February 19, 2015

It was hockey night at the film festival. Our own Powell River Kings were in attendance, and they showed a short made by one of the Powell River King volunteers about his love of the game and the community.

And what better preview to the main attraction than the NFB short called The Sweater, narrated by Roch Carrier. Pat and I had the pleasure of seeing (and hearing) Mr. Carrier read from his book at a festival when we lived in the city.

Red Army, told mainly from the view of Slava Fetisov, follows his tough journey from a nine-year old boy trying out for the team through to his stint as captain of the the Soviet Union’s Red Army team. When offered a chance to play in the NHL the politics of the time wouldn’t allow him to leave; when the politics changed he was given the chance to leave for the US, but only if gave 90% of his salary to the Russian government. Refusing to capitulate Fetisov was eventually able to play, under his own terms, in the NHL with New Jersey and Detroit. Truly an eye-opener into the lives of the Russian stars of the day.