Filmmakers Isabelle Lavigneith and Stéphane Thibault embedded themselves in Baie-Comeau, Quebec with major junior hockey league Drakkar, to make a feature documentary called Junior. Described by the NFB as, "a vivid picture of behind-the-scenes life in a sporting world where teenagers prepare to become the stars of tomorrow." The film promises to examine the pressures faced by teen athletes. They go on to say, "Hockey becomes a rite of passage to adulthood – one through which the players are driven at high speed. These developing athletes are subject to a rigid training schedule. At the same time, they are employees of a private company concerned with its profits. Trainers, shareholders, agents, scouts and parents: all eyes are fixed on these elite young players, even though only a tiny number of them will succeed in having a professional hockey career." Take a look at this short clip and leave a comment to tell us what you think.

For more information about this film or to view more clips visit the NFB website.

Willie O'Ree started playing hockey in his backyard at the age of 5 in Fredericton, New Brunswick. He was a 22 wing man playing for the Quebec Aces when he got the call to play for the Bruins in game against the Montreal Canadiens. O'Ree didn't tell them that he was 95% blind in his right eye - a fact that might have hampered his chances of being recruited. So on the night of Jan. 18, 1958, he turned pro donning jersey #22 on ice at the Montreal Forum, and earned the distinction of being the first black man to play a game in the NHL. He went on to play a total of 45 games with the Bruins, and countless more for the AHL, EPHL, QHL and WHL - where he played for 14 years.

In a recent interview with Toronto Sun reporter Joe Warmington, he admitted he had a lot of problems in the beginning and had to gain the respect of players in the opposition as well as the fans. He succeeded by staying focused on what he wanted to do and setting goals. Today, at the age of 73 he is director of the NHL Diversity program, a non-profit which encourages ethnic minority youth to learn and play hockey. His advice for kids who want to play is simple: get involved and get playing.

He received the Order of New Brunswick in 2005 and the Order of Canada on December 30, 2008. Here's an interview with CTV's Steve Murphy recorded in Halifax on August 23, 2007.

HockeyStars are fluent in the four basic types of shots: the shovel shot, slapshot, the wrist shot and the backhand shot. A fifth vital shot, the snap shot, is a combination of the wrist shot and the slapshot. Players who master these shots are prepared to meet the challenges of the game and increase opportunities for scoring. All of these shots can be practiced off ice. Try using a sheet of hard plastic (like a plastic toboggan) on a flat surface at least 4 feet by 1 foot wide and shoot against a cement wall for a target. Here are a few video samples to demonstrate the techniques of each shot.

The shovel shot is the simplest most basic shot in a shooter's arsenal. Its execution is simply a shoveling motion to push the puck in the desired direction (be it on the forehand, backhand, or in a spearing motion). Players typically resort to shovelling the puck to push loose pucks past a sprawling, or out-of-position goaltender.

The slapshot The slapshot is the hardest yet most telegraphed shot. The player draws their stick back away from the puck, then forcefully brings it forward to strike the puck. The height and positioning of the follow-through determines the trajectory of the puck. NHL players most known for their slap-shot include: Ilya Kovalchuk, Sami Salo, Brett Hull, Sheldon Souray, Al MacInnis, and Mike Modano.

The wrist shot is executed by positioning the puck toward the middle of the blade. From that position the shooter rolls their back wrist quickly, while thrusting the puck forward with the bottom hand. As the blade propels the puck forward the movement of the wrist rolls the puck toward the end of the blade, causing the puck to spin. The tightness of the spin of the puck has an effect much like the spin a quarterback puts on their football pass, resulting in more accuracy. The puck is aimed with the follow-through of the shot, and will typically fly perfectly in the direction of the extension of the stick, resulting in an extremely accurate shot. NHL players most known for their wrist-shot include Petr Nedved, Luc Robitaille, Teemu Selanne, Joe Sakic, and Pavel Datsyuk.

The backhand shot is a wrist shot released from the back of the blade, and on the player's backhand. This shot is not as powerful or accurate as any of the other shots, but often comes unexpectedly. Backhand shots are primarily taken close to the goal. NHL players known for their backhand-shot include: Pavel Bure, Luc Robitaille, Mark Messier, Marian Hossa, and Phil Esposito.

The snap shot is a harder shot to master. It's a combination of both the slap-shot and the wrist shot - like a quick wrist shot. It has a surprising effect which hopefully will give the shooter a better chance to score. The shooter begins by cocking the stick back like a slap-shot (however with not such an exaggerated motion), and finishes with a flicking of the wrist like a wrist shot. NHL players noted for their snap-shot include Wayne Gretzky, Pavel Bure, Teemu Selanne, Paul Kariya, Patrik Elias, and Alexei Kovalev. Click here to see a snap shot demo.

In our first major site upgrade, we've updated the Team Scheduler making it easier to add an event or game to share with your team. Look for other important announcements this Fall as we continue to upgrade the website. Please let us know how we're doing, your feedback is important to us.

HockeyStars.com will undergo an upgrade on Monday, September 29, 2008 between 10:00 am and 12:00 noon PST. During the maintenance window the website will be unavailable. This important upgrade will bring valuable enhancements to the Team Page and Event Scheduler, making it easier to schedule a game, practice or other kind of event for your team.