Just a quick little update this morning to let you know about a very cool new documentary that will be coming out this fall. It is currently titled Hockey in the USA – Part I, and is the brainchild of New Jersey native Steve Chernoski. Chernoski, a school teacher, writer, filmmaker, and men’s league hockey player, released his first documentary, New Jersey: The Movie, in 2008. In his second offering, he takes to the country’s eastern seaboard in an attempt to gauge hockey’s Olympic-fueled rise to the mainstream consciousness. While Canada eventually captured both the men’s and women’s gold, the two weeks of American hockey fever surely created a legion of new hockey fans in the United States. Or did it?

The full plot summary:

The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver marked a prime time for the sport of ice hockey in the USA. The Super Bowl was over. Spring Training and March Madness were still a month away: It was hockey’s time to shine in America. . . and shine it did.

The USA Men’s (and Women’s) team made it to the Gold Medal Game, only to lose to Canada. However, the ride was exhilarating and the men’s game was the second highest rated game in America EVER, only behind the 1980 “Miracle on Ice.”

But would this success galvanize interest in America? Would the premier professional league, the National Hockey League (NHL), see an increased awareness in the states?

In the new film, Hockey in the USA – Part I, follow director Steve Chernoski as he interviews Americans in the Northeast Corridor: from Washington, DC to Portland, Maine asking them the question, “What can hockey do to become more popular in America?”

Some of the highlights:

-See excitement increase as the Olympics games are played and the USA gets to the finals

-Listen to how Washington DC residents feel about the Capitals and Alexander Ovechkin

-Hear what a Canadian Embassy worker thinks can be done

-See the co-owner of the New Jersey Devils’ and learn about the team’s efforts with Newark youth hockey

-Learn about the complicated media markets of New York City and Boston

-Decide about hockey’s future on 3D TV from hearing the verdicts of people who watched a 3D hockey game

-Visit an American hotbed of hockey: Hershey, Pennsylvania

The film is currently in post-production, with a planned release date of Thanksgiving Day. The topic of hockey in the mainstream and the growth of the game is very important to me, so I’m working with Steve to bring you some more Hockey in the USA content leading up to the release date. I’m also excited to announce that you will  be able to view the documentary in its entirety on Backyard-Hockey.com once it is released.

For more information, be sure to ‘like’ the film’s page on Facebook and follow Steve on Twitter (@nsjersey). And please do your part to spread the word about this film by re-tweeting this post or sharing it on Facebook (or any of the other social media sites) below!