Movie should increase interest in youth hockey

“In the Crease” is a movie about hockey but isn’t a hockey movie, the difference being that anyone who can’t tell offside from icing can appreciate it as a tribute to the redeeming qualities of kids’ sports and families who encourage kids to pursue dreams, however unlikely they may be.

The 90-minute movie, recently released on DVD, chronicles the journey of the Lakewood-based California Wave as it prepared for the 2005 national bantam AAA playoffs. The Wave, a not-for-profit organization that offers programs for kids ages 11 and up, has sent dozens of players to major colleges, prep schools, Canadian junior leagues and the U.S. National Team Development Program.

The film focuses on a team of 14- and 15-year-olds that had a month to meet the exacting standards of Coach Mike Lewis and shatter the stereotype of laid-back California surfer dudes. One player moved with his mother from Redmond, Wash., to play for the team. Others commuted by train from San Diego. Many parents became chauffeurs but learned to treasure the time and got to know their sons better.

It all rings true, unvarnished and real. Filmmakers Michael Sarner and Matt Gannon played hockey as kids, but they looked past the sticks and pucks and saw a compelling story.

“We felt like no one had ever taken an inside look at youth sports and what it involves for coaches and families. Hockey is one of those youth sports where the commitment and sacrifice is at a higher end, so that intrigued us,” said Gannon, co-producer of the Oscar-nominated “Girl With a Pearl Earring” and co-executive on a number of independent films.

“Plus, there was the juxtaposition of California kids walking into the rink in flip-flops. ... This is something we took on as a passion project.”

Sarner, formerly a marketing executive at United Artists, said the aim was for “that classic sports film in the youth sports environment.” He added, “One of our main story points is that the team has found itself and come together as a team. I think we really caught the essence.”

They did that, and more.

“We were thrilled. It captured just what we were hoping it would in regard to the kids and what they went through in a very competitive sport,” said Lee Ann Hoshaw of Vista, mother of Wave player Steven Hoshaw.

“There was a kid who was injured. There was a kid who struggled with his parents’ divorce. It was stuff we all go through. I think it transcends hockey and goes beyond the game to touch all kinds of people.”

Lewis, of Belmont Shore, said the boys initially hammed it up for the camera. “When they started doing skating drills their smiles went away pretty quick,” said Lewis, who now coaches two under-14 bantam teams and one under-18 midget team.

“It’s great because so many people don’t get to see hockey beyond what’s on TV. Kids who play it can see it and say, ‘That’s what we go through,’ and kids who don’t play it will still recognize a lot of things. To me, it’s so universal to any sport. There are family dynamics, the dynamics of playing a team sport and traveling. We saw a slice of life and just being families. These things happen in every sport. It’s not just a hockey movie, it’s a life movie.”

There are kids whose parents question making an investment that might not pay off in a college scholarship, and others whose parents juggle schedules and finances to advance their son’s career. Some live and breathe the game; Wayne Ravdjee was named for Wayne Gretzky by Indian parents who love hockey and wanted to give him a non-Indian name.

Interspersed, but not intrusive, are NHL players reminiscing about their youth hockey days. Their affection is apparent in the warmth of their voices and the radiance of their smiles as they recall their first national championship, sharing a hotel room with their parents, or forging bonds with teammates. For the Kings’ Craig Conroy, the Ducks’ Scott Niedermayer, Minnesota’s Brian Rolston and others who appear on screen and in a bonus feature, it was more than a game.

“Without a doubt, hockey was a big stabilizing factor when my parents went through a divorce,” Detroit defenseman Mathieu Schneider said.

Mike Liut, a former NHL goaltender and now an agent, grew teary while discussing his first big game, his “threshold moment,” what the Wave faced in the playoffs at Bensenville, Ill.

“We also wanted to humanize these players,” Sarner said of the pros. “They grew up like these kids, traveling with teams and juggling school and hockey. Hockey players are the coolest in the world.”

Lee Ann Hoshaw, whose son plays hockey at Culver (Ind.) Academy, said her favorite part was the interaction between players and coaches in the locker room. “I had never been in one and I thought it would just be talk about what to do with the puck in the offensive zone,” she said.

“I never thought they’d be getting life lessons too.”

The filmmakers added an update this year and accumulated 180 hours of footage. They wouldn’t say how much the film cost but said they dug into their pockets and got help from investors. They’re selling the DVD through their website, inthecreasemovie.com.

“Everybody deferred salaries and worked for very little money,” Gannon said. “Having come from the studios, we wondered if the production values would be there. But in the end, people want a good story and want to care about the characters and it doesn’t matter if you spend $1,000 or $300 million.”

What they got was priceless.

helene.elliott@latimes.com