There were tears in the locker room The players hugged each other for the last time. Tommy was struck by the rawness of the emotions in a land where hockey is seen as life.
It was really bad. The crew put their cameras down to console the players. We didn't want to show these kids as gladiators or expose their stupidity as teenagers. They were supposed to be shown as real people. They should be turned into humans that the audience likes.
Two Minnesota high school teams are the focus of a new documentary by the director. It's about hockey victories and losses, players and their families, and the rich hockey traditions in Minnesota's unforgiving North Country.
"Hockeyland" was the number one documentary in the US last weekend. On the weekend of September 16th, the film goes wide on over 75 screens.
The Minnesota hockey team is large. It is similar to football in Texas. The hockey players are like local celebrities in these towns.
The film was called "Pond Hockey." He was born in Minnesota and put on his first pair of skates at five years old.
He was inspired by shows like "Friday Night Lights" and "Hoop Dreams" that show the community's love for a sport. He knew it existed in Minnesota, but didn't see it on screen. He wanted to know how players had changed.
He said that they were unsure of how the boys were growing up. They were still digging out of ditches and shoveling rooftops. I don't know how long it will last, but it was happening. Hockey is the glue that holds those communities together.
He focused on Hermantown, a perennial state championship favorite that churned out NHL prospects like the one featured in the film, and Eveleth, a hockey program that won a string of Minnesota state titles while producing players.
Everyone is familiar with Eveleth. Hockey began in the state at that location. The U.S Hockey Hall of Fame is there. It's very popular in rural America. The number of people is decreasing. There are fewer jobs in the mining industry. Eveleth had one last season before the Golden Bears ceased to exist.
The story of a high school team is a race against time, and that was true for Eveleth on the ice, as 15 of their 20 players were set to graduate. Eveleth-Gilbert Senior High School was not going to exist for very long because of Hockeyland.
The new Rock Ridge High School is expected to open in the fall of 2023. The consolidation of their hockey programs was put off because of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Eveleth and Virginia split up in 2020-21. The end of Eveleth's legacy as a Minnesota hockey power was marked by the debut of Rock Ridge's boys' hockey team.
The Bears hadn't won a playoff game in decades, and the community reacted negatively to the merger, which was chronicled in "Hockeyland."
I'm not sure if they were angry. He thinks they can't compete with other schools. The population is needed to compete. The writing was on the wall and some people in the community were angry.
Before Eveleth vanished, the first idea was to make a film about it. Eveleth took on Hermantown. He met some people. The hockey power that was on the rise was the subject of the documentary. One of the strongest narratives of the film was when Eveleth's ice resurfacer broke down the day before the big game and the team couldn't practice.
There are obvious differences between the teams, but I didn't want to focus on that alone. I wanted to understand the passion both towns and players have for their programs.
Biondi, an NHL prospect, had some initial concerns about appearing in the film.
Biondi was a high school star. He was selected in the first round of the 2020 draft by the Habs. He won the 2020 Minnesota Minute Men Mr. Hockey Award after scoring 3.04 points per game as a senior in Hermantown.
Biondi said it was up in her room. I'm not sure if I should say this. I don't want anyone to break in.
You should treat your Mr. Hockey Award like the crown jewels.
The 20-year-old center was not familiar with the format of the 30 for 30 series. He was unsure if "Hockeyland" would ever get off the ground after hearing about it a few years ago.
I had no idea what to think. He was focused on trying to win a state championship in his senior year. You're mic'd up at the rink, right? When you're hanging out with your friends, they're going to check in to see where you're going. It got crazy. You didn't notice them after a few months.
He was hesitant about the project because he didn't know how his team and town would be portrayed.
It was important for the community to make sure it was done correctly. He said that they did not want the perception of Hermantown hockey to be bad. At the beginning, we were worried, but once we knew Tommy, we were fine. He did a great job with the film.
He said that he was aware of his surroundings.
You learn a lot at a young age playing for Hermantown. He said eyes are on you. As a senior, I knew the cameras were on me. It was important for me to take care of how I act.
The mania surrounding high school hockey in Minnesota is depicted in the documentary. One scene shows him showing up to a youth hockey game and being treated like an NHL star by the young players.
It's a good thing and a bad thing. Hockey is popular in Hermantown. Neal Pionk was one of the guys that came before me. People want to be the next big thing. You may be too much of a fan.
Other players and the team's coaches are also covered by Haines. He followed them into their homes. Hockeyland is more about the people than it is about the sport.
It's about seeing the players away from the rink and having a conversation while the snow falls.
Parents explain the time they've put in to raising hockey players in wood paneled living rooms. The mother of Hermantown players Indio and Aydyn Dowd was killed in the line of duty. A dedication is given at the end of the film.
The story is about Pat Andrews watching an old VHS tape of his days as a high school player, scoring a championship-winning goal for Hermantown.
It isn't about the hair.
The salad found on the heads of high school hockey players in Minnesota has become synonymous with the sport. Hockey hair is not a topic of discussion for the players, despite the film showing hats losing their battles against it.
If they talked about it more, we would have covered it more. They didn't mention it a lot.
Hockey coifs are a part of the hockey culture of these families. It's something that might seem odd to an outsider, but that's just one aspect of "Hockeyland" to a local.
Once it's dark, go out and flood the outdoor rinks until 3 in the morning and then go to work at 8 a.m. The youth programs are the ones that matter. The kids go to the rink until it's dark. You order pizza and then you skate all night.
Hockey is up here. A lot of good players have come from it. I don't think it will change in the near future.
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