THE BIG M is a documentary film profiling Frank Mahovlich, a golden age hockey player and fifteen time NHL All-Star who, with his graceful skating and mighty shots, led the Toronto Maple Leafs to four Stanley Cup victories. The film follows Mahovlich to his hometown of Schumacher, Ontario, where he grew up the middle son of Croatian immigrants. While his father worked in the gold mines, young Frank was dreaming of becoming a player in the NHL. By age thirteen, Mahovlich was already a hockey sensation and was, thereafter, scouted by several National Hockey League teams while playing for the Schumacher Lions of the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Eventually, seeing his potential, Toronto Maple Leafs decided to recruit him. Mahovlich progressed from the Leafs' Junior A team to a pro in 1957 at the age of 19, when he was heralded as the team's saviour. The Big M was triumphant - the Leafs moved from the league's bottom to being Stanley Cup champions. But, as the film suggests, Mahovlich never conformed to the stereotype of the NHL player. He was shy, sensitive and vulnerable, never quite fitting in the hockey's strict culture of submissiveness and conformity. Despite being the team's superstar, Mahovlich was about to face some turbulent times. Leaf Coach, Punch Imlach, was a strict and unyielding taskmaster, who considered Mahovlich's graceful style a sign of laziness. The Big M became the main target of the autocratic coach's chastisements and was put through punishing workouts. Subsequently, the team owners refused to give their star player a well-earned raise and tried to trade him to Chicago for an incredible sum of one million dollars. When the deal fell through, Punch Imlach started badmouthing Mahovlich to the press, which greatly affected the sensitive star such was The Big M. As Mahovlich's productiveness became compromised, the fans started disapproving of their star by booing him. Mahovlich could not take the pressure much longer and was eventually admitted to hospital where he was diagnosed with severe depression. But a month later, he was back in the rink, helping the Leafs win their fourth Stanley Cup. The Big M would go on to hockey fame with the Detroit Red Wings and the Montreal Canadiens, before ending his career with the Toronto Toros and the Birmingham Bulls. In 1981, Mahovlich became an inductee of the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 1988, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien appointed him to the Senate. Today, The Big M is a legend. Contrary to the booing he received during his most difficult times as a professional hockey player, the Leafs fans today have an enormous appreciation for their hockey superstar. Having not won the Stanley Cup for a number of years, their respect for the genius of Frank Mahovlich is even more pronounced. Even in the political realm, Senator Mahovlich continues to be asked to sign autographs by loyal fans who will always remember him as The Big M. The documentary features interviews with hockey greats Ken Dryden, Henri Richard, Johnny Bower and Jean Beliveau, plus archival footage with game highlights from The Big M's long career, including clips from the legendary 1972 Canada-Russia series. <41mn 50s>
