Running Time: 6 x 60 mins
Year: 1997

synopsis

Ice Kings. Warriors. Heroes. Dealmakers… Big Business. Bigger Dreams… From the dressing room to the board room, The New Ice Age examines the fascinating culture of hockey, society, celebrity and power.

The six hour documentary series offers viewers access to the drama within the game itself and the reality behind hockey’s hoopla and headlines – meetings, negotiations, trades, contracts, the draft process and corporate sponsorship. It offers behind-the-scenes footage of Wayne Gretsky, Brett Hull and Eric Lindros, plus insiders such as Gary Bettman, Steve Soloman and Bob Goodenow.

THE NEW ICE AGE dramatically chronicles the NHL’s June 1997 to June 1998 season, an historic twelve month period that opened and closed with Stanley Cup Championships and the Olympic Winter Games in between.

Episode One, Making It, focuses on dealmaking around the June 1997 draft
Episode Two, For the Good of the Game, reveals the marketing of NHL hockey
Episode Three, Growing the Game, examines the global game
Episode Four, Our Game, asks whether Canada is losing its grip on its national sport
Episode Five, The Grind, looks at life on the long road to the playoffs
Episode Six, The Finals, is about center ice at the ‘big show’

Credits

A series by Peter Raymont & Joseph Blasioli


Produced by White Pine Pictures in association with Badger Films for The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

“IT’S HOCKEY LIKE YOU’VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE. A GROUNDBREAKING SIX-PART DOCUMENTARY SERIES”

— Toronto Star

“A RARE PIECE OF SPORTS TELEVISION, BREAKING AWAY FROM RITUAL INTERVIEWS AND BETWEEN-PERIOD BLAHS TO PROVIDE A GRIPPING LOOK BEHIND THE SCENES. THE EXCITEMENT COMES FROM UP-CLOSE CAMERA ACCESS AND MIc’d-UP PARTICIPANTS.”

— Toronto Star

“THIS IS SUPERB CANADIAN TELEVISION, IT’S SIMULTANEOUSLY A REVELATION AND A CELEBRATION. A SHARP SNAPSHOT OF A CHANGING GAME.”

— The Globe and Mail