The Boys on the Bus (film)

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The Boys on the Bus
Directed by Bob McKeown
Produced byBob McKeown
Narrated by Kevin Lowe
Cinematography Michael Boland
Music byTerry McKeown
Production
company
McKeown-McGee Films
Release date
  • October 19, 1987 (1987-10-19)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

The Boys on the Bus is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Bob McKeown and released in 1987. [1] The film is a portrait of the Edmonton Oilers in their late 1980s NHL playoff runs, featuring both on-ice footage and a behind the scenes portrait of the team members. [2]

Contents

The film was originally shot during the 1985-86 NHL season; however, after the Oilers were eliminated from the 1986 Stanley Cup playoffs by the Calgary Flames in the division finals, McKeown opted to return during the 1986-87 NHL season to shoot additional material, culminating in the Oilers winning the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals. [2]

The film premiered theatrically in Edmonton on October 19, 1987, [1] and had a further theatrical run, [3] before being broadcast on CBC Television on May 17, 1988 at the outset of the team's return to the 1988 Stanley Cup Finals. [4]

Legacy

The Boys Are Back, a sequel film following the Oilers in the 1988-89 NHL season after star player Wayne Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings, was released in 1989. [5]

The film has remained influential for its pioneering status as one of the first sports documentaries ever to provide a behind the scenes view of its subjects rather than focusing solely on in-game performance and interviews. [6] It was directly cited as an influence by the producers of the 2020 basketball documentary miniseries The Last Dance , [7] as well as being cited by former Oiler Mark Messier as one of the inspirations behind the creation of the 2024 sports documentary series Game Seven. [6]

The film was rebroadcast by the NHL Network in 2017. [8]

Awards

AwardDate of CeremonyCategoryNomineesResultRef.
Gemini Awards 1988 Best Sports Program or Series Bob McKeown Won [9]
Best Direction in an Information or Documentary Program or SeriesWon

References

  1. 1 2 "Oilers' season captured in film Boys on the Bus". North Bay Nugget , October 20, 1987.
  2. 1 2 Mike Boone, "Film on Oilers an intimate look at hockey champions". Montreal Gazette , May 17, 1988.
  3. ↑ Robert Tychkowski, "The Boys On The Bus premieres at Keyano College Theatre". Fort McMurray Today , December 8, 1987.
  4. ↑ Bob Remington, "Program sees Oilers with fan's eyes". Edmonton Journal , May 17, 1988.
  5. ↑ Grant Fuhr and Bruce Dowbiggin, Grant Fuhr: The Story of a Hockey Legend. Random House of Canada, 2015. ISBN   9780307362827. p. 71.
  6. 1 2 Simon Houpt, "An oral history of the iconic 1980s documentary that captured Edmonton Oilers at their peak". The Globe and Mail , May 23, 2025.
  7. ↑ Mike Ganter, "The Last Dance inspired by Edmonton Oilers documentary". Toronto Sun , May 7, 2020.
  8. ↑ Marcy Di Michele, "1986-87 Oilers: 'Boys on the Bus'". The Hockey Writers, March 14, 2017.
  9. ↑ Bill Anderson, "Anne of Green Gables wins three". Nanaimo Daily News , December 2, 1988.
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