Pond Hockey is a 2008 American documentary film, directed by Tommy Haines, and produced by Northland Films. The film is an examination of the changing culture of pond hockey.
Contents
Synopsis
Director Tommy Haines and his Minnesota crew chronicle the changing culture of hockey through interviews with Wayne Gretzky, Neal Broten, Sidney Crosby, and local rinkrats, interwoven with the story of the first U.S. Pond Hockey Championships. The tournament was composed of 100 teams; the film follows two of these teams: the Federal League Allstars and Sofa King Lazy.
Critical reception
Pond Hockey showed at several North American film festivals and ultimately aired nationally on the NHL Network. The film was hailed as the "best and purest hockey movie ever" by ESPN's John Buccigross and one of Indiewire's "10 Great Sports Docs". The film was also included in the New York Times coverage of outdoor hockey's article "N.H.L. Ties Its Brand to Great Outdoors".
Notable cast
Wayne Gretzky
Neal Broten
John Mayasich
Sidney Crosby
Marian Gaborik
Lou Nanne
John Buccigross
Willard Ikola
Phil Housley
Jeff Sorem
John "Bug" Blooston
Patrick Kane
Wendell Anderson
Krissy Wendell
Dave Miller
Mark Kovacich
Rick DiPietro
Charles McGrath
Jack Falla
Jordan Leopold
Matt Henderson
Dan Hendrickson
P. J. Axelsson
Jonathan Toews
Producers
Director/producer - Tommy Haines
Producer - JT Haines
Producer - Andrew Sherburne
Producer - Nick Deutsch
Executive producer - Northland Films
Executive producer - Philip Falcone
Festivals/awards
"Best of Fest" selection at the 2008 Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival
Official Selection of the 2008 Rhode Island International Film Festival
Official Selection of the 2008 Free Range Film Festival
Winner of the "Audience Award" at the 2008 Landlocked International Film Festival
Official Selection of the 2010 Canadian Sports Film Festival
Philip Falcone
The executive producer, Philip Falcone, was a college hockey stand out and graduate from Harvard University, and is currently a General Partner of the Minnesota Wild.
Filming locations
Connecticut
Illinois
Minnesota
Massachusetts
New Jersey
New York
Nova Scotia