THIS IS A FREE COMMUNITY SCREENING.

There will be a post-film discussion with coach and Boston Bruins great Rick Middleton and assistant coach Tom Moulton.

In 2001, the U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey team was considered the worst in the world. Sled hockey had been around for less than a decade in the U.S. The national team was struggling simply to survive and was years behind top contenders such as Norway, Canada, and Sweden. After a dismal last-place finish at the 2000 World Cup, the expectations for the American squad were slim to none. The only reason the team was invited to compete was that the games were taking place in Salt Lake City. It was a courtesy to the host country. When the teams were ranked for the 2002 Paralympic Games, the United States landed sixth out of six international teams.

Rick Middleton, a three-time NHL All-Star who played 12 seasons for the Boston Bruins, was approached to coach the team. Though he now admits he knew nothing about sled hockey, he couldn’t resist the challenge. Over the next year, Middleton and his assistant coach, Tom Moulton, harnessed the raw talent of the 15 players chosen for the national team and taught them a hockey system. And in March 2002, they shocked the world at the Salt Lake Games.

NR, 109min