Power Play

1998

Seasons & Episodes

  • 2
  • 1

6.2| 0h30m| en
Synopsis

Power Play was a Canadian television drama series, which aired on CTV from 1998 to 2000. The series was filmed at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario. The show starred Michael Riley as Brett Parker, a former New York City sports agent who became the general manager of a National Hockey League franchise, the Hamilton Steelheads. One of the throughline plots of the series dealt with Parker's ongoing love–hate relationships with the sport, the team and his superior at McArdle Industries, corporate executive Colleen Blessed, played by Kari Matchett. The cast also included Gordon Pinsent as team owner Duff McArdle, Jonathan Crombie, Jennifer Dale and Al Waxman. The show's theme song was a modernized version of the Stompin' Tom Connors classic, "The Hockey Song", performed partly by Connors himself, and then transitioning to the performance of the band Rusty. The show was briefly aired on the US network UPN, starting in 1999, but was pulled after just two episodes. The second episode aired in the US has the distinction of being the lowest-rated episode of any prime-time TV series ever aired by any US network.

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Trailers & Clips

Reviews

Micitype Pretty Good
GazerRise Fantastic!
Abbigail Bush what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.
Taha Avalos The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.
worthwood This was an average show. I think it maybe could have gotten better if it stayed on for another season. The acting was fine. Most of the problem was in an obvious lack of money (like in most Canadian TV) where they just seemed to go with cheap everything and cheap stories. Oh well.
Peter Cameron I thought this show was really boring and the comedy was not up to snuff.I remember it well because at the time I was dating a girl who really enjoyed the show or maybe she just pretended she did for the sake of her friend, a girl who was in the show who I remember and see in the cast list but will not name her because I don't want to single her out in my review.... mostly because my review is definitely not going to be a good one, and even though I met her a long time ago she seemed nice and actually seems like she is actually a talented performer who I'm sure has done much better work on much better shows since this one. I'm assuming.The acting on this show was not very good, the stories and plot lines were terrible. The comedy they do on the show is not funny at all and again is totally predictable, what is the point of doing jokes that are so obvious that everyone watching has already thought of them anyway?This show is better than MVP, another Canadian hockey series that was on CBC a few years later, but that's not saying much since MVP was awful.
reaverking Some of the episodes of Power Play are among the best TV out there. Drama, excitement, and Micheal Reilly playing an evil genius who simultaneously creates and solves endless nightmares in both his personal and professional life every episode. Most which could singlehandedly derail the team without even touching the drama unfolding on the ice most episodes.*SPOILER ALERT* My only complaint is that the last season never really paid off for me when I watched the original broadcast. I won't go into specifics but suffice it to say that the show makes some dramatic changes in characters and tone I can't fathom. *END SPOILER ALERT*To sum up, if you can even find this series on DVD for less than $30, Give Power Play some time to impress you. It starts strong and some of the episodes are absolute gems. Just be prepared for the third period to get really, really ugly.
VerbalKint-2 You might be wondering what the novelty was for me in the first place. Well, being from Hamilton, it's very rare for me to see a show or movie based in my hometown. And I'll admit that was my initial attraction to "Power Play". Good writing and strong acting, though, have me hooked (no hockey pun intended).Most of the characters are likeable in their own way, but two performances stand out. Gordon Pinsent as the somewhat-crazy owner of the Hamilton Steelheads, Mr. McCardle, is great and fast-paced comic relief. Dean McDermott is the other performer I most enjoy. As Mark Simpson, the soft-spoken captain of the Steelheads, his intensity and dedication to the team shines through. He's extremely convincing, and in my opinion under-used thus far (2 episodes have aired as I write this). Michael Riley is Brett Parker, the guy you love to hate and hope to love, and the character around which the show revolves and evolves. The frantic pace of his life is reflected in the pacing of the show. The hockey sequences are, for the most part, well represented. And to be honest, the hometown boy in me wanted to cheer on the fictional Steelheads franchise.I really hope this show survives, and not just because it shines a spotlight on Hamilton, but because it deserves to. "Power Play" is that rarest of creatures; a well-made Canadian drama.