For the locals who took part, being in the hockey film that was shot on location at Humboldt's Elgar Petersen Arena over the weekend of February 17-19 has been an unforgettable experience.
Auditions for the short biopic "Ogilthorpe" based on the 1970s hockey legend, Bill "Goldie" Goldthorpe, brought together a dozen or so Humboldt and area residents who were cast as members of both home and visiting hockey teams. As well, extras were called in for the crowd scenes in the arena during filming.
"It's been a great experience and a lot of fun," said Chad Knaus, a teacher at St. Augustine School who played one of the team members. "It's just been a neat experience to see the whole setup, with the cameras and the directors. The whole atmosphere has been pretty exciting."
Knaus says dressing up in the old hockey equipment of that era was one thing, but that the fight scenes were a little surreal because they had to re-enact the fight every time the director wanted to shoot the same scene from another angle.
"We've been practising fake-fighting," he added. "It's probably like the fourth night we've been doing it."
Brent Loehr of Muenster, who used to be a goalie for the Humboldt Broncos, didn't know he was going to be part of the shoot until the last day of filming that took place on Sunday afternoon, before the Humboldt Broncos evening game.
"I didn't even think they'd need a goalie," Loehr said. "I teach at the new school here (HCI), and I was giving Clayton Parobec a tour of the new school the other day. He told me he was hoping to get a part in the film, and I said to him if you need a goalie, let me know."
Loehr got the phone call he wasn't expecting a couple of hours before the shoot on Sunday afternoon.
"He phoned me this afternoon, and said what are you doing? We need a goalie, get your stuff together!"
Loehr wore a pair of old goalie pads and an old facemask that the film crew provided for him, but he brought an old pair of goalie gloves that belonged to a friend, Leon Haeusler, also of Muenster.
"Leon retired from hockey a couple of years ago, but he had still kept his old mask and gloves," said Loehr. "I couldn't wear the mask, because it was painted, but these are his gloves I'm wearing."
It was also a former Broncos player who was cast in the principal role as Bill Goldthorpe, who is given the pseudo-identity of Ogie Ogilthorpe for the film. Kelly Riou, who now lives in Saskatoon, donned the frizzy blond-haired wig that gave him the Goldthorpe look. The muscular Riou cut quite a figure on the ice when he threw off his jersey after he enacted one of the fights the legendary hockey player was famous for.
Riou says he's enjoyed being part of the film, and he feels that coming back to Humboldt to do the role of Ogie Ogilthorpe was more meaningful than if it had been a fictional story. Riou, as well as the other actors and players, got to meet the real Goldthorpe, who flew to Saskatoon from his home in Vancouver, B.C., to attend the afternoon of filming and the Broncos evening game.
Another former Bronco, and also a former Bronco board member, Craig Olynick came to the auditions and ended up with a role opposite Riou.
"We did the audition last weekend, and they called me the next day and asked me if I wanted to do the part," Olynick recalled. "I don't know why they picked me, they just asked me on the phone if I wanted to do this part, and I said sure, it sounds like fun."
For Olynick, doing that part meant getting into a fake hockey fight with Ogilthorpe. Olynick lands flat out on the ice while the legendary fighter skates around his body, throwing his arms up in victory to the cheers of the crowd before being sent off to the penalty box.
Olynick, like most of the others who were cast from Humboldt, says it was his first time taking part in a movie.
"I've never done anything like that before, it's been interesting to see what happens behind the scenes," Olynick told the Journal. "Like the other night (Friday) when we did the dressing room scenes, we were here from nine at night until three in the morning."
All those who were cast as hockey players for the two teams in the film as well as the 1,830 fans who attended the Broncos home game on February 19 learned about the time commitment being in the movies involves.
The game, which started at 6 p.m., took over three hours to play out because the director and camera crew still had scenes to shoot between periods, during intermission. With that much time, the 50/50 ticket sales rose to over $8,000, and the lucky winner went home $4,000 richer.
