NHL: All-Access!
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Williams on December 3rd, 2003
I’ll begin by stating that I was a huge NHL fan until the Winnipeg Jets left our dear city in 1995. I followed hockey half-heartedly for the next three years until the NHL’s greed destroyed the game with expansion team after expansion team (expansion fee was $100 million to enter the NHL) watered down the game so much that it became difficult to watch. In addition the NHLPA didn’t help by driving salaries through the roof. I recently saw the top ten salaries printed in the paper and was disgusted to see some of the n…mes listed and the amount they were getting paid – I mean Keith Tkachuk $9 million a year? Give me a break (okay I realize that might have been a bit extreme but the guy played for the Jets – he was good, but not top 10 in the league good and his holier than thou attitude was legendary…but I digress…)! The top paid player was Peter Forsberg – awesome all around player, but once again $11 million a year? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – Bob Goodenow, the president of the NHLPA, is the devil!
But back to the disc – I’m glad I was a hockey fan at the time that I was – I got to see all of the greats at their peak – Gretzky, Lemieux, Roy, Borque, Sakic, Brodeur and the list goes on. If you were a fan of this era – NHL All Access – Enhanced DVD Edition is definitely worth checking out. The disc highlights the end of this great era of hockey with three of the most influential events in hockey history – the retirement of Wayne Gretzky, the return of Mario Lemieux, and the retirement of Patrick Roy. For hockey fans and historians, the in depth coverage of these events make this disc worth purchasing.
For Patrick Roy, they follow the season from the perspective of Patrick trying to break Terry Sawchuk’s record of the most wins by a goaltender in NHL history. There are interviews with Patrick, his teammates, coaches and coverage of the history making game against the Washington Capitals where the Avalanche won 4-3 in overtime.
The “All Access” part of the DVD places mics on some of the players and coaches during games (on the ice and on the benches) and in the dressing room. This obviously was carefully edited as there was no colorful language (anyone who watches hockey can generally learn to lip read most four-letter words within the first 10 minutes of a game). There is an interview with long time NHLer Ray Ferraro who comments on the communication on the ice. Some time is devoted to some of the more interesting coaches in the league – Marc Crawford, John Muckler, Dave King, Mike Kennan, and Mario Tremblay. There is an extended segment devoted to Ron Wilson and his unique coaching style – he sure looks stern on the bench, but this really shows that he uses a lot of humor in the dressing room – good stuff.
Another section is devoted to the most hated man on the ice – the referee. There are some great sound bytes from the refs in game situations and off the ice – and some classic shots of the refs getting hit and dishing out a couple of checks as well!
Dan Moriarty, the annoying host of NHL Cool Shots, is provided with the opportunity to document what it is like to be an NHLer by skating with the Minnesota Wild in training camp and in an actual game against the Ducks. The best part of this coverage was the pranks that the Wild played on him such as sewing the cuffs of his pants together while he was on the ice. But it was an interesting look into the daily lives of an NHLer.
This was followed by the three excellent pieces that looked at three of the most significant players in NHL history and a landmark event that occurred in their careers.I’ll admit that I got a bit misty eyed when watching the retirement of Wayne Gretzky. A true ambassador of the game, Wayne espoused all that was great about hockey – a fantastic team player, leader, and class act on an off the ice. I remember leaving work early on the day that Wayne announced his retirement to get home and watch the press conference – and some of that was displayed here. This obviously brought back a lot of memories and a tinge of sadness as the greatest player to ever grace the ice left with the same humility and grace that his father had taught him so many years ago. Very touching stuff.
However, this sad note was quickly followed by the triumphant return of Mario Lemieux following his retirement as a result of his diagnosis with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma a few years prior. Mario returned to the ice in grand style to pick up where Wayne left off, as the best player in the NHL. The DVD followed his first game on the ice with a no less than 5-point game! While Mario may not have the personality or style of Gretzky, he is definitely the closest when it comes to skill.
And lastly, there was the retirement of one, if not the greatest goalie in NHL history, Patrick Roy. A recounting of the hunt to become the goalie with most career wins was then transformed into the documentation of the retirement of the great Patrick. There were some great interviews with Patrick, various teammates past and present, as well as coaches and GM’s.
Audio
I was quite impressed with the audio as the clips that were shown of the action on the ice really had some bone shattering impact to them thanks to some great recording technology in the microphones placed in the ref’s and coaches uniforms. The Dolby Digital 2.0 track delivers what it is supposed to – loud crashes with thundering body checks, crisp clear dialogue during the interviews and very good dynamic response with excellent bass effects from the hard rock soundtrack (and let’s face it – that’s what hockey needs – the video game world definitely nailed that down right!). Even though the program is recorded in Dolby 2.0, the menu screen sure sounded like it was recorded in Dolby 5.1 because of a variety of sound coming out of all 5 speakers. Really well done!
Video
The video varied depending on the source – top notch equipment is used of course in MSG so as they recorded Wayne’s retirement, the image was very clean with bright, vibrant colors (gotta love MSG!). However, some of the other material shot in the dressing rooms looked like it was shot on a Hi-8 video camera and appears very dark and grainy but that is OK as these segment are quite short. Overall, there was little artifacting and the image was well defined with very good black levels and skin tones.
Special Features
In a disc that is already packed with NHL history, the extras manage to pack in a little more.
- “Pond of Dreams”: This short features Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe and Mario Lemieux, talking about the legacy of the game in the wilderness of Ontario and as they stop at a frozen pond, they are greeted and saluted by the “next ones,” Eric Lindros, Jaromir Jagr, Paul Kariya, and Pavel Bure. The segment is closed with Wayne stating, “It’s their game now.” A nice sentimental passing of the torch.
- Making of Pond of Dreams: The making of the short which features the guys taking pot shots of each other and in particular, their lack of acting skills. An enjoyable piece that isn’t too long.
- Montreal Forum Finale: Probably the most famous hockey rink in the world – the Montreal Forum closed its doors permanently in March of 1996 to make way for the new corporate Pepsi Forum. Some fond memories of the Canadians proud history was reviewed as well as comments from some of the most famous Montrealer’s around. Needless to say that Montreal really hasn’t had much to cheer about since the closing of the original Forum – coincidence? I think not.
- Superskills 2000: Some of the highlights from the 2000 Skills Competition – fastest slapshot, accuracy shooting, fastest skater – all the stuff that makes the skills competition more exciting than the all star game itself.
- Canucks in Sweden: The trip to Sweden by the Vancouver Canucks as part of training camp is included as they focus on the Sedin twins and their transition to the NHL. What better way than to paste your old teammates?
- NHL Entry Draft: Part of the DVD focuses on the draft – following the 2000 entry draft. I used to remember watching these, more out of the curiosity to see what boneheaded move Mike Smith the GM of the Jets would make, but outside of that, after the second round it gets pretty boring, as was this clip.
- A day with Valeri Bure: uhhhh…okay. A camera crew followed the Florida Panther’s Bure for a day. The only interesting thing here is that we learn that he married one of the girls from Full House, and no its not one of the Olson twins, and that he calls Pavel 2-3 times a week. Wow…groundbreaking stuff here.
Final Thoughts
This is a must own for NHL fans of the mid-to-late 90’s. There is great coverage of the retirement of the Great One, return of Super Mario and the last farewell of Patrick Roy. That by itself is worth the purchase but the extras are plentiful and great. I hope that the NHL continues to put out great discs like this in the future.
Special Features List
- Pond of Dreams featurette
- Making of Pond of Dreams
- Montreal Forum Finale
- Superskills 2000
- Canucks in Sweden
- NHL Entry Draft
- A day with Valeri Bure
