Executive Produced by Russell Westbrook
Following the lives of two teenagers and one legendary coach in one of America's only predominantly Black hockey clubs, The Cannons: Brothers on Ice highlights the Fort Dupont Cannons of Washington, D.C., which for decades has helped local teenagers overcome socio-economic barriers in one of America's most disadvantaged neighborhoods.
In the summer of 1976, realizing there was nowhere for him to teach hockey to his own son, aviation engineer and former hockey player Neal Henderson founded a youth hockey program after moving to Fort Dupont, a neighborhood in southeast Washington, D.C. Each season for 43 years since, The Cannons and Coach Neal continue to defy the prevailing assumption that hockey is a 'white sport' reserved for the affluent, and serves as an important inclusive program for generations of D.C. youth looking for guidance through the harsh realities they face. Through the program, players forge bonds with one another, and are offered a path to college and careers outside of their daily experiences. Some former players gained so much from their time on The Cannons that they return to volunteer as assistant coaches to pay it forward to a new generation.
This season proves to be both the hardest and most rewarding year of Coach Neal's life, experiencing staffing shake-ups and family issues while being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and enshrined at the National Museum of African American History. Interwoven with Coach Neal are the stories of Robert Lynch and Rayvon Hall— two seniors trying to get through their final year of high school and hopefully get into a college with a hockey program, who struggle with balancing academics, hockey, and financial setbacks.
In a year of immense change and against growing racial tensions, The Cannons: Brothers on Ice is a story about hope, hockey, and the pursuit of the American Dream. Part coming-of-age drama, part exploration of the legacy of a tireless community leader, the film depicts an uplifting story of personal and communal triumphs.
FILMMAKER'S STATEMENT: "I was drawn to this story by a love of the game. In Canada, hockey is a religion of sorts. Having worked at the National Hockey League for over a decade in video production, I was ripe with a fascination for The Cannons program. Black Americans playing what is traditionally known as a rich white man's sport certainly struck a chord with my curiosity. Given the subject matter at play, I was not divorced from optics. As a white Canadian man taking part in telling a Black American story required respect; due diligence; and an alignment with other Black voices.
This was much more than a hockey story. Coach Neal and the families in this film became truly part of our collective. We saw tragedy and success, ups and downs. All in all, we made new families throughout this experience and relationship to last a lifetime. In the end, the intention was to give our subjects a platform for expression. We wanted to give our characters a way to share their message with the world. We hope that Coach Neal's message of love, discipline, and compassion for all, is embraced by everyone. We also hope that the words and experiences lived by the Lynch and Hall families, can act as an example for America's continued fight for equality and higher standard of opportunity for Black Americans."
— Steven Hoffner
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