Feature Story

Minnesotans make movie magic

 

By Ted Cheesebrough

 

In the forthcoming documentary film “Pond Hockey,” Minnesota legend Neal Broten emotionally describes his experiences as a Roseau Ram playing in the State High School Hockey Tournament. And although Broten’s hockey resume truly reads like no other (he is the only player to ever win a gold medal, a Stanley Cup, an NCAA title and participate in the Minnesota state high school tournament), Broten’s simple love of a simple game is evident as he nostalgically recalls playing on the outdoor rinks of Northern Minnesota with his friends and brothers. 

“I wish I could go back and be eight years old again for a couple days,” he says plainly.

“Pond Hockey” harkens back to a time when the game was played until frostbitten toes or mom’s demand to come inside for dinner, or perhaps both, finally put an end to hours and hours of rinkrats scoring goals between pairs of boots and digging pucks out of snowbanks.  The film serves as a celebration of hockey’s most basic culture, an ode to periods gone by, and a commentary on the state of the game.

The list of all-stars appearing in the film reads like an all-time fantasy hockey roster: Wayne Gretzky, Sidney Crosby, Marian Gaborik, Patrick Kane, Phil Housley, and Broten are just some of the greats who share stories of their hockey youth.  The film also features tales from Minnesotans known far and wide by hockey fans, including Lou Nanne, John Mayasich, Wendy Anderson, Doug Woog, Brian Bonin, Jordan Leopold, Mark Parrish, and Krissy Wendell.

In addition to detailing the purity of hockey’s yesteryear, director Tommy Haines, who grew up playing on the ponds himself, follows the paths of two teams of buddies preparing for and playing in the inaugural U.S. Pond Hockey Championships on Lake Calhoun in 2006.  The film tells the stories of some guys who never got a shot, as well as guys who took shots on some of hockey’s biggest stages.

The filmmakers’ affection for the subject matter is evident.  And moviegoers are sure to be moved by the anecdotes and emotions conveyed throughout the 80-minute documentary.  The movie not only encourages the audience to recall its own memories of outdoor hockey, but almost challenges the audience to ensure that future generations of rinkrats get the opportunity to make their own memories.  Indeed, following a screening at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival, a review in the St. Paul Pioneer Press declared, “When ‘Pond Hockey’ officially opens in November, it should be required viewing for every kid who plans to lace ’em up for a season of youth hockey.”

Produced by the not-so-subtly named “Northland Films” and underwritten in part by new Wild minority owner Philip Falcone, an Iron ranger and collegiate hockey standout at Harvard in the 1980s, “Pond Hockey” was shot primarily in Minnesota, Nova Scotia, and New England.  The film was screened at film festivals in the Midwest and on the East Coast over the summer; and it collected awards at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival and the Landlocked Film Festival in Iowa City, Iowa.

Beginning October 30, the film is being shown in selected theaters in Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, and Vermont, among other places.  To learn more about “Pond Hockey”, including where and when to see it on the big screen and how to order your own copy on DVD, visit www.pondhockeymovie.com.

 

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