005: Grant Fuhr on his New Documentary, Making Coco: The Grant Fuhr Story
Release Date: 09/25/2018
005: Grant Fuhr on his New Documentary, Making Coco: The Grant Fuhr Story
The Color of Hockey
Today on the Color of Hockey, Bill has a very special guest with him, Grant Fuhr. Grant is a Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender, has won five Stanley Cup championships with the Edmonton Oilers, and was named NHL’s best goaltender in 1988. He has also been named of the NHL’s 100 Greatest Players. On top of all that, he’s also the subject of the new documentary: Making Coco: The Grant Fuhr Story, which tells the story of Fuhr’s life, on and off the ice.
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004: Blake Bolden of Boston Blades and Boston Pride on Signing with HC Lugano
The Color of Hockey
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003: Richard Park on Playing in the NHL and Assistant-Coaching the Olympic Team
The Color of Hockey
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The Color of Hockey
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001: Karl Subban and Raising Pro Hockey Players in Canada
The Color of Hockey
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info_outlineToday on the Color of Hockey, Bill has a very special guest with him, Grant Fuhr. Grant is a Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender, has won five Stanley Cup championships with the Edmonton Oilers, and was named NHL’s best goaltender in 1988. He has also been named of the NHL’s 100 Greatest Players and was the first black hockey player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. On top of all that, he’s also the subject of the new documentary: Making Coco: The Grant Fuhr Story, which tells the story of Fuhr’s life, on and off the ice.
This episode, Grant tells the story of the origin of his movie, Making Coco; his early career with the Edmonton Oilers; what helped him develop most as a player; the transition from playing in Canada to the States; some of his challenges throughout his career in hockey; his experiences on several teams, as well as coaching; and what it was like to be the first black player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Topics of Discussion:
[:13] Bill introduces his guest, Grant Fuhr.
[:45] The origin of the movie, Making Coco: The Grant Fuhr Story.
[1:28] What Grant would like the main takeaway from his movie to be.
[1:53] Back when Bill and Grant met in 1980, Grant was a man of few words. Was it difficult for him to bare his life on screen?
[2:38] Glen Sather, previous coach of the Edmonton Oilers, didn’t originally want Grant Fuhr as a goalie. Grant speaks about what he did to prove himself and become a first-round draft pick.
[3:46] About Grant’s first goaltending coach, and the major differences in goaltending coaching now and then.
[4:46] The partner that helped Grant the most to develop as a player.
[5:18] Grant describes the pressure of the game back when he was playing.
[6:08] Were there any difficulties breaking into hockey in the NHL as a black player in the ’80s?
[7:11] About Grant’s transition from a Canadian team to the Buffalo Sabres.
[8:37] Grant’s experience with other up-and-coming goaltenders.
[9:23] Was it difficult sharing some of his more personal experiences in his documentary (such as being suspended by the NHL for drug-use)?
[10:43] What was the positive side after being suspended?
[11:10] About Grant’s amazing experiences playing with the Edmonton Oilers.
[11:40] The challenge of playing for a team where defense was offense.
[13:00] Of the five Stanley Cups Grant has won, which one means the most to him?
[13:43] What Bob Kersee’s training meant to Grant’s career while he was with the St. Louis Blues.
[14:47] About Grant’s inspiration gained from Bob Kersee’s wife, Jackie Joyner-Kersee.
[15:11] Does Grant believe that a Stanley Cup could have been in the St. Louis Blues’ future had he not been injured mid-playoffs?
[15:47] Did Grant expect to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame?
[16:37] What being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame meant to Grant.
[17:00] Where would Grant put himself in the lineup of the greatest goaltenders of all time?
[17:22] Why Grant believes Martin Brodeur and Terry Sawchuk are the gold-standard for goaltenders.
[18:11] How the position of goaltending has changed since Grant started to when he retired.
[19:00] Did Grant “cheat” a little bit?
[20:20] Does Grant like butterfly goaltending?
[20:40] What goaltenders does Grant like to watch currently?
[21:20] Grant’s thoughts on possible changes to the game.
[22:14] The challenges of using smaller goalie pads.
[23:00] Why did Grant go through many different models of equipment throughout his career?
[23:40] What player had the hardest time scoring against Grant?
[24:06] Which teams did Grant give up the most goals to?
[24:40] What Willie O’Ree’s induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame means to Grant.
[25:30] What Grant is doing in hockey nowadays. Is he planning on getting back into coaching?
[26:05] About Grant’s upcoming coaching session on the Hockey Hall of Fame weekend for the Legends game.
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Mentioned in this Episode:
Making Coco: The Grant Fuhr Story
Calgary International Film Festival
Hockey Hall of Fame 2018 Induction Celebration
For Further Reading: