Hockey: A People's History

S01E10

Reclaiming the Game (1998-2002)

As the millennium turns, the game that has become the soul of the nation is in need of some soul searching. Canada sets out to reclaim the game. The high cost of hockey combined with a relentless pressure to win has taken the fun out of the game. Ken Dryden chairs the Open Ice Summit, the first national hockey conference of its kind, to look for answers. Making the game fun again, taking violence out of hockey, and finding better ways to teach the game are all initiatives that come out of it - initiatives that lead to a renewal of the game at the grassroots level. At the same time, veteran players like Mario Lemieux and Hayley Wickenheiser prepare for their greatest challenge - winning gold for Canada at Salt Lake City. With a lucky loonie under the ice, Wickenheiser and Lemieux lead their teams to victory. Hockey has become Canada's gift to the world, and the 2002 Olympics usher in a new era of Canadian stewardship for the game Canadians call their own.