The film, which Mason made through a combination of self-funding (he sold his condo and didn’t work for three years) and IndieGogo, weaves the tale of Jaden Lindo, a prospect from Ontario who is readying himself for the NHL Draft, alongside those of black players histories’ over time in the game. The narrative opens with a fascinating look into the Coloured Hockey League, started in Nova Scotia, which is credited with adding elements to the game like the slapshot and allowing goalies to block shots on their knees – rules changes later adopted by the NHL.

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Leonsis, who is one of the founders of SnagFilms, acknowledged how difficult making a movie can be and lauded Mason for his perseverance.

“I’ve made some movies. I’ve made five movies. I admire what Kwame has done. It’s really hard to make a film. The first bit of advice that someone gave me was ‘oh you’re going to make a movie. You know how make a small fortune in filmmaking? You start with a large fortune,'” Leonsis joked before addressing the specific topic of the film. “It’s a history that is bittersweet for us. It’s one that we need to never forget, it’s also one that we need to continue to celebrate … to make sure that we as a league, as we as a society are able to keep pushing forward to make the game as great as it can be.”

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By delving into the annals of Canadian hockey history, Mason chronicles the life and career of Herbert Carnegie, part of the legendary professional hockey line including his brother Ossie Carnegie and Manny McIntyre who played for the Buffalo Ankerites, known as The Black Aces. He was expected to be the first to break the NHL’s color barrier, save Conn Smythe, who wanted Carnegie to play in the minors first. Herbert refused the offer, for reasons that are still debated today.

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Aside from Lindo’s journey, the most interesting parts of the film, in many regards, come when Mason drops in and looks at the careers of various notable black players who played more recently. Beyond the history lesson, there are plenty of guys just living their lives now who were playing in the NHL when, although it wasn’t as rare as the 50s, it was certainly unusual.

Tony McKegney, Val James and Mike Marson are three of those players. McKegney ended up in the NHL when he was drafted by the World Hockey Association’s team in Birmingham, Alabama, there was backlash from fans, and the team owner reneged on the contract. He landed in Buffalo and went on to score over 300 goals in the league. James was the first American-born black player to ever grace the NHL, drafted in 1977 by the Detroit Red Wings. He once played in Salem, Va., where home crowds would wave Confederate flags in the stands.

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Marson, who sported an Afro when he played, was drafted 19th overall by the Washington Capitals in 1974. There was a thought for sure that the color of his skin would put butts in the seats for the new franchise. Aside from getting ransom-style notes telling him he was playing a white man’s game during his career, Marson relayed a story about a time when he and the Caps ran into issues over where they were staying.

“We checked into a hotel in Atlanta, and the coaching staff, after being asked by the attendants behind the desk, ‘Is that gentleman with you?’ [they] said yes he is, why is there a problem?” Marson says in the movie, noting that the squad had his back, obviously. “Whatever it was they had to say that they weren’t comfortable with me staying with the team in the hotel. And then them being told, that well if I can’t stay there, nobody’s going to stay there.”

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Such anecdotes are rife thoughout Mason’s movie and for sports movie buffs it feels like “Hoop Dreams” meets “Goon,” which is a compliment. You learn of Lindo’s draft fate, meet some even younger players who have dreams of NHL ice time and learn about the league’s community outreach programs that are doing a lot for kids in places where pucks and sticks are not typically the sports equipment of choice.

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