We travelled to Ontario to produce a short demo for CTV.
From a “producer’s p.o.v. (point of view)”, these guys were great to work with. They are professional and not jaded by the media and were totally honest, no matter what subject I broached.
When you see them on the ice, you realize why they prefer to be called “athletes with a disability.” The speed of the game is quick, the shots hard and fast and the intensity and willingness to get into the fray and fight for their win is evident from the moment the first puck drops.
The challenge they face this coming season is to be the best in the world. Other teams and other international players consider their win in Turino (a Gold medal performance) a “fluke.” This team is out to prove they are the best and have bonded into a tight family ... a family that true sports fans will recognize in successful championship teams in every elite amateur and professional sport.
To be World Champions (Boston, 2008) is a quest that every single player on the Canadian team is proud to be a part of. Every one that we met when taping the demo talked about how proud they were to be part of Hockey Canada and to pull the Canadian Maple Leaf over their heads and slip into their sleds and take to the ice.
Will they make it? That’s the key question, but one thing I do know ... they’ll fight damn hard to be the best sledge hockey team on the planet.