Goalie Rheaume’s breakthrough moment being made into movie
Between the Pipes will detail her life and historic NHL appearance
MONTREAL — It only makes sense that Manon Rheaume, the only woman to play in the National Hockey League, is a hockey mom and, even more appropriately for someone who was in nets for two exhibition games with the Tampa Bay Lightning, she’s the mother of a goalie.
Her 16-year-old son, Dylan St. Cyr, plays for the U.S. National Under-17 team and so she lives the full stress of life as a parent of an elite goalie.
On the phone recently from her home in Northville, just outside Detroit, Rheaume said she was happy that her younger son, who’s eight, chose to be a skater not a goalie.
“I was very happy because I don’t think I could handle being the mom of two goalies,” said Rheaume.
Being a parent of a goalie is a tough gig given that the netminder is the last line of defence and often gets the blame when things go south for a team.
“You’re the hero or the zero of the game,” said Rheaume. “Every mistake you make, people notice. You can be a player and make a few mistakes and at the end of the game, most people don’t recognize (those mistakes). But the goalie! It is very stressful as a mom but, at the same time, I understand what he likes about it. He wants to be able to make a difference in a game. And as a goalie, you’re the person who can make a difference in a game.”
Rheaume knows all about making that difference. And not just to help her team win a game. The native of the Quebec City suburb of Beauport didn’t fully realize it at the time, but she became a huge role model for female hockey players everywhere when she stepped out on the ice to play in net for the Lightning’s firstever home game on Sept. 23, 1992.
That moment will be recreated in a coming film, Between the Pipes, being developed by New York-based company Lazy Kitty Productions. Writer and actress Angie Bullaro has penned the screenplay, which focuses on the period leading up to that historic game, and Bullaro will also play Rheaume in the film. The plan is to shoot next year, maybe in Quebec, and then launch the feature in 2017, on the 25th anniversary of Rheaume’s appearance with Tampa Bay.
Bullaro, who grew up in the Detroit area, was not a big hockey fan prior to starting this project, but she was looking to make an inspirational sports movie built around a strong female character. When she learned of Rheaume’s story, she knew she’d found the perfect subject. Then she met Rheaume and was floored by how much they looked alike. She figured this project was meant to be.
Bullaro had to learn to play goal, quite a task for someone who’d never played hockey and was not much of a skater. She’s been training for the past eight months with former New York Rangers’ goalie Steve Valiquette.
“Steve always laughs,” said Bullaro. “He says, ‘Angie, you know you’re not actually trying out for the NHL, right?’ I say, ‘I know, but I want this to look legit.’ But I have to say honestly, learning how to play goalie seems like a breeze compared to learning how to speak with a Québécois accent.”
Rheaume will be on set during filming to make sure they get the details right.
“We want to make it look like hockey,” said Rheaume. “We don’t want it to be one of those hockey movies where, if you’re a hockey fan, you say, ‘ Nah, that’s not possible.’ It’s like the Miracle movie (about the U.S. winning hockey gold at the 1980 Olympics). You feel you’re there at that game and that’s what we