Documentary of the year: Unrivaled
A culturally safe space for guys like me
About a month ago, in the midst of the Stanley Cup final, ESPN aired a documentary as part of the E60 collection entitled Unrivaled: Red Wings vs. Avalanche. With an epic trailer circulating prior to its release, I couldn’t have been more excited to relive some of the most memorable hockey of my childhood, but upon watching the full documentary, something even more special happened. For a two-hour window I relived some of the most memorable impressions of my childhood.
Seeing the likes of Adam Foote, Peter Forsberg, Mike Ricci, Patrick Roy, Joe Sakic, Mike Knuble, Vladamir Konstantinov, Brendan Shanahan, Mike Vernon and Steve Yzerman; immediately took me back to the era. The uniforms, the coaches (Scotty Bowman and Marc Crawford), the announcers (Gary Thorne and more), the referees (including Paul Devorski), even the soundtrack and clips of the television production, it was quintessential 1990’s NHL—essentially 90’s hockey porn.
I was too young to comprehend this during the peak of the Red Wings-Avalanche rivalry, but what an extraordinary time. US hegemonic military power, communism in the gutter, capitalism ripping, and meritocracy was almost universally seen as a good thing. Freedom was reigning. Being in my pre-teen years, growing up in suburban-Chicago, I couldn’t fully understand this context, but looking back, I can now feel the security blanket that was placed over me while my dad insisted I watched these Red Wings vs. Avalanche games with him.
I won’t summarize the documentary, or give it a review. In doing so, I would be doing it a disservice. What I wanted to highlight is how strikingly different the game of hockey has become in my short lifetime. Much like our society, there has been significant positive development over the last quarter century, but by the same token something core to our ethos, and hockey’s ethos, is being stripped for the sake of “progress”.
As I watched the documentary I was reminded by the two stars of the show, Darren McCarty and Claude Lemieux, that a code exists between men. A code my dad was making sure I learned watching these games with him live on television. I was reminded to protect those around me (regardless of race, creed or ethnicity), especially when they are vulnerable. I was reminded there are bullies out there, and a pink shirt campaign doesn’t make them disappear, sometimes it’s necessary to bully the bully. But most importantly, I was reminded to put it all in perspective.
As I was into my second or third beer while watching Unrivaled, two men on opposite sides of arguably the most bitter rivalry in NHL history, McCarty and Lemieux, were putting it all into perspective. Two warring tribalists turned best friends with perspective on what their rivalry meant in the moment, and what it means today. It was necessary when it occurred, it got ugly, and they are stronger for it now. No apologies for fierce competition, just mutual respect.*
I won’t get into how this is all applicable to our contemporary political and social landscapes. That would probably be thinking about this documentary a bit too hard. But, as a dad now I can certainly say, this will be mandatory viewing for my boys as they come of age. And I think there is something owed to the future generation of men, to let them know it’s alright to stand up straight with your shoulders back (Rule #1 for the uninitiated). If that makes them toxically masculine, so be it.
If you’re interested in watching Unrivaled: Red Wings vs. Avalanche, it’s available on ESPN+ in the US, and TSN “Doc Collection” here in Canada. But be warned, there is no door to check your privilege at, no mirror to suss out your unconscious bias, and no unceded ice.
*Spoiler alert: Kris Draper still holds a grudge, and I respect that too.