Original title
Power Play
Released
10/15/1998
Origin country
CA
Genre
Drama
Status
Ended
Number of seasons
2
Number of episodes
26
Power Play was a Canadian television drama series, which aired on CTV from 1998 to 2000. The series was filmed at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario. The show starred Michael Riley as Brett Parker, a former New York City sports agent who became the general manager of a National Hockey League franchise, the Hamilton Steelheads. One of the throughline plots of the series dealt with Parker's ongoing love–hate relationships with the sport, the team and his superior at McArdle Industries, corporate executive Colleen Blessed, played by Kari Matchett. The cast also included Gordon Pinsent as team owner Duff McArdle, Jonathan Crombie, Jennifer Dale and Al Waxman. The show's theme song was a modernized version of the Stompin' Tom Connors classic, "The Hockey Song", performed partly by Connors himself, and then transitioning to the performance of the band Rusty. The show was briefly aired on the US network UPN, starting in 1999, but was pulled after just two episodes. The second episode aired in the US has the distinction of being the lowest-rated episode of any prime-time TV series ever aired by any US network.
Brett Parker returns to his hometown of Hamilton, Ontario, and is offered the job of general manager to the Hamilton Steelheads after the current one dies. He also tries to reconnect with his daughter.
The Steelheads make it into the series, but when Brett breaks the team's lucky bottle, their luck goes from bad to worse. Mark Simpson gets a concussion and hides how bad it is from everyone.
Mark continues to hide how serious his condition is from the other players, insisting he is able to play. Michelle is sentenced to community service. Bud Travis comes up from Houston to talk about buying the Steelheads.
Brett reluctantly rehires Lloyd Gorman, whom he had previously fired for working drunk. Mark is furious when he ends up benched in the seventh game because of his concussion. Michelle is hurt while doing her community service, and Brett isn't there for her.
Brett's fiancée Andrea comes up from New York, but when Brett heads off to the guys' cabin retreat to talk to Shakey about his contract, Andrea ends up spending all her time with Duff and Brett has an otherworldly experience that teaches him a lesson.
Todd is initially thrilled when his brother Jeff also joins the Steelheads until the competitive nature between the two brothers takes over, and Harry Strand makes it very clear that he will only keep one of the Maplethorpe brothers. Brett has a new idea for their opening night.
Brett pursues hockey bad boy Bobby Gunn in an attempt to get the Steelheads on the map, and is willing to ignore his antics until he finds out that Bobby has been dating Michelle. Bobby continues to make enemies as he turns the whole team against him.
After an up and coming rookie hurts his hand in a hazing ritual, the team is desperate to cover up what happened. Unfortunately, the entire episode was witnessed by a very enterprising young fan who forces Brett to make numerous offers to keep him quiet.
When a family-values orange juice dealer is interested in one of the Steelheads as a spokesperson, the fact that the player in question is cheating on his wife only starts the problems. Brett is forced to choose between Renata and business, with surprising results.
Colleen and Brett are at odds when Brett wants to sell tickets to the luxury boxes but Colleen is desperate to keep profits down so that she will be more successful in selling the team to Bud Travis and move it to Houston.
Brett uses his connections to have the suspension listed against American player Frank Dusky, a well known goon, so that he and Todd can have an on-ice brawl. When Rayanne's father dies and Mark chooses to play hockey rather than stay with her, it seems to be the beginning of the end for them.
Todd can't help but second guess himself as Frank Duskey remains in a coma. Colleen and Brett go over the books and realise there is no way that they can keep the Steelheads alive unless they make some cuts, and decide that one of the team has to go.
Colleen forces Brett to resign after she finds out what he's been up to, leaving Harry Strand as general manager of the team. Brett decides to leave town, but on his way out he has a vision. Duff's condition continues to worsen.
Brett's world is falling apart as Colleen turns on him after she decides he seduced her to get his job back, Michelle announces that she's going to school in England, and he is facing extradition charges to the U.S. In order to save the Steelheads, Duff makes a deal with the government.
The government is confused to learn that the Steelheads they have just bought up are a hockey team, and not salmon. Brett begins plotting his revenge against everyone who brought about his downfall, and Colleen's name is all over his list. Shakey is devastated when he has to retire due to his bad knee, and Simpson is furious with Strand when Strand doesn't allow Shakey to tell them himself.
Duff and Colleen don't like it when the government decides to run the Steelheads their way, even though Strand seems to be agreeable. Brett encourages Mark to dump his wife, Rayanne, as his manager and to go with him. Rose decides to write a tell-all novel about Brett.
Brett doesn't want people to know that he is sleeping with Rose, so he tries to keep it quiet as Renata tries to put an end to it altogether. Rose is far from his only problem, though, as he is still wanted in the United States. After a big fight and troubles in his marriage send Mark to a bar, he hooks up with another woman.
Brett is shocked when Michelle comes back from England married to the much older Hudson James, whom Rose discovers is no stranger to matrimonial bliss. Todd gets in trouble over an unintentional racial slur, and soon begins losing his sponsers and cannot get ahold of his agent.
Hudson tips Brett off that Todd is looking for a new agent, but both men are soon fighting over who will get to represent him, and Rose gets caught in the middle. Colleen is suspicious when Duff's new girlfriend, Samantha, is a lot younger than Duff and seems to have her eyes on the prize.
Rose gets jealous and possessive when she realises that there is more to Colleen and Brett than just a working relationship. The entire team rallies together to help a former Steelhead who is planning to commit suicide by jumping from the rafters.
When the government decides to enact an equal opportunity ruling on new hires, the entire team is left questioning what will happen to them if they don't fall under the guidelines. When Duff finds out that Brett plans to drive Harry Strand crazy, he hires him in an attempt to kill two birds with one stone and get rid of Sexsmith at the same time.
Heading into the last regular season game against Detroit, turmoil jeopardizes the Steelheads post-season chances. Team Captain Mark Simpson receives divorce papers; Michelle is caught in the middle when Hudson James and Parker square off over Russian player Boris Kerensky; The team gets a new Head Coach in former goalie Al Tremblay. Duff McCardle risks his personal fortune for one last chance at the cup.
In the quarter-finals against Philadelphia, off-ice battles over the ownership of the club threaten to distract the players; Coach Tremblay doubts his leadership ability and requests his return to Sherbrooke, setting the stage for the return of a ""happier"" Harry Strand… who comes fully equipped with a psychiatrist. Michelle talks husband Hudson James into helping Parker get back into the U.S. to attend a league meeting for which he is eternally UN-grateful. After the meeting in New York, Colleen and Parker share more than just a drink. The ""new"" Harry Strand turns to be just what the teams needs.
Rose Thorton writes a story in the Spectator about an unnamed gay Steelhead player that causes tension as the team heads into the semi final against New York. As Parker and Colleen continue to consummate their odd relationship, everyone is paranoid about finding the mole. Michelle gives Parker an ultimatum about Hudson. Coach Harry Strand seems to be have lost his renewed vigour as the team comes unglued during game 7 against New York. ""Terminal Todd"" Maplethorpe comes up with a unique solution to refocus the Steelheads. Michelle, Renata & Rose witness a surprising admission by Colleen. Harry Strand redeems himself – Strand style. Duff & Samantha share some surprising news about their relationship.
As Duff continues to prepare for his wedding to Samantha, Colleen gets the proof that she needs that Samantha is the one selling out the team but doesn't want Brett to find out. Mark is pleased that his wife is coming to see him at the stadium until he realises the woman claiming to be his wife is a crazed stalker.
Brett's life falls apart as Colleen dumps him after he has Rose fired for threatening to reveal Duff's disappearance, Renata refuses to even speak to him after what he did, and Michelle tells him she's tired of being treated like a possession and is leaving town. When the goalie is injured, Duff pressures Shakey into coming back for one last game.
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