Hollywood Hockey

by barbaragarn

I watched Mike Myers’ “The Love Guru” this weekend, because it has hockey in it.

I won’t review the film–we all know who Myers is and what to expect (some laughing, some wincing). But the hockey part was fun despite a few glaring errors.

I was interested in actor Romany Malco’s view of hockey after he had to learn to play. I’ve written before about how getting hooked on hockey is like [url=http://www.jmshockey.com/blog-posts-f17/joining-a-cult-t550.html]joining a cult.

Haha, it seems Malco drank the Kool-Aid and now he’s hooked on hockey, too. I found a Sports Illustrated interview where he talks about the passion we all know so well:

Getting to play a hockey player was definitely a highlight because the minute I found out about the job, I rented every video of hockey I could find and I trained for about six hours a day.

… when they told me I was going to get the role of a hockey player, the first thing they said was, “This isn’t a hockey movie. This movie is about your relationship with Mike Myers. You don’t have to go out there and learn how to play hockey.” So I said okay.

But… as soon as I hung up the phone, I was at the rink, trying on hockey gear. … So I put in my time and I was doing serious one-timers by the ninth day. [BG: Who believes this?]

… I’m telling you, man, hockey players are sub-human. [BG: ??] They are true players because of the endurance that it takes, the skill set that it requires — it’s just my favorite thing on the planet. I have to play at least two times a week or I’m miserable.

Interviewer: So you’ve continued to play hockey even though you’re done with the movie?

Oh, hell yeah. If I don’t skate two or three times a week, I am hard to be around.

Sound familiar?? Full interview [url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/arash_markazi/06/09/malco.qa/index.html]here.
In another interview, he talks about the hunky hockey physique, what NHL commissioner Gary Bettman should do to make hockey more accessible and noted that, while the movie folks told him to train for 90 minutes three days a week, he was doing six days a week, six hours a day, story [url=http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Interview-Puck-Daddy-chats-with-actor-Romany-Ma?urn=nhl,89042]here. Sound familiar, O Fellow Drinkers of the Kool-Aid?

Apparently Justin Timberlake (who plays a rival goalie in the movie) is a phenomenal athlete, too. Huh. Interesting video clip [url=http://www.clevver.com/movies/video/224389/the-love-guru-hockey-training-for-actors-featurette.html]here with a featurette about teaching the hockey players to skate, including Malco doing his “Canadian impression.” Eh.

There’s plenty to frown at, though. As [url=http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Review-Five-reasons-hockey-fans-will-hate-The-?urn=nhl,89245]one blog notes, the Cup finals are a … 2-3-2 series?? Rob Blake at center and other stuff.

I didn’t love the movie (I’m not a 13-year-old boy) but I liked that there was hockey in it, and that the actors liked the hockey parts–even enough to keep playing long after filming was done. Pass the Kool-Aid!