User:Reidgreg/sandbox/Mr. Hockey

Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story is a 2013 Canadian-American television film. 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.

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.

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

Synopsis
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. 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" like Dirty Harry.}}

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

 * Michael Shanks as Gordie Howe
 * Kathleen Robertson as Colleen Howe
 * Martin Cummins as Bill "Foxy" Dineen, Aeros coach
 * Dylan Playfair as Marty Howe, defenceman
 * Andrew Herr as Mark Howe
 * Emma Grabinsky as Cathy Howe
 * Ali Tataryn as Mary James, Marty's girlfriend
 * Andrew Kavadas as Doug Harvey, former NHL star and assistant coach for the Aeros
 * Teach Grant as Don "Smokey" McLeod, Aeros goaltender
 * Lochlyn Munro as Bobby Hull, Winnipeg Jets player
 * Donnelly Rhodes as NHL Lawyer
 * Graham Mayes as Murray Howe, a younger son
 * Paul Magel as Ted Taylor, Aeros player
 * Karl Thordarson as Jack Stanfield, Aeros player
 * Brad Turner as John Schella, Aeros defenceman. Turner played professional ice hockey for eight years before retiring, becoming an actor and stunt performer.
 * Adam Hurtig as Jim Smith
 * Erik Berg as Tommy, Cathy's boyfriend
 * Bryan Clark as Minnesota Enforcer
 * Brock Couch as Mike Walton, centre for the Minnesota Fighting Saints
 * Gordon Tanner as Ted Lindsay, a retired Red Wings player and organizer for the National Hockey League Players' Association
 * Gio Tropea as Former NHL Player
 * Tom Anniko as Bruce Norris, owner of the Detroit Red Wings


 * R. J. Adams (uncredited) as Harold Ballard, owner of the Maple Leafs

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

Filmed entirely in Manitoba

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

NHL footage courtesy of the NHL Network.

Release
The film premiered on 28 April 2013 on CBC Television in Canada, 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.

Reception
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.

Nominations and awards
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).