CBC Team Canada 72 Mini-Series

[Yuri]

Did anyone watch, and for that mattter, was as totally unimpresssed with the CBC Team Canada 72 Mini-Series which showed over the last two days. Personally, I found the acting poor and dramatically diappointing.

Vic Hatfield was portraid as a total "ego thumb-sucking goof-off"
Ken Dryden came across as a "Nerd",
Gary Bergman was shown as the "Club-House/Locker Room Leader"
Fran Mahovolich as a total "whimpy kid"
Harry Sinden was more of a "lunatic"
Cashman & Esposito as "Beer slugging" In-Your-face Road/Street Hockey Players

No wonder Canada almost lost the series.

 

[calloway]

If they got their facts right about all the egos and temper tantrums from various players on the Canadian team... I am (or was) embarassed to be a Canadian.

 

[lenharper]

The facts are right. Every single player on team canada had "sign off rights" for this movie. Also news reports about a special screening for team canada members said that the players and harry sinden said it was a very accurate representation of what happened.

 

[GlavaMan]

It gave us insight into all the crap those commie basturds pulled!

 

[Corey]

I gotta give credit to the guys who approved the script even though it didn't show them in the best light.

 

[dj1470]

First, let me say I enjoyed this TV movie more than I thought. Like nearly every other Canadian, I remember the Henderson goal and the drama leading up to it. So, I thought a drama about "the drama" would surely fall short. I was pleasantly surprised. The key characters are all well represented with their most memorable features intact. We have Eagleson the Shyster, Sinden the Skinflint, Espo the Braggart, Ferguson the Vulgar, Cournoyer the Shy, Dryden the Intellectual, and Henderson the Hero (sort of a Canuck 7 dwarfs). The period setting and feel is dead on, reminscient of the movie TRUDEAU which took place roughly the same time. Like TRUDEAU, the true Canadian soundtrack helps immensely. Lighthouse's "One Fine Morning", Crowbar's "Oh, What A Feeling", and The Guess Who tunes ("No Sugar Tonight" and "No Time") punctuate the plot at appropriate times. Personally, I prefer watching highlights of the original thing (the Roadrunner was a bigger hero to me than Henderson at the time), but this movie's heart is in the right place and you can't fault them for that. This movie will have limited appeal to non Canadians and non hockey fans, but for the rest of us, it is a pure delight to be reminded of our shot heard around the world, at least this part of the world.

 

[iluvbtca]

The series was okay but failed to nail the key parts of what such a series should bring. I think they failed to nail more of the player interaction and off-ice stuff. The whole chandelier incident and the card game with Clarke and Henderson telling each that they thought the other wouldn't make it was great and the stuff that should have been the focus. Personalities should have been the focus.

I also thought the whole quick edit was very annoying and made it quite second rate in production. The shooting of the Russians in black and white was cheezy. Finally, the out of focus by intention hockey scenes were also annoying.

I thought Dryden was dead on and the whole intellectual nerd portrayal was great. However, my favorite was Clarke. That little self-satisfied smirk that the actor gave Clarke coming out of the lockerroom after chopping down Kharlamov was perfect. Seemed to fit him to a tee.

It wasn't my generation so maybe I'm wrong. I'm waiting for the drama of the 1987 Russian series.

 

[dj1470]

It wasn't my generation so maybe I'm wrong. I'm waiting for the drama of the 1987 Russian series.

I'm sorry are you actually comparing '72 with '87? Please. While the series of '87 and the Lemieux goal was exciting it does not match the pure drama and sense of national identity that was created in '72. Not even close.

 

[iluvbtca]

I'm sorry are you actually comparing '72 with '87? Please. While the series of '87 and the Lemieux goal was exciting it does not match the pure drama and sense of national identity that was created in '72. Not even close.

Sarcasm. I agree it's not even close. But what else will CBC produce? Another pope movie?

 

[Corey]

How about another Trudeau movie?

 

[Mysterio999]

Team Canada 72 CBC

I thought this was very well done. The guys nailed the parts of Phil Esposito, Bobby Calrke, Harry Sinden, Ken Dryden & Eagleson. Looks like some poetic license was taken with it, but overall, very well done.

BTW, Espo's book is pretty good. He claims he was offered a role in the original "Godfather" movie in 1972. I think he could have pulled it off.

 

[dj1470]

Sarcasm. I agree it's not even close. But what else will CBC produce? Another pope movie?

What's wrong with a Pope movie? If there is anyone in the world that people could look up to or emulate it would have to be the Pope wouldn't it? Or are you a big Tretiak fan?