Hockey Outsider
Registered User
- Jan 16, 2005
- 9,191
- 14,607
Did anyone ever watch the Canadian TV series Powerplay? There were 26 episodes (two seasons) and it aired from 1998 to 2000. It was about a fictional NHL team, the Hamilton Steelheads. (For non Canadians - Hamilton is a city of 500K+ people, around 60KM west of Toronto, on the shores of Lake Ontario). Michael Riley starred as the team's general manager (Brett Parker - he was shrewd and successful, but had personal demons). The series was filmed in Copps Coliseum (the main sports/entertainment venue in Hamilton - now called First Ontario Centre).
It addressed a number of hockey-related topics that were relevant 25 years ago. Many of these are still important today. The Steelheads' financial viability, as an NHL franchise in a smaller city, was a common theme. (In real life, several NHL teams, including the Senators, faced these challenges, especially with the plumetting value of the Canadian dollar). There were also episodes that talked about racism, affirmative action, and gay players.
I recently found a YouTube channel with most (all?) of the episodes - link. (To preempt any questions - no, that isn't my channel, nor does it belong to anyone I know).
There's lots of great hockey trivia crammed into the series. The theme song is "The Hockey Song" by Stompin' Tom Connors. I vaguely recall Bobby Hull making a cameo. (This was before some of the unsavoury details about his personal life became widely known). The team's coach studied under Anatoli Tarasov. According to IMDB, there were also guest appearances from some big names - Jean Beliveau, Guy Lafleur, Johnny Bower, and Don Cherry.
My favourite episode was "The Mask" (season 2, episode 8). There's a mix of funny and serious topics. Parker had a hallucination involving Jacques Plante. The goalie argued that Parker kept a mask over his emotions, just as how Plante used a mask to protect his face. That metaphor worked well. In some of the funnier scenes, coach Harry Strand (portrayed by Neil Crone) is convinced that Tarasov's former assistant coach (who he deposed) is out to get him. He interprets anything and everything as a sign of his impending doom. And "the tape" scene is hilarious.
Did anyone else watch this? To any Americans on HOH - have you even heard of this show? (According to Wikipedia, the ratings were horrific in the US). I wish I could buy a DVD of the series, but I can't find it anywhere.
It addressed a number of hockey-related topics that were relevant 25 years ago. Many of these are still important today. The Steelheads' financial viability, as an NHL franchise in a smaller city, was a common theme. (In real life, several NHL teams, including the Senators, faced these challenges, especially with the plumetting value of the Canadian dollar). There were also episodes that talked about racism, affirmative action, and gay players.
I recently found a YouTube channel with most (all?) of the episodes - link. (To preempt any questions - no, that isn't my channel, nor does it belong to anyone I know).
There's lots of great hockey trivia crammed into the series. The theme song is "The Hockey Song" by Stompin' Tom Connors. I vaguely recall Bobby Hull making a cameo. (This was before some of the unsavoury details about his personal life became widely known). The team's coach studied under Anatoli Tarasov. According to IMDB, there were also guest appearances from some big names - Jean Beliveau, Guy Lafleur, Johnny Bower, and Don Cherry.
My favourite episode was "The Mask" (season 2, episode 8). There's a mix of funny and serious topics. Parker had a hallucination involving Jacques Plante. The goalie argued that Parker kept a mask over his emotions, just as how Plante used a mask to protect his face. That metaphor worked well. In some of the funnier scenes, coach Harry Strand (portrayed by Neil Crone) is convinced that Tarasov's former assistant coach (who he deposed) is out to get him. He interprets anything and everything as a sign of his impending doom. And "the tape" scene is hilarious.
Did anyone else watch this? To any Americans on HOH - have you even heard of this show? (According to Wikipedia, the ratings were horrific in the US). I wish I could buy a DVD of the series, but I can't find it anywhere.
