Some were a little wobbly, others looked like they had been born to both skate and fight.
About 17 men of varying ages showed up at the Elgar Petersen Arena (EPA) in Humboldt on February 11 to try out for a part in the short film, "Ogilthorpe," about the life of Bill "Goldie" Goldthorpe, who was he inspiration behind the "Ogie Ogilthorpe" character in the movie, "Slapshot."
The skaters were put through a number of drills, which focused mainly on their skating and fighting skills.
Dave Ferguson, the producer of the film who refers to the real-life Goldthorpe by the name Ogie, was out on the ice, putting them through their paces, while scriptwriter Cam Hutchinson took notes in the player's box.
At the end of the day, they had found 11 skaters to play the home team in scenes that will be filmed at the EPA on February 19 - before, during and after the last Humboldt Broncos' home game of the regular season.
Making the cut were Craig Olynick, a former enforcer with the Humboldt Broncos, Kyle Renwick, Shayn Olsen, Matt Niekamp, Troy Schreiner, Jordan Grywacheski, Chad Ellison, Jeff Ness, Chad Knaus, Lee Brookbank and John Lees.
They had been looking for 10 skaters, but found 11.
"It worked out really well," said Ferguson of the auditions.
These 11 players will be featured in scenes shot during the game, and in a big fight scene that will be filmed before the game starts - around 3 p.m. on February 19.
"They were just going to film during the intermissions and after the game," explained Broncos marketing director Jenn Fafard, who has been working with the film crew to arrange the filming. "But they were worried that might not be enough time. So they're going to film a major fight scene before the game."
The city is allowing the film crew to use the time allotted for public skating that afternoon, from about 3:15 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. The Bronco game begins at 6 p.m.
They will be filming the fight scene in one corner of the rink, Fafard explained, so they need at least 120 fans to fill those seats three hours before the game for that scene.
The first 120 people who show up at the rink around 2 p.m. will be right behind the glass for the filming, and will likely make it into the movie, Ferguson noted.
Anyone who definitely wants to be there that day, can even call the Broncos office and get on the stand-in list ahead of time, he noted.
The film crew and the Broncos want the entire rink packed for the rest of the filming that night.
To that end, thanks to some local sponsors, the local elementary school students will be getting free tickets to the game.
And anyone with leftover season tickets is asked to hand them out.
"We want them to use up their last tickets," Fafard said of season ticket holders.
"We really do need a nice jam-packed rink for the night," Ferguson said.
Those attending the game are asked to wear their best 1970s gear, so that it fits the period of the movie.
Besides the hometown players on the home team, actors from Saskatoon and Calgary will be brought in to play some of the main characters, including Ogie.
But the guy playing Ogie is actually no stranger to the EPA.
His name is Kelly Rioux, and he's a former Humboldt Bronco.
They needed a guy who not only could play hockey well, at a major junior level, and fight, but who was also a body builder, Ferguson explained, as Ogie was always working out, always lifting weights.
Fate had a hand in them finding Rioux, Ferguson believes, who fit the bill perfectly.
About the movie
"Ogilthorpe," the short film, focuses on one story from the life of Bill Goldthorpe.
When he played junior hockey, there was an incident where one team brought in a bunch of 20-year-old tough guys to play against Goldthorpe, who has been referred to as the most feared enforcer in the history of the game.
The rest of Goldthorpe's team, however, were 16- and 17-year-old rookies.
Though "Ogie" took on two members of the opposing team, he was soon kicked out of the game, and the rest of his team was beaten up.
Ogie then promised his coach and teammates that he was going to find every member of the opposing team in the years ahead, wherever they were playing, and "get them."
"He caught up with about half of them," Ferguson explained.
One of the fight scenes being shot in Humboldt is Ogie catching up with one of those players - named Duncalf - who was playing with the Syracuse Blazers in 1973-74.
Another fight scene involves Ogie and "a big goon on the other team," a role Olynick was auditioning for.
In these scenes in the film, Ogie had just finished a 10-game suspension and was actually given a day pass from jail to play hockey.
The scenes of him dressing for the game in a jail cell will be shot at the Humboldt Courthouse.
The tale told in this short film is just one of many from the man's life. Ogie had run-ins with broadcasting legends Bob Costas, who was the announcer for the Syracuse Blazers in the 1970s, and Don Cherry, whom Goldthorpe actually threatened when he played against him.
The stories from Ogie's real life "literally dwarf the movie 'Slapshot'," said Ferguson, who sat down with Goldthorpe last summer to get his life story after he came up with the idea to make this short film.
The short film they will be shooting in Humboldt is designed to stir more interest in Goldthorpe's life.
"It's to pique their interest in what happens next," Ferguson said of audiences.
Already, interest has been shown in actually making a motion picture about Goldthorpe's life, Ferguson said. There are interested parties in Toronto, L.A. and Vancouver.
Should that pan out, they hope to keep the film independent and shoot it in Saskatchewan, he noted; maybe even back at the EPA.
"For us, your rink is perfect," he said, right down to the wooden seats in the stands.
"We'll see. It's just a matter of time."
