"Le masque" (1997) TV series

User Rating:

4.2/10   

Director:

Richard Roy

Writers:

Fabienne Larouche (writer)
Réjean Tremblay (writer)

Release Date:

16 March 1997 (Canada)

Genre:

Drama | Sport

Plot Keywords:

Hockey

Cast

Patrice L'Ecuyer	...	Romain Gabriel
Céline Bonnier	...	Louise Gabriel
Bobby Beshro	...	Vincent Gervais
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Yvan Benoît	...	Marcel Boisvert
Denis Bernard	...	Lucien Aubry
Emmanuel Charest	...	Christian Bergeron
Patriq Chenier	...	Journaliste CKAC (1997)
Raymond Cloutier	...	Raymond Matteau
André Cote	...	Commentateur
Philippe Cousineau	...	Maxime Dupuis
Marie-Josée Croze	...	Nadine Mallette
Pierre Curzi	...	Victor Thibault
Stéphane Demers	...	Patrice Larouche
Bruno Di Quenzio	...	Kenny Horton
Patrice Dussault
François Faucher	...	Commentateur
Daniel Gadouas	...	Robert Mallette
Luc Guérin	...	Richard Forest
Martin Larocque	...	Normand Veilleux
Michelle Leger	...	Nicole Mallette
Pascale Montpetit	...	Charlotte Vezina
Huguette Oligny	...	Madame Aubry
François Papineau	...	Martin Beliveau
Gerard Potvin	...	Commentateur
Pierre Powers	...	Pinsonneault

Country:

Canada

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Colisée Pepsi, Québec City, Québec, Canada

Trivia:

One of the scenes shown is based on a live incident involving then Montreal Canadiens goalie Patrick Roy in 1995 and coach Mario Tremblay. Thought the incident resulted to trading the goalie to the Colorado Avalanche, in this story, the goalie remains with the team, but gets suspended indefinitely...

A poor clone of "Lance et Compte" about a star hockey goalie

The authors of the "Lance et Compte" series, Fabienne Larouche and Rejean Tremblay wanted to write a parallel hockey story, this time involving a star goalie who goes into personnal problems which affects his professionnal life around him...

Romain Gabriel (Patrice L'Ecuyer) is the best ice hockey goaltender in the Continental Hockey League. Playing for the Montreal Patriotes, he is indeed respected and the charisma of a leader. After being granted quite a paying contract, his life suddenly turns sour when he suspects his wife (Celine Bonnier) to have an affair with one of his teammates, Vincent Gervais (Bobby Beshro). Soon the media asks the question whether Gabriel will leave his wife and be traded or let his nemesis Gervais get the same treatment, up to do a big scene in front of many fans during a hockey game at the Montreal Arena (hockey scenes were not shot in Montreal, but in the Quebec City Colisée, with the Montreal Olympic Stadium Rotunda passing as the Arena's lobby...). However, an injury and a sudden reconciliation will bring him back in track for the championship playoffs against the Boston team...

As Rejean Tremblay is a sports journalist, he indeed based his story on some actual events that he witnessed while covering the NHL. When I saw it the first time, I found it okay, but at second viewing, it was indeed boring, tedious and too much of a clone of the "Lance et Compte" series which he wrote (and did also the Nouvelle Generation). The acting's OK, hockey scenes are not bad, especially that this time, they didn't mix it with actual NHL games. The Patriots'jersey is a replica of the New York Rangers...

Watch it if you are really into hockey, otherwise, stick to Lance et Compte...