Today there is a movie opening in Nashville.
“Sheesh, Really Paul???… I hear you say… doesn’t that happen every Friday?
Well… yes… but this one is of special interest to hockey fans. The movie Red Army opens at the Belcourt Theatre for a limited run. As a hockey fan, you owe it to yourself to see this movie. It is the story of the Soviet hockey program told from a participant’s perspective.
Yes, I know… ESPN did a 30 for 30 on it last month… do yourself a favor. Go see this movie anyway. It has what the 30 for 30 show did not. A point of view and heart. I watched both and frankly… once again, ESPN exhibits another shining example that it has zero understanding or empathy for the game. Honestly… I wouldn’t feel that way if I hadn’t seen Red Army. I would’ve happily gulped down the crumb that the so-called “worldwide leader… threw at us hockey fans. But after seeing this incredible documentary, you recognize the shallow scope and slapdash effort of the 30 for 30. It makes me wonder if they just threw it together to counter the release of Red Army.
From the opening moments of the movie, where director Gabe Polsky is interviewing Slava Fetisov, the Russian hockey legend speaks in a language that all hockey players speak… you’ll know it when you see it. It reveals a great deal about what you will see in the next 85 minutes or so and it also reveals the heart of two of the main characters in this documentary.
Red Army speaks to the hockey fan and non-hockey fan alike, telling the story of how the Russian hockey program developed during the height of the Cold War. It frames that development inside the political situation both inside the Soviet Union and outside of the country, placing it is perspective with regards to the geo-political impact as well.
It is a compelling story that has not been adequately told.
Growing up as a Cold War kid, we were taught to despise the Soviets, they were a threat to our way of life, our very country… duck and cover drills… all of that. In watching this piece, you get a real sense of what it was like on the other side of the iron curtain. How it felt to be one of the pawns in the political chess game being played out on the global stage. More importantly, it leads to an understanding of how this history continues to affect Russia, its people and its place in the world.
Being a member of the Red Army team was no picnic. Practice was four times daily, the players were cooped up at a training camp eleven months of the year, not able to see their families not attend important events such as weddings and funerals. That kind of information was unsurprising, it fits into the narrative taught to a Cold War kid. The surprising part? The creativity of Russian hockey. Seeing the unusual way it was developed and who truly was responsible for it, the odd training methods... all told by a director that has not only played the game at a higher level (director Polsky played NCAA Hockey for Yale,) but also experienced the culture firsthand as the offspring of Russian parents.
Red Army open today at the Belcourt, located at 2102 Belcourt Ave in Hillsboro Village. There are showings scheduled through Thursday 3/26, so make sure you go see this movie during its limited run. It is well worth the price of a ticket… for those readers not in Nashville, Red Army also opens today in Glendale, AZ, Denver, Chicago, Raleigh, Brooklyn, Columbus and Milwaukee. The movie is continuing it's run in New York, Philly, Seattle, Minneapolis, Tampa, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh. It is scheduled to open in Memphis, Knoxville, Huntsville and Little Rock next Friday. For theatre locations, check the Red Army website.
Here is the trailer for the movie…
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It’s only three days to the SlapShot Radio Cook Off. Predators forward Eric Nystrom and I will be battling it out at The Chef and I in Lenox Village on Monday night, March 23rd. If you have never been to The Chef and I, it is an “open kitchen… restaurant that allows you to watch the chef create your dinner! An incredible, accessible and unique experience. Eric and I will be taking over the show kitchen to compete in an “Iron Chef… like battle to win the Cup!
The Measuring Cup that is…
It’s all to raise money for the Nashville Predators Foundation and should be a lot of fun! Tickets are on sale at our EventBrite site all tickets include a three course gourmet meal prepared by Chef Chris Rains.
The judges for the evening are Dawn Davenport and Neil Orne from News 2 This Morning and Woody and Jim from 107.5 The River’s Woody and Jim Show. Please join us for all the fun, for a great cause! And by the way… you might want to check out The Chef and I’s website… they handle catering, conduct fun cooking classes and run a fantastic restaurant. Chris and Erica Rains are amazing people!
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Random Notes
- Standings update after play on 3/19 – St. Louis has a two point lead over Nashville with 96 points. Anaheim has taken over top spot in the conference with 97 points. Chicago is now two back of the Preds. The Blues have one game in hand over Nashville, the Blackhawks have two.
- The Western Wild Card – Minnesota (71 games played) owns the first wild card slot with 85 points, the Winnipeg Jets (71) are in the second slot with 84 points. The Calgary Flames (71) are back in the third slot in the Pacific Division and the LA Kings (70) are one point behind the Flames and two points behind the Jets. San Jose (71) trails the Jets by six points.
- Reports from practice yesterday has some new line combinations being tried. The forward lines tried were… Wilson/Ribeiro/Bourque, Cullen/Fisher/Smith, Forsberg/Jarnkrok/Stalberg, Beck/Gaustad/Santorelli. D pairing looked to remain the same. Another practice day today.
- This three day break the Preds are in is the first of two during the final few weeks of the regbular season. The next one is between the Vancouver game on 3/31 and the Dallas game on 4/4. Both of those are home games.
- We are officially welcoming a new reporter to the Tennessean’s Preds beat. Welcome Adam Vingan, he will be covering the team going forward. He comes to us from covering the Washington Capitals for NHL.com. Welcome Adam!
- An excellent piece on the Preds website about Game Ops Director (and the voice in my head at Pred games) Brian Campbell. Here's the link.
- Saddened to hear of the passing of Matthew Wuest. News of his death from cancer broke yesterday. He was the founder of CapGeek.com… thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.
- Three games in the NHL tonight – Devils @ Sabres, Red Wings @ Lightning, Avalanche @ Ducks.
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You are invited to follow me on Twitter. Search for @PredPAPaul… Not only will I be updating when I get news or updates, but we are having a bit of fun by getting your input on Gnash introductions, weigh in on Twitter and who knows, we may use your introduction for the best mascot in the NHL at the next Preds game! You can also keep up with all the goings on with SlapShot Radio by following the show on Twitter @SlapShotRadio1
Also... make sure to "like" SlapShot Radio on Facebook... here's the link.
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SlapShot Radio is back every Wednesday at 7pm on 102.5 the Game and the SlapShot Radio Network…
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