey Night in Canada during the NHL shutdown in the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]

Reception

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John Doyle of The Globe and Mail called it "a well-told, engrossing movie that has fine performances" capturing the relationship between Gordie, Colleen, Marty and Mark.[7]

Nominations and awards

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The film received four Canadian Screen Award nominations at the 2nd Canadian Screen Awards, for Best TV Movie (Shanks), Best Lead Actor in a Television Film or Miniseries (Shanks), Best Lead Actress in a Television Film or Miniseries (Robertson) and Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Miniseries (Mikita).[9]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ In 1972, professional hockey players had average salaries of $25,000, far below baseball, basketball or football players, with minor league players making half of that.[4]
  2. ^ "Policeman" is a term used for some enforcers who police hockey's unwritten code of conduct, dealing punishment for transgressions. These punishments act as a deterrent to encourage fair play.[5] An all-rounder, Gordie Howe was known for scoring and fighting, giving rise to the term Gordie Howe hat trick for scoring a goal, an assist, and being involved in a fight in the same game.[6]
  3. ^ A character in the film earlier compared Gordie to Clint Eastwood, the actor who played Dirty Harry. The third Dirty Harry movie was titled The Enforcer.

References

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  1. ^ "Movie traces life of legend Gordie Howe". Telegraph-Journal, April 5, 2013.
  2. ^ Bill Harris, "CBC scores with Howe bio". Edmonton Journal, April 26, 2013.
  3. ^ Graham Rockingham, "The ultimate hockey mom: Kathleen Robertson takes on the iconic role of Gordie Howe's wife, Colleen". Hamilton Spectator, April 27, 2013.
  4. ^ Wiles, Ed (2004). The Rebel League: The Short and Unruly Life of the World Hockey Association. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. pp. 11–12. ISBN 0-7710-8947-3.
  5. ^ Smith, Michael D. (Spring 1979). "Towards an Explanation of Hockey Violence: A Reference Other Approach". The Canadian Journal of Sociology. 4 (2). Canadian Journal of Sociology: 119. JSTOR 3339824.
  6. ^ McGourty, John (25 January 2010). "Going inside the "Gordie Howe Hat Trick"". NHL Insider.
  7. ^ a b c Doyle, John (27 April 2013). "A well-told hockey tale for playoff time". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. p. R12. ProQuest 1346294452.
  8. ^ Debra Yeo, "CBC turns ‘Hockey Night in Canada’ into ‘Movie Night in Canada’". Toronto Star, March 17, 2020.
  9. ^ Randall King, "Local people, shows up for national honours". Winnipeg Free Press, January 14, 2014.
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Category:2013 television films Category:English-language Canadian films Category:American biographical films Category:American ice hockey films Category:American television films Category:Canadian biographical films Category:Canadian ice hockey films Category:CBC Television original films Category:Brightlight Pictures films Category:Canadian drama television films Category:2010s American films Category:2010s Canadian films

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