About the project The pond. This is where hockey was born—under the open sky—where the ice is gritty and so is the play. For generations, rinkrats have grown up on outdoor ice. But, there are new climate-controlled arenas in every town, and that’s where the kids go to practice year-round now. The frozen ponds are losing their inhabitants. Pond Hockey examines the changing culture of sports through insightful interviews with rink rats and hockey legends like Wayne Gretzky and Neal Broten alike. More than just a celebration of a beloved game, Pond Hockey searches the open ice for the true meaning of sport.

Director's Statement

Northern Minnesota is famous for providing the world with two things: iron ore and hockey players. Growing up in Mountain Iron (pop. 3000), nothing was bigger than hockey. The typical kid joined the youth leagues shortly after his fifth birthday. I was no exception. But while leagues further south played games in indoor arenas, we skated on outdoor ice.

As a child, the Minnesota tradition of skating on frozen ponds, park rinks and flooded backyards seemed like the natural way to play the game. But, after moving to Iowa for film school, the chances to strap on my skates and head to the local pond were few. I realized then that playing outdoors was a unique experience.

In October 2005, I heard rumors of the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships being planned for Minneapolis. I knew right away that I had a movie on my hands.

Following a tournament with 100 teams was hard enough but, complicating matters even more, we had no idea which of the 600 players to interview leading up to the event. So, we logged some key pre-tournament interviews then loaded up with cameras for the action and crossed our fingers. As it turned out, our story developed right there on the frozen ice of Lake Calhoun. But the other half of our documentary had only begun to emerge.

The rink rats and former pros who came to the rink that weekend weren’t there just to win a trophy. They were there because hockey—specifically outdoor hockey—ran through their veins. Like me, they grew up on the ponds and their lives had been defined by that experience. With that in mind, we set out to discover what hockey meant to the legions of players who laced up their skates in the great outdoors.

What did it mean to come of age on the pond? How did that define who you became as a hockey player? As a person? Was this an experience that crossed generations? Was it still happening? These questions (and many more) became the second half of our quest to document this unique culture. It would take us two winters to do it.

The end result is a film that celebrates and critiques the game of hockey. I hope that through this film, we all will think about the way our games define who we become.

TOMMY HAINES