From the Winnipeg Sun:

• Jeff Douglas searching for ‘Ancestors’ 

From Global:

This Week On ‘Global Currents’…
“Dads Who Fought Back”

Saturday, October 14th at 7 p.m. ET/PT (60 mins.)
DADS WHO FOUGHT BACK profiles a wide range of issues….from the emotional child custody battles of two desperate fathers facing a system they feel has developed a deep gender bias against men, to the progress of activist groups including “Fathers for Justice” using guerrilla-like tactics to draw attention to this widespread problem. Along with a startling examination of the Canadian family court system, the documentary provides perspective from both its supporters, and those calling for a change to current divorce laws governing paternal access.

About ‘GLOBAL CURRENTS’: Global National’s Kevin Newman hosts this critically acclaimed documentary series committed to revealing extraordinary perspectives and issues affecting all Canadians. Each one-hour, independently-produced documentary represents the talents of Canada’s best socio-political, environmental, humanist and scientific documentary filmmakers.

Other documentaries in the series include:

* Polygamy’s Lost Boys – October 21
* The Stamp Fishery: Loss of a Dream – October 28
* Somba K’e – The Money Place – November 4
* DecAIDS: Anything is Possible – November 11
* 100 Days of Freedom – November 18
* Damage Done: The Drug War Odyssey – November 25
* Rich Nation – December 2
* Thin Ice – December 9

*Broadcast schedules are subject to change.

Women’s hockey grows in popularity, Canada loses its grip on the  game but a revival looms

HOCKEY: A PEOPLE’S HISTORY wraps up on CBC Television this Sunday, Oct. 15 at 8 p.m., with back-to-back episodes. Episode 9, Winter of Discontent, shows how Canada’s hockey glory from past decades begins to fade. At the Nagano Olympics in 1998, when Canada’s pros are allowed to compete for the first time, fans are shocked and dismayed when the team loses. Teams begin to move south of the border, and Canada’s unofficial hockey czar, Alan Eagleson, is dethroned – found guilty of fraud and theft and sentenced to nine months in jail. In contrast, women’s hockey grows in popularity with more than a million fans watching the Canadian team win the first-ever World Championship in 1990, and witnessing women’s hockey debut at the 1998 Olympic Games. Manon Rheaume becomes the first woman to play in the NHL, for one period during an exhibition game with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

In episode 10, Reclaiming the Game, the focus shifts to minor hockey. With an undue emphasis on winning at all costs, a game kids play wasn’t so much fun anymore. Ken Dryden’s Open Ice Summit, the first national hockey conference of its kind, attempts to create initiatives to renew the game at the grassroots level. Internationally, Canada reclaims gold at the 2002 Olympics and 2004 World Cup of Hockey. And despite the subsequent disappointment of the 2006 Olympics, when Canada finished out of the medals, and the NHL lockout that cancelled the entire 2004/05 season, the game has
emerged stronger than ever. With an improved NHL and the growth of the sport internationally, Canada can take pride in being the country that gave hockey to the world.

Hockey: A People’s History airs every Sunday at 8 p.m. until Oct. 15, with two one-hour episodes each evening. Series narrator Paul Gross is accompanied by hockey “philosophers” (experts in the field) Wayne Gretzky, Ken Dryden, Michael McKinley, Alison Griffiths, Jean Beliveau, Stephen Brunt, Don Cherry, Daniele Sauvageau and Bruce Dowbiggin, among others. Hockey: A People’s History is a collaboration between CBC Television and Société Radio-Canada and is produced by the award-winning team who created the nationally acclaimed series Canada: A People’s History. For more information
on the series, please visit www.cbc.ca/hockeyhistory.

• Amazon link: Hockey: A People’s History book 

From CBC:

Hockey: A People’s History

All new. First, the 1972 Canada-Soviet Summit Series was the moment when hockey became the soul of a nation. Then, in the ‘80s hockey had lost its luster – until Wayne Gretzky arrived.

• Official show site 

From a Global media release:

This Week On ‘Global Currents’…
“Breaking Ranks”
Saturday, October 7th at 7 p.m. ET/PT (60 mins.)

Breaking Ranks chronicles the plight of four American military deserters seeking sanctuary in Canada for resisting the war in Iraq. This provocative film provides intimate access to their lives and documents their efforts in convincing the Canadian courts to allow them to remain in Canada as political refugees, amidst profound emotional, ethical and international consequences. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Michelle Mason, she shares their stories of moral awakening and the burden that follows, posing tough political and cultural questions that challenge the meaning of duty.

About ‘GLOBAL CURRENTS’: Global National’s Kevin Newman hosts this critically acclaimed documentary series committed to revealing extraordinary perspectives and issues affecting all Canadians. Each one-hour, independently-produced documentary represents the talents of Canada’s best socio-political, environmental, humanist and scientific documentary filmmakers.

Other documentaries in the series include:

* Dads Who Fought Back – October 14
* Polygamy’s Lost Boys – October 21
* The Stamp Fishery: Loss of a Dream – October 28
* Somba K’e – The Money Place – November 4
* DecAIDS: Anything is Possible – November 11
* 100 Days of Freedom – November 18
* The Damage Done: A Drug War Odyssey – November 25
* Rich Nation – December 2
* Thin Ice – December 9