'Odd Man Rush' Baldwins' latest hockey movie success

Howard Baldwin's most impressive hockey reference appears on the Stanley Cup, engraved on the sterling trophy as a co-owner of the 1991-92 champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

But Baldwin's name, and that of his wife and business partner, Karen, have also scrolled on the production credits of a handful of hockey movies over the past 25 years, including "Sudden Death," "Mystery, Alaska," "Mr. Hockey: The
Gordie Howe
Story," and most recently,
"Odd Man Rush,"
which was released on demand in September 2020 and is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes.
Featured in the latest, starring Jack Mulhern in the lead role, are three actors and a songwriter whose surnames will ring a bell with NHL fans: Trevor Gretzky, the son of
Wayne Gretzky
and the former actor Janet Jones; Alexa Lemieux, daughter of Penguins co-owner and icon
Mario Lemieux
; and Dylan Playfair, son of former NHL defenseman and current Edmonton Oilers associate coach
Jim Playfair
.
Composer/singer Jesse Robitaille, the son of Los Angeles Kings president
Luc Robitaille
, contributes to the score, and Jim Playfair makes a cameo appearance, as does former NHL referee Paul Stewart.

"Dylan was in our movie 'Mr. Hockey' and he's got a hit TV show now, 'Letterkenny.' He had a track record with us," Baldwin said. "We knew Alexa wanted to act. She was in L.A. and because of Mario, we got to know her. We took her to dinner a few times, she read and legitimately got the role. Same thing with Trevor (who had acted in a few films and TV projects). We met Jesse and said, 'Let's give him a shot at doing a couple of the songs.' "
The Baldwins' latest film is based on the 2016 book "Odd Man Rush: A Harvard Kid's Hockey Odyssey from Central Park to Somewhere in Sweden - with Stops Along the Way." Written by Bill Keenan, the book chronicles the path of a young New York Rangers fan who goes on to play for Harvard University. It's the story of Keenan's injury-crossed dream of playing in the NHL that took him not to Harvard but to Europe for a few valuable life-lesson seasons.
As is the book, the 85-minute film isn't so much a hockey story as one of a life framed by the sport. Shot over a month for with a budget of $3 million, "Odd Man Rush" is a message of pursuing one's dreams, no matter the long odds against achieving them.
Keenan lived this life, from New York to Harvard to Europe and back, and decided to write about the experience. He pitched his book, which almost didn't find a publisher, as a film concept to a variety of producers who had dabbled in hockey, finding receptive readers in Howard and Karen Baldwin.

From left: Trevor Gretzky, Alexa Lemieux and Jesse Robitaille, presenters at the 2019 NHL Awards presented by Bridgestone in Las Vegas.
"It was about Harvard, and everyone in my family but me went to Harvard going back to 1492, practically," Howard Baldwin joked by phone from California.
In fact, Baldwin's late father, Ian, scored six goals in a Jan. 17, 1933 game against Brown, a feat that still stands as a Harvard record.
Baldwin's hockey roots were planted in Massachusetts when he founded the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association in 1971; the team joined the NHL as the Hartford Whalers in 1979. Baldwin later held an ownership stake with the Minnesota North Stars, then the Penguins.
Baldwin Entertainment Group has produced more than 30 movies since the mid-1980s. Features include "Ray," the story of singer Ray Charles, which won the 2005 best-actor Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Jamie Foxx.
Indeed, Baldwin's unique hat trick was celebrated by the couple's late friend, Alex Trebek, on Jeopardy! -- he is the only executive to have his name on the Stanley Cup and the WHA's Avco Cup, in addition to having been nominated for a best-picture Oscar for "Ray."
Hockey has always had a soft spot in the Baldwins' hearts, 1999's "Mystery, Alaska" now likely to re-emerge with the NHL organizing two outdoor games in February in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

Alexa Lemieux and Trevor Gretzky during filming of Odd Man Rush.
Out of the blue, Keenan's book crossed the couple's desk and it drew almost instant attention. The message struck a chord, Baldwin recalling that he'd been a modestly talented baseball player back in college who tried out for the Detroit Tigers "a hundred thousand years ago," without success.
"I thought, 'Harvard, huh?'" Baldwin said. "Karen and I read it and said, 'Let's engage with Bill.' We loved the spirit of the book. The more we spoke with Bill, the more we got into it. We need more of his spirit in this world -- a guy who has a passion and a belief that he can do something. 'Maybe I can play pro hockey,' he thought. It was a long shot that ultimately didn't succeed but he went out and tried.
"I love stories like this, stories of passion and following your dream, of not letting anyone tell you that you can't do it."
The Baldwins sent the project to fellow producers Todd and Grant Slater, whose late father, Terry, coached Los Angeles and Cincinnati of the WHA before taking Colgate to within one victory of the 1990 NCAA championship.

"Letterkenny" stars Andrew Herr (left) and Dylan Playfair flank Hall of Famer Mark Messier during the 2018 NHL Awards presented by Hulu in Las Vegas.
"Todd and Grant got on board and we went from there," Baldwin said. "We got the script into shape, which is what Karen does best (she has a cameo in the film as a doctor), Bill raised the money, and we helped with the casting from cradle to grave, which is what a producer does. Lo and behold, the movie got made."
A hoped-for theatrical release didn't happen, with COVID-19 having detoured Hollywood blockbusters and small projects like "Odd Man Rush" to streaming services.
"Having it released as we did wasn't a bad thing at all," Baldwin said. "It's actually done very nicely, we're pleased with it. On a big flat screen with good sound, it looks just great.
"The message I hope it conveys is this: Follow your passion. So many people say, 'I can't do that, I don't want to try.' If you have a passion to do something, try it, give it your all. It doesn't mean you'll necessarily get it done. Bill is able to look back and say, 'I wanted to be a pro hockey player. I couldn't do it but by God, I tried.'
"He got out of Harvard, where had a career that was good, nothing sensational, and he said, 'I'm not satisfied, I've got to give it a little more.' And he did. Did he make it? No. But he had a great journey. And through that journey he had something else."