“We were worried about the film being legit hockey because our old teammates wouldn’t let it slide if it was obviously fake,” Grant Slater said. “There’s a hockey culture we all came from. We came from different backgrounds but shared the common thread of the game of hockey.”

One of the lead actors in the film is Dylan Playfair, the son of Edmonton Oilers associate coach Jim Playfair who played a lot of hockey himself. He said what turned him on the project was the elements that aren’t covered in so many hockey movies.

“This movie shines a light on what keeps guys playing the game beyond the NHL,” Playfair said. “This touches on what keeps guys going back to the rink day and night and the camaraderie of the guys in the room.”

While the hockey in the film holds up, the chemistry among the actors in the movie is more impressive. And it was real. Filming in the small town of Hamilton, NY, the crew was in a bubble. They went to the same small bars and restaurants during filming and everyone admitted it was a family atmosphere. Todd Slater shared one story of an actor who had a minor role in the film paying for his own hotel room to stay around the filming just to be with the other folks working on the project a little longer.

One unique relationship that developed between members of the cast was between children of hockey icons.

Alexa Lemieux, the daughter of Super Mario, makes her acting debut in the film. She opened up about being nervous on the set when filming began, but a veteran actor helped settle her down.

“My first scene was with Trevor Gretzky and he really calmed me down,” Lemieux said. “We obviously come from a similar background, but to have him there to help guide me and as another mentor to me was really special.”

Gretzky, the son of The Great One, was drafted by the Chicago Cubs as a first baseman in the seventh round of the 2011 MLB draft and played six seasons of minor league baseball. In “Odd Man Rush,” Gretzky plays the best friend of the main character who is playing in the NHL – and video games across the pond while talking through life and hockey.

“These are the really special moments to be involved with in this business,” Todd Slater said.

The making of this film could be made into a movie itself. But the core of the story is about a young man chasing his dream until reality arrived unannounced at his doorstep. Keenan experienced the cultures of the hockey dressing room in different countries, learned about love and developed as a man with hockey at the forefront of the entire story.

“I hope in the future when hockey teams get on the bus and get done watching ‘Miracle’ for the millionth time, someone says ‘Hey, put on ‘Odd Man Rush,’” Keenan said.

“Odd Man Rush” is now available on iTunes and Amazon.

All images courtesy of Odd Man Rush.