Original subtitles

My father always talked about the rhythm.

He said it was something inside all of us,

and he taught me how to use mine on the ice.

He also said that this was a skill

that was passed down to me

from generation to generation.

You see, my grandfather

played on an all-Black hockey team in Nova Scotia.

He said that this team was lightning fast.

Rumor has it that they were unstoppable.

Why were they so good?

It was because they had the rhythm.

Hey, I'm Coach Smith.

I was watching you out there.

Where'd you learn to skate like that?

Let me see it.

Good job, Son!

My father taught me.

Any interest in playing with us?

Me playing with a bunch of white guys?

No, I'm good.

Well, if you change your mind,

we have practice here tomorrow at seven.

-You did good today, man. I'm proud of you. -Thank you, sir.

You got that slap shot down, boy.

Buck, run!

Daddy!

Grandma, you really think He hears you?

I know He does.

...my soul and all that is within me,

bless His holy name...

One thing you can always count on

with my grandmother

that she was praying.

She spent a lot of time with the Lord.

But for me, I never understood the whole church thing.

I always looked at it as a good time to take a nap.

...glory, because He's a great God.

-He's a good God... -Come on in. Here, come sit next to me.

Uh, well, how was your day?

Mm, actually...

...I was at the hockey rink.

And this coach came up to me, this, this white guy,

asked me to play for his team.

You're thinking about playing again.

- I thought you gave up after all-- - Yeah, I know, I know,

-I know, I just-- -Well, baby,

your father would be so proud of you.

This game is in your blood.

Your dad played this game

like he was mad at the puck.

He, uh, he used to say,

"If it wasn't for us,

the only thing black in this sport

would be the puck."

-Oh... -I don't know, Grandma.

I don't know if I can play this game.

You're just gonna stay mad?

Or are you gonna get out on that ice

and show them who you are?

I got it, I got it.

Got it!

Check number 30.

Come on, let's go!

Nice shot!

-Go around the other way. Look out, look out. -Okay, charge!

Here he comes! Here he comes!

Guys, come on! You take number 30 out. Got it?

-Yes, Coach. -Yes, we got it.

Look out! He went around!

Get him, get him, get him, get him!

Keep your Black ass off the ice.

There was like this pent up rage inside me

that was just waiting to come out.

All from that one day that I lost

one of the most important people in my life.

Call the paramedics!

The payoff...

...seven years in the pen for attempted murder.

Cecil! Got a new roommate.

Top bunk's all yours, brother.

Uh, welcome to them Taj Mahal, baby.

You ain't never stayed nowhere this nice, have you?

Just wait until dinner time.

Lobster and steak.

It's five star, baby!

Five star!

By the way, what's your name, new one?

New one, what's your name, boy?

Okay, so cat got your tongue.

Let me tell you something, new one.

Even though you ain't talking...

...it's always good to have somebody to talk to.

Fresh fish.

I'll tell you something, man.

Don't trust nobody in here.

I'm talking, keep eyes on the back of your head.

You know what I'm saying?

What got you in here in the first place?

I got into a fight on the ice.

On the ice?

What do you mean, "on the ice"?

I played hockey.

- Hockey? -These white guys tried to take me out.

I ain't even think Black people played hockey.

Well, believe it or not,

I come from a family of great hockey players.

Mm.

What got you in here?

Angry at my girlfriend.

And the guy that she was with.

And I ended up in here with a... lot of other people

that couldn't control their anger and walk away too.

Think you'll make it out of here?

I don't know.

It could happen sooner than you think, bro.

Let me tell you something, I know why.

In here,

you don't have many choices.

They make 'em for you.

But out there,

you got all the choices in the world.

-Hello, Robert. -What are you doing here, man?

I just wanted to come see you.

I also have some good news for you.

After all this time, what, wha-- what possible good news

could you have for me?

Man, I should've never played for your team.

How do I know it wasn't you that put me out there,

that set me up from the very beginning?

How do I know it wasn't you that put me out there on purpose,

knowing that they would single me out?

I put you out on the ice

because you're a damn good hockey player.

Look,

I spoke with an attorney,

and we think we figured a way to get you out of here.

Part of the requirement says you may have to do

some community service on your probation.

So I'm supposed to trust you?

...hope gets us through.

I wish I had three of y'all, I just--

I feel like preaching. All right, just step in.

I wish I had two of y'all who could do justice by God!

The Lord's waiting to deliver you out.

- But He'll show enough to get you through. - -Oh!

Some of y'all waiting on God to bring the...

Ooh.

Hello?

Yeah, hey, Grandma.

Hey, baby. How you doing?

Grandma, how you think I'm doing in here?

I hate it in here.

I understand, baby, but, loo-- yo--

you didn't deserve what you got.

But all I'm asking is that you trust God.

Grandma, I don't wanna hear all that, okay?

I-- I don't wanna hear about God, none of that.

Don't let their hate consume you, okay?

All I'm asking... is that you don't give up.

It's not a life sentence. Just trust God. Just have faith.

Grandma, I don't wanna hear about all that praying. It's-- it's not working!

Mm, mm-mm. It does, baby.

No, Grandma-- I gotta go.

Mm.

You're always pacing, man. Seriously.

Why you always so mad?

I don't know, man, I just...

...think about life.

It's just so unfair!

I got news for you, man.

Life is unfair for everybody.

But it ain't right!

I'm not supposed to be in here!

Me neither.

I'm not supposed to be in here.

Everybody out there,

they not supposed to be in here.

You know how many times I hear that a day?

Let me tell you something.

If you wanna make it in here...

...and in here...

...you seriously gonna have to check your attitude.

My son,

your grandfather used to wear this,

he believed it brought him luck.

I believe that it's more than just luck.

All right, Taylor, time to go.

I'll be out in a minute.

Yep.

All right.

I don't wanna see you in here no more.

You hear me?

Keep your head up, man.

Stay strong.

Robert Taylor.

I'm your chauffeur!

What?

Come on, man. I'm your ride, bro.

Man, get in the car.

Obviously, I'm not your chauffeur.

Now, officially, I'm your parole officer,

but realistically...

...I'm more like your conscience.

Matter of fact, you might as well call me God

because I see all, I hear all,

and when it comes to you, I know all.

Are we clear?

Crystal.

Now put your seat belt on.

Look, hold, hold, hold, hold on, man.

Tomorrow morning, bright and early,

you will report to the Butzel Community Center.

When you get there, you will see a lady named Ms. Olivia Carson.

-What am I doing there-- -Whatever she tells you to do.

Where you going tomorrow morning, Robert?

-Butzel Community Center. -Who you gonna see, Robert?

-Ms. Carson. -And what you gonna do?

-Whatever she tells me-- -Whatever she tells you to do.

Man, get out of my car.

Tried to keep all your things intact.

I see.

You know what I think?

I think that you should start wearing this again.

For what, Grandma?

-For good luck? -I-- it-- it's not for good luck.

It's a symbol that represents Him.

Jesus loves you so much that He died just for you,

so that you could have a victorious life.

It's in the Word.

Don't be afraid.

Just believe.

Jump back with friends! Lean right, let's see!

Lean to your left! Right foot, work it out for me!

Come in!

Hey, I'm looking for Olivia.

I'm Olivia. Uh, you must be Robert!

Um, welcome to Butzel!

Have a seat.

So, I heard about your story.

And I just want you to know, I don't think you should've been

in that prison in the first place.

I think you're gonna like it here, Robert.

Call me Buck.

Oh, okay. Buck.

-How'd you get that name? -I was named after my grandfather.

Listen, w-- what are you gonna have me doing here?

-Well-- -And how does someone like you

-end up in a place like this? -What? Because I'm white?

I mean... yeah.

This community center does a lot for people,

and it gives kids a chance to learn to ice skate,

which so many of them have never even experienced before.

I don't know. I, I've loved ice skating since I was a kid.

And then Coach Smith told me about this job and I thought,

"Okay, this could work."

Those some of the kids?

Oh. Yeah.

Uh, this was before I got here.

Look,

I've always believed that people deserve second chances,

and that's what this community center is all about.

So when this opportunity came around, I don't know.

I just kind of fell in love with it.

And now you run the place.

Well, I manage the day-to-day operations.

Well, let me show you around!

Um, come with me.

Without this center,

I don't know what we would do. I mean, some of these families

just don't have the resources to provide meals for their kids

or clothes to keep them warm.

And this is our hockey rink.

Butzel is the only community center in Detroit with a hockey rink.

And you're gonna make the perfect coach.

Coach?

Coach who?

So it's not the best, but it's all we have.

Yo, this place is a dump!

Is this--

This the name of the team?

Sponsored by Rusty Mechanics!

This is a waste of time.

The boys need to learn to play this game like you did.

Like I did.

Oh, uh, I almost forgot. I got you... a whistle!

So now it is official.

Hey, Robert.

You know, when I found out you tried to play hockey, I thought it was a joke.

And then--

then they told me you was coming out here

to coach them. I said, "Nah.

I know they're clowning now."

Come on, man!

Man, they can't even skate!

- And you ain't learned from your own mistakes.

So what you gonna teach them? Huh?

No, no, no. You know what I see?

I see a loser

leading these little thugs

straight to me,

so I can take 'em straight to prison.

Just like you.

That's what I see.

Yeah!

Oh!

...man, you just be cheating. That's what I'm sa--

...saying, bro. I can't, bro. Like, every time I,

-like, I just can't. -Hey!

Y'all playing for the hockey team or what?

Black people don't play hockey.

- It's too cold in here... - Yeah! What?

-...come on. -Playing basketball if they didn't take

-the rooms, you know. -I don't know if you noticed,

but look at them.

We aren't that great.

But I'm the new coach.

There's gonna be a lot of changes around here.

If y'all trying to play...

...be on the ice.

Come on, guys, gather around!

- At least you guys can stand on skates.

Well, almost.

Look, I got something for you guys. Here.

- Hey, what is this, man? What i-- what is this?

- Rusty nuts? - What is this? It smell--

Hey, hey! Fellas, fellas, fellas, fellas, this what we got.

Let's run some drills.

All right, guys, keep going.

If you can't skate, just walk around.

Coach, man! How much more are we doing today, man?

-I'm tired! -Look, man...

...I know your size makes it hard for you to

kind of skate fast like the others,

but your size is a massive advantage.

- For real? - Absolutely!

Everybody just tells me I'm too fat to do anything.

Nah, man, they're jealous of what you got.

Matter of fact...

...I'm making you goalie.

Let me show you. Put these on.

This one on that hand, okay?

Hey, come out here, come out here, come out here.

So... it's all about staying focused

and keeping your eye on the target.

You got gloves on, you got padding.

You'll be all right! You don't have to be afraid of it.

I don't know, man.

Listen, this is what I want you to do.

I want you to bend your knees,

spread your arms out as wide as you can.

There you go.

Keep your eye on the target, all right?

All right, man.

Let's see what you got.

Okay. Now, you wanna stay loose

so you can go side to side, okay?

You can block the pucks coming your way, okay?

Like this one.

I don't know, man!

-Ready. -No.

No!

Hey, Palmer.

What's the word?

Budget.

-Mm. -I have been going through

all of these figures.

It seems like some of the neighborhood

recreation centers are just a big waste of the city's time and money.

Like Butzel.

All these expenses associated with the maintenance

of a hockey rink.

- Who's playing hockey over there?

- No one! - No one. Exactly.

Uh, you know what?

I think I've got a very lucrative offer...

...for a deal on that land

from a developer who wants to turn it into a shopping center.

It would be great tax revenue for the city!

And it may be a good revenue stream for, uh,

you and me.

You need to work on your slap shot.

- Man, what? - -I said you need to work on your slap shot.

And another thing,

stop holding the stick so close, okay?

It's too close to your body.

You gotta, you gotta give it some room, you know?

-The stick ain't your woman. -Man, what do you know about hockey?

Let's just say I know a little something.

Like you never wanna turn your back away from the puck.

It's like life.

You never wanna turn your back on your problems.

You wanna face them head on.

You see, your problem is that you keep turning

your back on things.

Yeah, that's right.

I've been watching you and listening.

-Look, Son, I wanna help you. -Help me what?

Help you bake cookies, dummy! What do you think I'm talking about?

I wanna help you be a better hockey player.

Now, look, I think you got a great chance

-at making it into NHL. -The NHL?

What makes you think they're gonna let me play in the NHL?

You see, that's the problem, I don't need you to think.

You let me do all the thinking.

You just worry about playing hockey.

-But i-- -But, but, but, but, but nothing.

Just meet me here tomorrow night

and be ready to work.

So, I see you trying to call your father again.

Mike, listen,

it's clear that your dad doesn't want anything to do with you.

So you might as well stop calling.

Your father left here a long time ago.

Back when you were, like, four.

And he never bothered to even call

to check on you, me, or your sisters.

Lowdown, good for nothing, son of a--

Hey, anybody here?

I'm over here, boy.

Man, why you got the lights off in here?

I can't see you!

Can you see me now?

Here, read this.

Tell me what it says.

"Walk on tryouts for the Port Huron Flyers."

What makes you think I can make this team?

Well, there you go thinking again.

I told you, leave the thinking to me,

you just focus on hockey.

Now let me see you hit that puck over there.

-That puck right there? -Yes.

You'll see.

Hey, what-- What'd you do with the light?

Oh, here it is! I'm here!

Hey! Mr. Little!

Right there! There it goes! There it goes!

Quit playing, man! I, I can't see a thing!

Look, if you can learn how to play in the dark,

when the lights come on, you'll be unstoppable!

You gotta learn how to feel the ice and not see it.

- Right there. - Hey!

Turn the lights on!

All right, so show me your slap shot.

-My slap shot? -Yes. Is there another kind, dummy?

Well, actually, there is, old man.

There's a slap shot,

and then...

...there's... my... slap shot.

Okay. Okay, now we talking.

Now we talking.

So, how we looking?

We got ourselves a hockey team yet?

Easier said than done.

Can you have them ready in, uh, two weeks?

Two weeks?

-For what? -The game in the Junior League.

We gotta get them started like everyone else.

Olivia, look at them!

Do you really think they're ready for that?

Yeah.

We don't stand a chance.

It's live, it's live! Let's go, let's go, let's go!

Coach, man, I don-- I don't know, man. I'm... not feeling too good again, man.

-My stomach's starting to hurt. -Oh, no, Jojo, not again!

Listen, Jojo, I know you can do this.

-You know why I know you can do it? -No.

Because ain't nobody bad like you.

Say it with me.

-"Ain't nobody bad like me." -Ain't nobody bad like me.

-Say it again. -Ain't nobody bad like me.

Okay, get out there!

Come on, Jojo, you can do it! Ain't nobody bad like you!

Ain't nobody bad like you!

Hey, nice shot, man.

Come on, man, you better than that.

Come on, fat man. You got the puck.

Uh-uh. I quit, man. I quit.

Hey, Jojo, Jojo, wai-- wait, we need you out there, man.

Man, this game's stupid! I'm done!

No, quitting is stupid.

And once you become a quitter,

you'll be a quitter for the rest of your life, man.

Losing is temporary,

but quitting is forever, man.

Pick up that stick

and get back on that ice.

I got it, I got it!

Good job, guys! You did really well, boys.

Good job out there.

All right. Hey, keep your head up.

So, you must be Coach Buck.

- Yes, ma'am. - Please, don't call me ma'am.

That sounds so old!

My acquaintances call me Virginia, but my friends call me Gege.

My son really doesn't have that father figure in his life,

so I appreciate guys like you.

You know, taking the time out with the kids

and keeping them off the streets, you know.

Well, ma'am-- uh, Gege...

-...thank you. -You're welcome.

And, um, if you ever have a taste

for some smothered pork chops, rice, gravy,

some homemade biscuits... look me up.

Looks like you have an admirer.

No, she's way out of my league.

Mm, can't say I blame her.

I mean, you're helping kids discover themselves

and teaching them about a game they knew nothing about.

You're pretty awesome.

Look, Olivia,

I really appreciate you giving me this job,

but we gotta chill on the pep talk.

I don't need you as a cheerleader in my life.

What do you need in your life then, Buck?

Flash!

Flash!

What?

Hey, I need to talk to you!

So, what's going on?

Tell me.

I'm pregnant, Flash.

What?

Uh, no, ho-- how do you know for sure?

What do you mean, "how do I know for sure"?

-God, I'm, like, two months late. -Oh, no.

I'm scared, Flash.

I'm scared, and I-- what, what are we supposed to do? Huh?

-I don't know. -What are we supposed to do, Flash?

I don't know! I don't know.

I don't know.

They call this "hockey town"

with some of the greatest hockey players and fans.

But just a few blocks away,

there's another whole world of hockey that exists

that they probably don't even know about.

Uh, excuse me, Ms. Carson.

- Hi. - Hi. I'm Mr. Palmer.

I'm the director of the Department of Recreation

-for the city of Detroit. -Oh, yeah. Hi.

- Um, nice to meet you. How can I help you? - Hi.

Well, I am here to inform you that due to budget cuts,

we are going to be closing this location

of the recreation center.

Maintenance of the skating rink alone

is costing the city thousands of dollars.

Uh--

I'm sorry.

What?

D-- do you realize what this rec center means

for the community?

We have hockey! We have figure skating.

We, we feed people. We clothe people.

- We give kids a place to stay! - Unfortunately,

the decision has already been made.

What it costs to maintain this facility

is invalidating the expense.

And I'm afraid, at this point, there is nothing else that can be done.

Mr. Palmer, if you could please reconsider.

I only came here as a courtesy.

I'm sorry.

-Let's get him! -Let's do it!

-What you doing playing hokey? -Stick to basketball, kid.

No foul! Break it up.

-No, wait-- -Nice shot! Nice!

Man, this is too easy!

What are you doing?

Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute!

Coach, can I talk to you for a second?

Yeah, man, what's up?

My girlfriend Jessica is pregnant.

What?

Yeah.

-Did you tell anybody? -No.

Not even her parents?

No, they're crazy, I can't!

Look, man,

I-- I know it's tough.

You gotta tell her parents.

- Get the hell out of here! Get in here! - Dad!

-Hey, Papa. -Hey, Flash.

-How you doing? -I'm good.

Good.

- I see you didn't take your prescriptions again.

Forget this medication. I don't need it.

How's your hockey thing going?

It's good, I'm getting better at it.

You ever heard of Jackie Robinson?

Who's Jackie Robinson?

Jackie Robinson was the first Black player

in Major League Baseball.

He broke the color line back in 1947.

Now, the white players, they knew

that if they gave Jackie Robinson a chance,

he'd take one of their jobs.

And I believe... just like Jackie Robinson,

you guys are gonna make history.

And papa gonna be there to support you.

Hey, what's wrong with you?

What's going on?

Huh?

Jessica's pregnant.

Hey,

it's gonna be all right.

It's gonna be all right.

Hey, you know what? I was just thinking.

There's a kid named Corey that used to skate here a lot.

He's really good too.

Hmm.

But... he's out there in them streets

slinging drugs for his uncle.

I think you need to try to recruit him for your team.

You'd probably find him on the basketball court.

You think so?

Yeah, I do.

-Here comes Valent. -I know, yo, I'll be back.

-What's up, man? You got that on you? -Yes, sir.

Hey, Corey!

-You Corey? -Depends on who's asking.

I'm the new hockey coach over at the hockey rink.

Heard you was a pretty good hockey player back in the day.

I used to do a little something something.

- Why'd you quit? - I had no time for it.

Your parents know what you're doing out here?

Mm, man, I don't know what you're talking about, man.

I'm talking about your slinging.

Man, I gotta do what I gotta do to survive in these streets.

Well, I just got out of prison.

Ain't no picnic in there, man.

Ain't no joke, it's for real.

Somebody young like you...

...they'll eat you up.

So, are we ready to move forward with this deal?

Yes, we are. The building has been notified

-and we start demolition in two weeks. -That's good news.

I see you are very, very comfortable

with your hand in the cookie jar, huh?

Trust me,

I have just as much at stake as you do.

Besides, those buildings are a waste of the city's money!

All right, let's just get it moving, okay?

Okay.

Come on.

So, I heard about the tryouts.

So, you gonna give it a shot?

You know how many Black players made it to the pros?

I don't think any of 'em been to prison.

Okay. All right, so, you already made up your mind that you can't do it.

But you tell them that they can do it.

Are your odds any greater than theirs?

It's two different worlds, Olivia.

Don't tell me, Black and white?

Exactly.

Is everything about skin color with you?

Yes! Yes, it is!

We always get the short end of the stick.

I understand that, but you can't clump us all

into the same category!

There are bad people in every race, Buck.

Well, I had my share of the bad ones.

Boy, when I see you out there on that ice,

I see somebody that really loves the game.

Honestly, I don't know if I still do.

Well... love it or not, Son,

you need to make it to those tryouts.

I don't know.

When are you gonna stop blaming everybody else

because your life didn't go as planned, huh?

I got news for you, Buck.

Nobody's life does, including mine.

Man, forget all that. My father was murdered right in front of me.

There was no justice, none!

That same justice system comes down on me!

Come on, man, what do you know?

- What do I know? - What do you know?

What do I know? You wanna know what I know?

Back in the day, I loved this game!

I loved it! I played it with all of my heart!

All I wanted to do was play the game!

One game, a couple of white boys, they tried to take me out.

They got me with a shot to my knee caps,

a sharp blow!

And even though I was in pain, I stayed in that game!

Even scored a couple goals that helped my team win that night.

And the crowd, they hated me.

You know why?

Because I was the only Black player

on a pro hockey team.

Yeah, that's right.

So what do I know?

Man, I understand the barriers that come

when you try to play this game.

You played pro?

I was one of the first Black players...

...to ever play in the NHL.

But because of that knee injury, I had to retire, I had to give it all up.

See, even though they took away my ability to play...

...they could never take away the game that's in my heart.

Man, I love this game.

I love it!

That's the reason why I work here.

Just so I can be around the players,

in the atmosphere.

I just wish that more of our young Black kids

would learn how to play it!

That's why it's important that you make it, Buck.

They need to see you!

That's why you're here!

Um,

I didn't know you went through all that.

I played four years.

Four years in the NHL.

By the way,

man, I think you're doing a great job with these kids.

Hey, keep going, keep going!

Get back up!

Yeah, that's it!

Think about what I said?

Yeah, I did.

What'd you think?

Wanna play or what?

I'mma play.

All right.

In most Black neighborhoods, going to roller skating rinks

was a common thing. It was something that everybody did.

Roller skating just comes natural for us.

We just skate with grace and rhythm to a funky groove,

which gave me an idea.

Nah, that's--

This is amazing.

Hey, yo, look at them skates over there, man,

- that's crazy! - -Man, what is you talking about?

-Look at the girls, man! -Oh, yeah, for sure...

-Nah, look at her, bro! -...the girls.

-Man, no, what you talking about? Look at them. -You are not

looking at her, you're looking at her hot dog, bro.

You're so funny.

Hey, hey, hey, hey, fellas.

We didn't come here for the girls.

We came here to see what's happening on the floor. Look at that.

Look at them skating to the rhythm.

That rhythm, man.

That's in you guys, all right?

I want you guys to do is get some skates,

have some fun, feel the music,

and most importantly,

I want you guys to skate to the rhythm, all right?

Just like they're doing. All right, go ahead, go ahead.

Get some skates, get some skates. Have some fun.

Have some fun. Come on, Corey, have some fun.

I know you wanna get out there.

Whoo!

What you saw at the roller skating rink...

...were people that put their heart and soul into skating.

You saw the balance.

You saw the confidence.

Most importantly,

you saw people that were one...

...with the rhythm.

And all skating requires, whether you're on the wood

or on the ice,

all it takes is the rhythm.

Check it out. Corey,

you're like the drums, man.

You're like the drums, you're that underlying beat...

-...that we all have to follow. -Got it, Coach.

Flash,

you're like the guitar, man.

You're that constant steady melody that the rhythm follows.

All right?

Mike. Mike, man, you're like the horns, bro.

You gotta add that flair to every single goal you make.

- You got it, coach. - You got me?

Jojo. Jojo, man, you're like the bass, baby, you like the bass!

And the bass gotta protect that goal, you feel that?

See, when we all come together, we make the perfect band!

And you find that rhythm in you,

and win with it.

Come on, hold on-- hold on a second, I hear something.

I hear something. I hear something, it's in the ice.

It's in the ice, I hear! I hear it, it's in the ice!

Come on, come down with me! We-- we in the ice, you hear it?

You hear? Yeah! Yeah, you hear it?

- You hear that rhythm? - You hear that? You hear that?

-Yeah! Yeah, bounce with me, bounce with me, bounce with me. -Yeah--

-Yeah, yeah! -Yeah, yeah! See, that same rhythm, that same rhythm

is what you heard at the roller rink, okay?

The same thing at the roller rink, you can use it on ice.

We can win with something the other teams don't have.

And that's the rhythm. The rhythm! The rhythm.

-Say it with me, the rhythm! -The rhythm!

-...rhythm! -The rhythm!

-Rhythm! -The rhythm!

-The rhythm! -The rhythm!

-The rhythm! -The rhythm!

-The rhythm! -The rhythm!

-Rhythm! -The rhythm!

- The rhythm! - Let's go!

Let's skate, baby!

Let's skate! Let's skate!

Let's skate! Yeah!

-Come on! -Yeah, right in--

Oh!

Good shot. Let's go!

Oh!

Come on!

- That's what I'm talking about! -Now that you guys

are the rhythm, I thought you might like these.

- Ooh! - Oh!

The Rhythm! The Rhythm! The Rhythm! The Rhythm!

The Rhythm! The Rhythm! The Rhythm! The Rhythm!

Yeah! Yeah!

Hey, C! Let's go!

- Hey. - Let's go!

Dawg! Well, that's on the plug.

Y'all, it's the silly ninja.

Well, well, well, it's the Black hockey players.

what is y'all? The Black butt?

Yo! Hey, you Gege's boy, ain't you?

-Yeah. -Hey, cuz, I know your mama real well.

- Hey, dawg, tell her to call me, all right?

That's what I'm talking about, she took one for the team!

Stop talking about my mom like that.

Oh, my bad. I'll talk about your daddy then.

Wait, do you even know your daddy?

-Ooh! -Look at him.

Hey! Hey, y'all, he about to cry.

Man, get out of here!

Wh-- what's up?

- Oh, oh, you ready to square up... - -Yo, yo, yo, yo, yo,

-yo, yo, chill. Chill, chill, man, chill. -...huh? What?

- What? - Why don't y'all be easy?

Look, hey, Corey, you better get your boy

before he get two in him. You know what time it is

-around here. -Y'all head up.

- I'll catch up with y'all later. - Beat it.

-Yeah, y'all get up out of here. -Check it to him.

- What's up with you, my man?

Yep.

Let me call you back.

Ma, I need to ask you something.

Why did Dad leave? Is this something that you did?

Look, sometimes people just don't-- they just don't get along.

How do you know that he's even my real dad?

Why would you even ask me something like that?

'Cause people be saying stuff!

-Ma, are you a hoe? -What?

Listen...

...if you believe everything that you hear in this life,

you will be a fool forever.

How come I don't know him then?

Oh, Son.

Come here. I'm so sorry.

Wow.

That girl can really skate.

-Wow. -Yeah, she can.

Uh-huh.

Uh-huh.

You know, I don't mean to be all in your business and what have you,

but you, yo-- you know that girl like you, right?

You think so?

Well, to me, you know, you all right

looking from the eye brows up.

Who am I?

Look, I don't know if you noticed this, but--

I mean, she's--

She's white?

Oh! Mm.

So you, you like the dark meat over the white meat, huh?

You know, when it comes to chicken, it, it,

-it all tastes the same to me. -Man, this ain't

about no chicken!

This is--

this is about two different people...

...from two different worlds.

Anyway, what makes you think she'd wanna be with an ex-con like me?

'Cause you got potential, boy.

You can't even spell potential.

P-O-T...

...tential. Don't t-- Shut up, dummy!

You see all your sisters' kids?

We don't need no more kids in this house.

You know what to do.

Hey!

Has anybody seen Corey?

- You know what I'm saying? - -Yo, I'm looking for Corey.

What?

Yo, who you, bro?

Where's Corey?

Oh, you must not have heard me.

I said, who is you?

I'm Coach Buck.

- Down at the hockey rink. - Hockey rink?

What?

Oh, so you the one filling my nephew's head up

with that garbage.

You know, he could be out here making money

instead of wasting his time playing damn hockey.

Why the hell you teaching him that white man's game anyway?

Because he's good at it.

You should come check him out.

I see you met my uncle Ray.

He takes care of you?

You mean, do I live with him?

Yeah.

Um, my mom is--

my mom is in jail and...

...my father, um,

well, I'm not sure where he is.

I'm sorry to hear that.

Yeah. But, hey, that's my life.

Do you like playing hockey?

-Do I like it? -Yeah.

Mm, yeah, I guess.

I see potential in you, Corey, I do.

But I hate to see you throw it all away

because you're running the streets

with your uncle, risking your life.

Listen, everything I got is because of him.

So, what am I supposed to do?

Where am I supposed to go?

Exactly.

Keep it low! Keep it low!

Good job!

You got it, you got it!

...excuse me, excuse me, b--

I see the way you're looking at him.

What do you mean?

And I'm sorry, who are you?

Percy Maddox.

I'm the eyes of the law.

Ah.

Officer Maddox. That's right.

- Mm-hmm. - Oh, so he told you about me?

Yeah!

So I'm sure you know that he's a great guy

and he's also really good at hockey.

So he's got a lot of potential.

Is that what you see?

Don't you know what happens with ex-cons?

Oh, I'm sorry. What, what do they call them?

-Um-- -"Returning citizens."

Returning citizen.

-Yeah. -Man, give me a break.

Citizens pay taxes.

That fool there can't pay attention.

But anyway...

...ex-cons, especially when they're Black,

within six months, he'll be right back in the joint.

-Now, you let him mess with a white chick... -Hmm.

...might be next week.

Let me give you some advice, Becky.

-Um-- -It's Olivia.

If you're looking for a man,

you might as well look elsewhere because that right there,

that ain't nothing but a boy with a bad temper.

Ms. Taylor.

I'm so sorry,

but there's nothing else we can do.

My grandmother was diagnosed with stage four cancer.

She was the only person left in my life.

Now she's gone.

Hey, Buck. How you doing, man?

You know, I stared at that cross...

...many a days,

saying, "Where are you, Jesus?"

You know, that cross... says a lot.

What did it say about my grandmother?

I keep losing people.

I know you do, Buck, and I wish I had the answers.

But I do know this one thing, that He sacrificed

His only son on that cross for all of us,

because He loves us so much.

And when you really open your eyes,

you can see Him involved in so many ways.

But you gotta trust Him, Buck.

Don't be afraid. Just believe.

- Number five, let's get in there!

Get him.

Get him, get him!

Look out. Whoo!

Whoo!

- Whoa! Dang. - Whoo!

Looks pretty good.

Let's go, let's go!

Good job, fellas. Good job.

Motor City Rhythm, huh?

Look like that little white girl wanna get some rhythm, bro.

- What'd you need, Percy? - -I don't need nothing, man.

Honestly, I just came by to offer my condolences

regarding your grandma.

For real, man.

Lady must have been a real saint.

Had to be to put up with your ass.

- Wha-- - Ah, there he is!

There's the Buck I've been waiting to see.

Come on, bro.

So these kids can watch me whup your ass

and take you back to prison.

That's what I thought.

You got this, man, come on!

-Hey, you got it. -Whoa--

You got it.

Nice shot, man. Don't sho--

You got it, keep pushing!

Man, you can't mess with that boy.

- Hey, man, I'm open, I'm open!

- The Rhythm, baby. - Yeah.

They don't got the rhythm!

- Come on, Corey! - ...watch him, watch him.

Come on, guys, you got it, you got it, you got it!

- Let's go! - Yeah, yeah, yeah!

Hey, look, listen, listen, listen.

Ooh, we come a long way.

We come a long way.

And you see now that with the rhythm and focus...

...we can beat anybody. Anybody!

Now, the championship is next week

and we gotta turn it up a notch.

'Cause if we do, then you know we'll be taking home

that trophy next week!

Yeah!

- Yeah! The Rhythm! - The Rhythm!

The Rhythm! The Rhythm! The Rhythm! The Rhythm!

-The Rhythm! The Rhythm... -Let's go! Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!

Hello?

Uh, hello.

-Who you talking to, kiddo? -I don't know.

-They're not saying anything. -Let me see.

Mike's Body Shop.

Hello?

So, this what you wanna do with your life?

Mm, Coach, come on, man!

Hockey just ain't for me no more, okay? You got me out here

chasing something that's never gonna amount to anything.

So what does selling drugs gonna amount to?

What do you mean? I gotta do what I gotta do, okay?

-Just go, please. Leave... -Corey, listen to me--

...before my uncle Ray comes, please.

What's good, fam? What you need?

I'm glad you're here because I need to talk to somebody

about him missing practices.

Nah, my nephew ain't playing that white man's game no more.

-It's the last time I'mma tell you. -Why don't you let him

speak for himself?

Corey, what do you wanna do? Let him speak for himself!

I said he's done.

What is this?

Hey, hey, what's going on?

Look!

How can they do this to us?

They're gonna tear down the building.

What?

-You gotta be kidding me. -Oh, my God.

- Yeah. - What are we gonna do

-about the championship game? -I don't know.

We're gonna have to forfeit.

No, we can't forfeit. We c-- we gotta do something!

There's gotta be something we can do.

What can we do?

I don't know.

Save our center!

-Save our center! -What's going on here?

What are these people doing out here?

I don't know, but let's find out.

Save our center!

Save our center! Save our center!

We are here live

in front of Butzel Recreation Center in Detroit,

which is scheduled for demolition

due to lack of funds to support the hockey program.

Save our center! - The city of Detroit indicates

that it's due to lack of use,

but what they don't know is,

yes, Black neighborhood kids

do play hockey here.

- Save our center! - Excuse me.

- Save our center! - Excuse me.

Save our center!

What's going on?

They got a padlock on the door.

They're tearing down the building.

-What? -Yeah, a few weeks ago,

a Mr. Palmer from the city of Detroit visited

and said he wants to turn the center into a mall.

He doesn't think that it's doing any good for the community

or that people actually play hockey here. I-- it's unbelievable!

- Wait, did you just say Mr. Palmer? - Yeah.

- You know him? - Save our center!

As a matter of fact, I do.

- Save our center! - Say no more. Excuse me, Coach.

Save our center! Save our center!

Hm? Well, I'm going there.

Um, let me call you back.

I see you're still taking care of your business well.

Well, what are you doing here?

I thought that maybe we could, um,

talk a little business.

Oh, yeah.

-Gege, it has been a while. -Mm.

- Mm! Mm. - What'd you have in mind?

- This is what I had in mind. - Oh, yeah. Yeah.

If you don't stop that deal

with the Butzel Recreation from shutting down,

I'm gonna tell your wife all about us.

Oh, and I'll quickly call the newspaper

and let them know about all the crooked deals

that I know that you've done in the past.

Didn't think

I was paying attention, did you?

All those late nights at the hotel.

I knew what you were doing.

You wouldn't do that to me.

Try me.

-Hey. -Hey.

I made the team.

Y-- you made the team?

-I made the team. -You made the team!

-I made the team. -Oh, my gosh!

Buck, that's amazing!

Oh, you've worked so hard for this!

- This is, this is huge. - I know. It's--

-It's just-- -What?

I gotta leave tomorrow.

Tomorrow?

-Tomorrow's the championship game. -I know.

-Um... -Olivia, what are we gonna do

-about the boys? -No, you-- you gotta go.

I'm happy for you!

Excuse me, Ms. Olivia.

I changed the lightbulb down the hallway,

so we should be good to go.

Guess what? Robert made the team!

What?

Man, look at you, boy!

I knew you had it in you all the time, I knew it!

Wow! I am standing next to a pro hockey player.

W-- well, Mr. Little, the only thing is,

I have to leave tomorrow. I'm g-- I'm gonna miss the championship game.

I mean, I don't know what to do about the boys.

Hey, listen, listen,

this is your opportunity.

This don't come around all the time.

They'll understand.

But, man, this is your chance to make it to the pros.

I know, I know, I know, but I feel like the boys need me.

Hey, follow your passion.

Follow what's inside of here, Son. What's inside of your heart?

-Corey. -Yeah, Unc?

Need you to go to the store and get me some squares, man.

-Don't you need me to stay here? -Corey, go do what I asked you to do.

Just go to the store.

I got you, Unc.

Oh, boy.

Hello?

Hey, um...

...I know it's been a while.

Look, I just need you to listen to me for a minute.

Listen to you?

I can't believe you even got the nerve

to even call me right now after what you did.

After what I did?

You left me with nothing!

Look, you gave me no choice but to go out there

and do what I had to do to survive!

Why would I give you anything if you wouldn't let me see my son?

You didn't deserve to see him!

You walked out on us!

You left us!

You took that choice from me, remember?

No.

Look, we cannot keep going back and forth

about what you did and about what I did.

It's about our son.

And he needs you now more than ever.

So look, Mike is playing in the championship hockey game tomorrow.

Okay, and I think that you should be there.

That would mean a lot to him.

All right, here's your room.

How are you doing, sir? I'll take that for you.

Thank you, sir.

Over here, sir.

You got all the choices in the world.

That's what life's about.

Making the right choices.

The Rhythm! The Rhythm! The Rhythm! The Rhythm!

The Rhythm! The Rhythm! The Rhythm! The Rhythm!

- The Rhythm! The Rhythm! The Rhythm!

All right, guys, let's settle down.

Sit, sit down, come on.

You guys are so special, okay?

You've worked really hard this season

and I am so proud of you.

I mean, we finally made it

into the championship game!

And... we're not gonna let anything stop us now!

So... this may come as a disappointment to some of you,

but... Coach Buck is not gonna be here for the game.

-Whoa, whoa, whoa, excuse me? -What?

What are we gonna do then?

What do you mean--

Not here at all?

Okay, hey, hey, come on! Listen, look,

he tried out for a pro team and he got the call yesterday that he made it.

You guys know how much he wanted to be here for you fellas. You know that.

What happened to that, that whole family thing?

W-- we are one?

Man, I'm nervous.

My stomach hurts.

So, how are we gonna know what to do?

You guys gotta learn how to trust each other.

And remember everything that Coach Buck taught you!

You guys are The Rhythm!

Now let's go out here and show them what we're working with.

We're witnessing history.

The Rhythm, an all-Black hockey team,

has made it to the championship

and no one ever thought they would make it this far.

True, but The Warriors are three-time defending champions.

So it looks like The Rhythm is missing one of their players, Corey Davis.

And The Rhythm is missing their head coach,

who left this team to go to the pros!

This could mean big trouble for The Rhythm.

Let's go! Let's go!

I'm out here by myself! - Hey,

what are you doing? You're messing up. Let's get it.

I can't keep up, they're too fast!

Aw, man, come on, you can't let 'em get behind you like that!

- Hey, run this way! - -What are we doing out here?

You're messing up bad, bro.

This is high pressure right here.

This team is bigger, faster, stronger.

It's gonna take a miracle for The Rhythm to pull off a win tonight.

But let's not count out The Rhythm just yet.

Y'all keep letting 'em get past y'all, and y'all--

All right. Okay, guys, listen up.

I know you're all discouraged, but the game is not over yet.

We have to play tougher defense.

But they're skating way faster than us.

Who are we fooling? We can't win this game.

You know what? Winning isn't everything.

But the will to win is everything.

What happened? What are you doing here?

Life is about making choices.

I wanted to make the right one for my boys.

- All right, guys, okay, okay, look.

Hey, hey, hey, hey, focus.

All right, listen to me.

I'mma tell y'all a story, okay?

A long time ago,

there were a group of players that could skate faster

than anybody has ever seen.

They were unstoppable...

...but no one noticed.

Once they got a chance to prove themselves,

they won the championship.

And you know what?

They looked just like you.

They had the same thing that you guys have.

They had something that other teams didn't.

They had the rhythm.

Dig deep and grab it.

Use it!

Use the most powerful weapon

that you guys have out there on the ice.

And that's the rhythm. Okay, say it with me, the rhythm!

The rhythm! The rhythm! The rhythm! The rhythm!

The rhythm! The rhythm! The rhythm! The rhythm! The rhythm! The rhythm!

-The rhythm! -Now let's go out here and win this game!

- Let's go, let's do it, let's do it! - -All right!

All right.

Coach.

-Corey. -What's going on, man?

How you doing?

Uh...

...I'm scared, Coach.

Hey... Corey, look at me.

We got you.

- Okay? - Okay.

You think I'll still be able to play on the team?

Of course.

The rhythm! The rhythm!

The rhythm! The rhythm!

So, we're starting the third period, and it looks like The Rhythm,

-they're getting back on the ice with a bit more energy. -Wait a minute. Wait a minute,

-wait! Is that Corey Davis, the leading scorer? -It is!

What? Now, that is a development!

A huge development. That can make

-all the difference in this game. -Oh! Oh, yeah!

This Detroit team only has eight players.

- How can they compete? - Wait a minute.

It looks like Coach Buck has returned!

- I think we have ourselves a hockey game now.

Corey, we need you.

Here we go.

You're too slow, homeboy! You can't catch me!

- Good shot! Good shot! - Look at that shot

by Corey Davis. It looks like we've got ourselves

- a hockey game. - I think we do!

He's got you, boy.

Did you see that move by The Rhythm?

That was something else.

Keep it up, we got it, we got it!

Man, ain't none of them pucks getting past me, man.

Where did that come from?

Stay down!

This is incredible!

This is absolutely amazing.

Yes! Yes!

- What a game! - I, I can't believe it!

This is so good!

All right, guys, get in here.

Are you all gonna let these Black guys beat you?

- No. - Steve, Robbie,

I need you to take out number 31.

I don't care how you do it, just do it.

Now get back out there.

-Yes, Coach. -Yes, Coach.

Come on. Pick it up. Pick it up.

I got it, I got it!

Corey, come on. Get to him, man.

Let's get 'em. Let's get 'em.

Good hit, Johnny.

You're done, boy!

-Corey! -Hey, hey, hey, stay right here. Stay right here!

Get off--

Hey! Corey, Corey, Corey!

Corey, it's not worth it.

Listen to me. It's not worth it.

-Let's go. Let's go. -Come on, Corey. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go.

- You're okay. - You're okay, let's g-- -So we're down

to the final seconds of the third period.

The Rhythm is up four to three.

But can they hold on to this lead?

Wait, it looks like it's all in the hands of the goalie.

- Ain't nobody bad like me. - Ain't nobody bad like me.

Jojo, block it!

- Ain't nobody bad like me. - Jojo, come on!

We did it! We did it!

Ain't nobody bad like me!

Yes! Yes, we did it. Yes!

Jojo has saved the game!

The Rythm wins the championship! Can you believe that?

-I can't believe it. -I can't believe it!

Yeah!

The Rhythm!

We couldn't have won this game without you, Corey.

Hey, man, I appreciate that.

Thank you for everything, Coach. Really.

Hey, Mike.

You played a good game.

I know I haven't been around.

And I'm sorry.

Maybe you can give me another chance.

This is your little sister.

- Tandy, this is Mike. It's your big brother.

Buck! Oh, my God!

-That was amazing. I mean-- Oh, my gosh! We won. -No.

- We won. Um-- -So, next season, we got to start planning.

-I'm thinking we need to get new jerseys. Okay, and new gear. -Okay.

- Uh-huh. Olivia. - I have to redo the whole ice rink. I mean, we--

-Yeah? -We just won a championship.

-We won the championship. -We just won a championship.

-We won the championship! We did it! -We did it.

Coach! We did it.

- Yeah, man, we did it! Wow! - Yeah!

Wow, Jojo! Wow! Your timing is-- Man!

Hey, who's bad?

- Ain't nobody bad like me, man. - Ain't nobody bad like you.

- We won. - -I know, you won, you won!

-You won! I'm so proud of you! Oh! -I'm so happy.

I'm so happy.

Congratulations, Buck.

You've turned these boys into hockey players.

This is something they're never gonna forget.

Yeah!

Guys, let me talk to y'all for a second.

We won.

But we didn't just win.

We won victories in our own lives too.

We learned how to get over the fear...

...of not being good enough.

We learned that when you make mistakes or fall,

get right back up and you try again.

Like I said before, the will to win is everything.

Everything!

So no matter if you're old or young,

you've still got your whole life ahead of you.

We can't change a thing about the past,

but we can change our whole future.

So now's the time.

You used the rhythm to win on the ice.

Now is time to use the rhythm...

...to win in our own lives.

So I need y'all to say it with me...

...one last time.

- The rhythm. - The rhythm.

- The rhythm. The rhythm. - The rhythm. The rhythm.

- The rhythm! The rhythm! - The rhythm! The rhythm!

- The rhythm! - The rhythm!

Hey, Flash!

You missed a spot.

Oh, I think she's kicking.

Yeah, I know!

-So, yes, I learned some valuable lessons in life.

That there's something greater living inside of all of us,

with the power to help us overcome every obstacle,

to help us to never give up or give in,

and that there is always victory in the future for everyone.

- All you have to do... - And introducing Number 5.

- ...is believe. - Buck Taylor!

All right, so look...

...let me tell you something.

I wanna tell you a story about your great-grandfather.

He's one of the greatest hockey players to ever play the game.

Even better than me?

Well, I don't know about that yet, but... we'll see.

I think you'll make him proud.

-Okay. -All right.

You're gonna learn a lot about him...

-...over the next few years, okay? -Okay.

Here you go.

-Let me see that slap shot, all right? -Yeah.

- Come on, Buck, let me see the slap shot! - Yeah!

- Oh! - Come on, man!

You got it! You got it!

-Go further back! -Go, Buck.

There you go, right there. Yep, yep.

Go ahead, man. Go ahead!

Give us your best shot.

Give us your best shot!

- Whoa! - Whoo! Yeah!

Keep going, keep going, keep going!