Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story is a 2013 biographical sports drama film. It was directed by Andy Mikita and written by Malcolm MacRury. The film focuses on the 1973–74 World Hockey Association (WHA) season, when ice hockey legend Gordie Howe returned from retirement to play for the Houston Aeros alongside his sons, rookies Mark and Marty Howe; his wife, Colleen, served as agent for all three.

The film stars Michael Shanks as Gordie, Kathleen Robertson as Colleen and Martin Cummins as Aeros coach Bill Dineen, with Lochlyn Munro, Dylan Playfair, Andrew Herr and Donnelly Rhodes in supporting roles. The film was a co-production between companies of Canada and the United States. It premiered on 28 April 2013 on CBC Television and 4 May on Hallmark Channel.

Synopsis

Grainy black-and-white television coverage shows Gordie Howe scoring for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL), described by a commentator as "unstoppable", with numerous records for scoring and games played. He retires in 1971 after a 25-year NHL career and becomes a team executive with little authority.

Two years later, Gordie's sons Mark and Marty are playing junior hockey for the Toronto Marlboros, a former farm team for the Toronto Maple Leafs under common ownership. They help the team win the Memorial Cup and Mark is named most valuable player (MVP) of the tournament. However, they are too young to join the NHL, and Colleen suggests that the new World Hockey Association (WHA) take advantage.

At the first WHA amateur draft, Mark is selected as the first draft pick for the Houston Aeros by family friend and Aeros coach Bill "Foxy" Dineen. Marty is also drafted by the team; each is offered a $100,000 contract, which Gordie notes is more than he earned in 25 years playing for the Red Wings. Harold Ballard, majority owner of the Maple Leafs, is incensed and organizes his colleagues. Bruce Norris, owner of the Red Wings, offers Gordie more involvement in the team's operations but wants him to quash his sons' WHA contracts, threatening that they will never play in the NHL.

Gordie discusses with Colleen his return to professional hockey and moving the family to Houston. She has concerns about him playing in his mid-forties, but he had always dreamed of playing professionally with the boys and "starting them off right". Colleen tells the Aeros manager that the three Howes will bring unprecedented publicity to the WHA, and insists Gordie be paid commensurate with the career he's leaving. It is a televised event when the three sign their contracts. Notably slower than the other prospects, Gordie undertakes intensive training to make the lineup.

In their first exhibition game with the Winnipeg Jets, Gordie takes the puck from Bobby Hull and scores, then acts as an enforcer when Marty is hit. The boys don't want their father fighting their battles for them, particularly as teammates haze them to test their mettle. They stand up for themselves by exploiting a teammate's phobia.

The boys are afraid that their father will become hurt while Gordie worries about the boys having so much money. Marty starts seeing girlfriend Mary James and helps assistant coach Harvey when he struggles with his sobriety. Mark makes an ill-advised comment about his father "playing dirty" which is published in a Sports Illustrated cover story on Gordie, incensing him. Mark later apologizes, explaining that he meant his father was an honourable "policeman" like Dirty Harry.

Late in the season, Gordie suffers a hairline fracture in his leg. While Gordie recuperates at home on his forty-sixth birthday, his scoring lead for the WHA season is overtaken. He becomes dejected but Colleen encourages him with a bigger achievement: to win a championship alongside his sons. Meanwhile, Harvey loses his job due to his alcoholism and counsels Marty to seize every moment because sports careers can end suddenly. Encountering Norris at an airport, the boys say that even if they can't play in the NHL, it's been worth it to play a season with the greatest Red Wing in history.

In the WHA playoffs, the rival team in the finals attempts to unnerve Gordie by bringing in a trash-talking goon from the minor leagues and putting a rocking chair with Gordie's number on the ice. Gordie makes a rare dressing room speech, recalling his first advice about enjoying the game and thanking everyone for making the past season special and the most enjoyable one he has had. They win the championship; Gordie wins MVP, and Mark wins rookie of the year. Gordie thanks Colleen for being the best teammate he has ever had.

The film jumps to 1980 Hockey Night in Canada coverage of the NHL All-Star Game in Detroit. The NHL–WHA merger in 1979 has brought all the top players into one league. Gordie, now playing for the Hartford Whalers in his fifth decade as a professional player, skates onto the ice and receives a four-minute standing ovation.

Cast

Michael Shanks as Gordie Howe Kathleen Robertson as Colleen Howe Martin Cummins as Bill "Foxy" Dineen, Aeros coach Dylan Playfair as Marty Howe, defenceman Andrew Herr as Mark Howe Emma Grabinsky as Cathy Howe Ali Tataryn as Mary James, Marty's girlfriend Andrew Kavadas as Doug Harvey, former NHL star and assistant coach for the Aeros Teach Grant as Don "Smokey" McLeod, Aeros goaltender Lochlyn Munro as Bobby Hull, Winnipeg Jets player Donnelly Rhodes as NHL Lawyer Graham Mayes as Murray Howe, a younger son Paul Magel as Ted Taylor, Aeros player Karl Thordarson as Jack Stanfield, Aeros player Brad Turner as John Schella, Aeros defenceman Adam Hurtig as Jim Smith Erik Berg as Tommy, Cathy's boyfriend Bryan Clark as Minnesota Enforcer Brock Couch as Mike Walton, centre for the Minnesota Fighting Saints Gordon Tanner as Ted Lindsay, a retired Red Wings player and organizer for the National Hockey League Players' Association Gio Tropea as Former NHL Player Tom Anniko as Bruce Norris, owner of the Detroit Red Wings

R. J. Adams (uncredited) as Harold Ballard, owner of the Maple Leafs

Development and casting

Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story was written by Malcolm MacRury and directed by Andy Mikita. MacRury had previously co-written the 2006 hockey miniseries Canada Russia '72. Development was supervised by Diane Boehme of Toronto-based EBTV. Gordie, Mark and Marty Howe provided guidance in the development of the film, making sure that it was accurate. Mark and Marty were more involved in this process, having more vivid recollections of events than their father.

Graham Rockingham wrote in The Hamilton Spectator that there were on-ice auditions for the actors portraying hockey players. However, Herr stated that he was only auditioned for his acting skills, noting "As soon as they found out I played junior hockey, I don't think they were too concerned." Herr, Playfair and Shanks had each played junior hockey in Canada. Shanks played as a defenceman in junior hockey until he was 20 while Herr had played a season for each of the Gananoque Islanders and the Napanee Raiders in eastern Ontario and Playfair had played in Western Canada.

Shanks sought a role in the biopic when he heard its filming would coincide with a break of his then-current series, Saving Hope. His agent initially told him that no parts were available but Shanks later received an offer from Mikita for the title role. Shanks had played hockey with Mikita on the set of Stargate: SG1 and MacRury was co-creator of Saving Hope.

While playing competitively, Shanks stated that he never backed down from fights and in that respect felt a connection with Gordie. Shanks had not played hockey for five years while raising a family and had five weeks to train. He played pick-up hockey three times a week and spent four hours a day on inline skates and lifting weights. He focused on stick handling and learned to shoot with either hand. He said in an interview that he'd "rather be a pro hockey player than an actor" and that the role was a chance to experience that dream.

Prior to filming, Herr and Playfair conducted research and had conversations with Mark and Matty Howe to inform their performances. Shanks watched interviews of Howe to learn his mannerisms and wore custom dentures to help simulate Gordie's lisp. However, Shanks avoided contact with the Howes so that he wouldn't feel himself under the pressure of their expectations. Robertson likewise studied Colleen and was moved by the "unbelievable marriage" full of sweetness and respect, and how involved Colleen was in the others' professional careers, as the first female agent in professional sports.

Production

Shawn Williamson and Stephen Hegyes of Vancouver-based Brightlight Pictures produced the film, and Ian Dimmerman of Inferno Pictures co-produced it for the CBC. Executive producers included Howard Baldwin and Karen Baldwin of Baldwin Entertainment Group and William J. Immerman of RSVP Entertainment, alongside associate producers Mike Ilitch Jr., Brendon Sawatzky, and Brendan Ferguson. Howard Baldwin was owner of the Hartford Whalers, while Ilitch's father, Mike Ilitch, had bought the Red Wings from the Norris family in 1982.

The production received a total of $2,014,509 in funding from the Canadian Media Fund. Additional financial assistance was provided by Manitoba Film & Music and the government of Manitoba.

Filming began in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on 28 August 2012, and concluded in September after about a month of shooting in the city. Hockey scenes were filmed in 12-hour overnight shoots overseen by production consultant Billy Keane. The sports scenes had to be rehearsed and performed at a reduced speed so that the camera could capture the action. All of the extras playing hockey were American Hockey League athletes.

Herr noted difficulty in playing hockey with 1970s equipment, particularly the long-bladed tube skates. According to Robertson, Herr's feet were left "bloody [and] ripped apart". Unwinding after the long on-ice shoots, Shanks said that they'd "just sit in the dressing room, drink beer, act like a bunch of morons and generally have fun."

Robertson stated that her trickiest scene was having to explain the offside rule, as she did not come from a hockey household and did not know the finer points of the sport.

The film begins and ends with archival footage of Gordie Howe, emphasizing that his story and accomplishments are real.

Release

The film was dedicated to Colleen Howe, who had died in 2009.

The film premiered on 28 April 2013 on CBC Television in Canada and 4 May 2013 on Hallmark Channel in the United States. The hockey biography was considered an unusual choice for Hallmark, which mainly broadcasts romantic stories. The film was released on DVD and two-disc Blu-ray in October 2013.

On 21 March 2020, the film was rebroadcast on CBC's Movie Night in Canada, its temporary replacement for Hockey Night in Canada during the NHL shutdown in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reception Critical response

John Doyle of The Globe and Mail called it "a well-told, engrossing movie that has fine performances". He found that the core of the movie was the family's dynamic and their concerns and aspirations for each other. In a review for Newsday, Diane Werts recommended it as a family-friendly sports film with a love story. The Detroit Free Press found that, while not up to the brutal realism of Slap Shot, it provided "entertaining family viewing" with liveliness and humour. David Hinckley's review for the New York Daily News called it an "inspiring [and] satisfying" story of an athlete whose focus and proficiency at his sport was overshot by his love for family, while Douglas King's review for Library Journal, found it to be a formulaic sports movie with themes of perseverance. Brad Oswald of the Winnipeg Free Press felt that the story lost its pace with characters who were nice but uninteresting people.