Caught this on FSN-Detroit tonight
Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2005 7:46 am
One of the better hockey documentaries that I have watched, there is a longer version with 3 extra hours of interviews on DVD for $15 with free shipping at www.rivalfilms.comHOCKEY’S GREATEST ERA
REMEMBERED JANUARY 25 ON FSN DETROIT
Darren McCarty Narrates Documentary Celebrating NHL’s “Original Six” Preceded by Special Edition of FSN BASEMENT
Detroit Red Wings star Darren McCarty is narrator of HOCKEY’S GREATEST ERA, which makes its television premiere Tuesday, Jan. 25 on FSN Detroit. The presentation begins at 8:30 PM, preceded at 8 by a new installment of FSN BASEMENT, which provides a preview of the documentary.
HOCKEY’S GREATEST ERA captures the magic of the NHL’s Original Six era with interviews, historical footage, stills and a treasured collection of radio interviews. In production for more than two years, “Era” features interviews with more than 30 stars and witnesses of the day.
“We really felt that a forgotten era needed a tribute to preserve its place in history,” said the film’s writer and director, Michigan native Matt Fults. “By adding Darren McCarty to the mix, we have added a player who shares the same toughness, work ethic and determination exhibited by the players of that era. Darren would have fit in well with the players of that era, and you can’t say that about many professional hockey players these days.”
McCarty, a native of Leamington, Ontario, is a three-time Stanley Cup Champion with the only team he has played for – Detroit. He is also an icon in the Motor City, being one of the most admired athletes in a city filled with stars.
“I have great respect and admiration for the pioneers of this league,” McCarty said. “And playing in an Original Six city makes it more important to me that the history of our game is remembered and celebrated. I’m excited to be involved with this film.”
“Darren’s blue-collar style is what attracted us to him,” Fults said. “If we were going to have a current player provide voice-over for this film, it had to be someone who embodied the spirit of the era.”
Interview subjects for the film include: Milt Schmidt, Ted Lindsay, Jean Beliveau, Elmer Lach, Bobby Rousseau, Jean-Guy Talbot, Marcel Bonin, Dollard St. Laurent, Dickie Moore, Gerry McNeil, Phil Goyette, Bill Gadsby, Johnny Wilson, Dennis Hextall, Nick Libett, Joe Klukay, Reggie Fleming, John Bucyk, Fernie Flaman, Lefty Wilson, former NHL referee Art Skov, broadcasters Budd Lynch (Detroit), Fred Cusick (Boston) and Harvey Wittenberg (Chicago), sportswriters Dan Moulton (Chicago) and the late Joe Falls (Detroit), former public relations directors Don Murphy (Chicago) and Ron Cantera (Detroit), long-time Blackhawks locker room attendant John Robertson (who has worked for them since 1936!) , author Bill Martin, memorabilia collector Bill Egan and historians Richard Johnson and Brian Codagnone .
Endeavor Productions, located in Salt Lake City, is a multimedia production company specializing in content development for broadcast, theatrical and the World Wide Web. Endeavor Productions and its sister company, Rival Films, produced the popular and acclaimed “Beyond the Games,” an officially licensed film of the United States Olympic Committee. It aired on NBC affiliates in February 2004 and was released on DVD. Darren McCarty’s band Grinder provided music for the film as well.
Endeavor also released in April 2004 the critically acclaimed “The Birth of Legends” which chronicled the 1979 NCAA basketball championship game featuring Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.
