Ice Kings is an award winning documentary film by Craig E. Shapiro. The film chronicles Mount Saint
Charles Academy hockey team's historic streak of 27 consecutive state
titles.

Synopsis

Ice Kings is a 2006 documentary film that was produced, written and directed
by Craig E. Shapiro. The film captures the story of Rhode Island’s Mount
Saint Charles Academy high school hockey team and their historic streak
of 26 consecutive state titles. The film tells the incredible stories of
the young men who kept the streak alive and recaps the tale of the unlikely
public school that knocked the perennial kings from their throne.

Ice Kings begins by highlighting the rich hockey history of the state of Rhode Island. Colorful stories of the Providence Reds

Providence Reds

The Providence Reds were a hockey team that played in the Canadian-American Hockey League between 1926–1936 and the American Hockey League from 1936 to 1977, the last season of which they played as the Rhode Island Reds. The team won the Calder Cup in 1938, 1940, 1949, and 1956...

 are told by local residents and legends alike. While Rhode Island may be known by tourists for its beaches and resort towns, the film focuses on the heart of Rhode Island

Rhode Island

The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...

, which is found in the working class cities like Woonsocket. As stated by Mark Patinkin of the Providence Journal, "You sometimes need a window to see into this state, and Ice Kings captures Rhode Island through hockey, as important here as football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 is in Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

."

The film then turns its attention to the man behind the legacy, former Mount Saint Charles Academy rink manager turned coach, Bill Belisle. At that time Mount, a perennial contender for the state title had lost its luster, but with Belisle's tough grit and hard nosed approach their legacy began. "It was said he knew how to fix the Zamboni, the soda machines, and the team." Tales from former players and parents put a face on the historic streak and help explain how one man could will generation after generation to win.

Narrated by CBS

CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

 Sports' Bill Macatee

Bill Macatee

Bill Macatee is an American sports broadcaster.-Early life and career:Macatee was born in Rome, New York, and grew up in El Paso, Texas. In 1978, he earned a bachelor of science degree in speech from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas...

, Ice Kings is an inspiring look at dedication, sacrifice, and one school’s remarkable willingness to win. Mark
Patinkin of the Providence Journal states, “High school hockey is a metaphor for the state, and the film gets you thinking about our mill-town heritage, and how the quest for pride and identity plays out here each season on the ice.”

Critical reception

In 2006, Ice Kings was screened at a number of film festivals and received critical acclaim. The film premiered at the 2006 Rhode Island International Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award.

“Every so often, you come across a creation that captures part of Rhode
Island¹s soul. I just watched a movie that did that”
-Mark Patinkin, Providence Journal

“Shapiro's Ice Kings is a great sports story told well, and one that
deserves space in any hockey fan's DVD collection”
- Eric McErlain, The Sporting News

The Sporting News

Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...

“A nifty story, even for non fans”
- Jay Seaver, efilmcritic

NHL Players in Ice Kings

Shapiro’s film highlights many of the great NHL athletes that once skated the ice for and against Mount St. Charles Academy. Players include Brian Lawton

Brian Lawton

Brian R. Lawton is a former professional ice hockey left wing and agent who played 483 games in the National Hockey League between 1983 and 1992...

, Bryan Berard

Bryan Berard

Bryan Wallace Berard is a former American professional ice hockey player. He was the first overall pick in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators. He is most noted for a debilitating eye injury he received early in his career...

, Garth Snow

Garth Snow

Garth E. Snow is an American retired professional ice hockey goaltender and is currently the general manager for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League.-Playing career:...

, Keith Carney

Keith Carney

Keith Edward Carney is an American retired professional ice hockey defenseman. He last played for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League in the 2007–08 season.-Playing career:...

, Brian Boucher

Brian Boucher

Brian "Boosh" Boucher is an American professional ice hockey goaltender for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...

, Jeff Jillson

Jeff Jillson

Jeff Jillson is an American professional ice hockey player currently playing for KLH Chomutov of the Czech second tier, 1. národní hokejová liga.-Playing career:...

, Mathieu Schneider

Mathieu Schneider

Mathieu Schneider is a American former professional ice hockey player. Considered an offensive defenseman, Schneider played 1289 games in the National Hockey League with ten different teams, scoring 233 goals and totalling 743 points...

, Ed Lee

Ed Lee

Edward Hubert Lee is a retired professional ice hockey player who played two games in the National Hockey League. He played for the Quebec Nordiques.Traded to the Minnesota North Stars in 1985, Played for the Fredericton Express and the Springfield Indians in the American Hockey League.-References:...

 and many others.

The filmmaker

Craig E. Shapiro most recently produced and directed a retrospective of Andre Agassi

Andre Agassi

Andre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...

's career for The Tennis Channel

The Tennis Channel

Tennis Channel is an American speciality channel with programming devoted to the game of tennis. Founded in 2003, the network is owned by a group of investors including sports marketing firm IMG. Well known tennis professionals Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi are two of the many investors in this...

, entitled AGASSI

Andre Agassi

Andre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...

, Between the Lines. The 90 minute special was chosen by Tennis Week Magazine as one of the 10 best TV moments from 2007.
In 2004, he started Magic Garden Productions, a full service production company
specializing in Sports and Entertainment non-fiction programming.

From 2004 through 2006, Magic Garden was instrumental in creating the
Countdown Series for HBO Sports, a series of 30 minute documentary specials that preview HBO's biggest live boxing matches.

Craig has produced and directed features on Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet

Kate Elizabeth Winslet is an English actress and occasional singer. She has received multiple awards and nominations. She was the youngest person to accrue six Academy Award nominations, and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Reader...

 and Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys

Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...

 for the Glamour Magazine

Glamour magazine

Glamour magazine means:* Glamour magazine, a U.S. publication aimed at a predominantly female readership* a girlie magazine aimed at a male readership featuring photographs of women...

 Woman of the Year Award Show, which aired on NBC

NBC

The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

. In addition, Shapiro produced and directed The Maxim Magazine Hot 100 for VH1

VH1

VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...

, as well as VH1’s I Love the 70’s, I Love the 80’s and ESPN’s

ESPN

Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

groundbreaking documentary series, "The Life".