Have you wondered what hockey players think when they’re out on the ice? What about those who are black? Something to keep in mind is that there’s not that many (that people are aware of) out there. Even in a multicultural country like this. That’s what this super short documentary explores. It’s an interesting story about Josh Crooks, a young player who gets lots os support from his family, friends, and team, but yet somehow he’s not represented too well. He’s the only African-Canadian hockey player who seems to be at the highest of levels but at the same time he feels lonely. Josh doesn’t seem to be appreciated much by some coaches or the competition. Throughout the documentary, we learn about Josh’s beginning story, the perspective of those who support him. Later on, Josh meets a man named Lee Francis who lets him in on a series of interesting facts. That’s when Josh discovers there are people of his own heritage who actually did play hockey before him, and there were even leagues of black people, which gives him a huge amount of hope and optimism. Soon, Josh joins an all-black league himself.
A beautifully made and delightful short documentary that brings up something not many people ever take notice of. The content teaches more than one can expect, the subject is one of the most Canadian concepts ever (being hockey), and the the people involved give some very interesting stories that give true feeling. There’s not a lot of fictional hockey films or non-fictional documentaries either so it’s also nice to be treated to a rarity like this.
Ice Breakers is currently available for viewing on NFB.ca