COMING SOON
POWER PLAY

the 1st Power Play site on the net
Slapshot meets Jerry McGuire
Thursday October 15 at ET/PT 8 pm, CTV.



Power Play Mailing List


Since the show has not yet debuted, information is scarce. Once more descriptions and photos are released, they will be added to this site. If you have anything to add to the site, feel free to send it to me at this address




Premise: Brett Parker (Michael Riley) is a flashy, New York sports agent, the kind of guy who loves the glowing puck on TV. Returning home from a business trip, he suddenly finds himself running an underdog hockey team, the Hamilton Steelheads. Set in Hamilton, Ont., the 13-episode comedy-drama follows the lives of the team's players, management and fans.

Pedigree: The last show from creators and executive producers Glenn Davis and William Laurin was John Woo's Once A Thief.

Assets: The show makes a point of being accurate: games are played by ex-NHLers and major juniors; each one is shot like a Hockey Night in Canada broadcast (not just "a bunch of stunt men that can skate and run plays," says Laurin); and real-life problems, like career-ending head injuries, are confronted. There's also some "Canadian icon" casting, including Gordon Pinsent as the eccentric team owner, Dean McDermott (of Due South) as the team captain, Al Waxman as the lovable, but losing, coach and Don Cherry as an American coach.

Liabilities: Once the novelty has worn off, puck bunnies and real hockey fans may not want to sit through the drama surrounding each week's game.

Bottom Line: Real live hockey, smart script, and good casting. At last! A show about the great Canadian game both hockey fans and haters can watch together.

Cast: Michael Riley, Al Waxman, Gordon Pinsent, Kari Matchett, Dean McDermott, Normand Bissonnette, Jonathan Rannells.

Rating: 8 (out of 10) DEBUT: Oct. 15, 1998


taken from TVGuide - Sept 5, 1998