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By Ayşe Acar

Vancouver-based filmmaker Michael Pohorly has built a career that straddles the worlds of cinema and sport. A former Hollywood crew member with credits on The Grey, The Incredible Hulk, and Man of Steel, Pohorly brings blockbuster storytelling into the arena as the creative mind behind the Vancouver Canucks’ most cinematic in-game films. 

Each year’s video transforms the team’s season into an epic saga of courage, loyalty, and belonging. Whether it’s the spy-like cool of Power Rising, the futuristic resistance of Protocol V, the heroic fantasy of Call of Destiny, the survival mission of Ice of the Dead, or the cosmic homecoming of his latest video, Mission Home, the themes remain the same: unity, hope, challenge, and the eternal comeback. 

Pohorly and his team shot the latest four-minute film, Mission Home, at Vancouver Film Studios, recreating a childhood dream of space adventure at a breakneck pace of 100 setups a day. “Making these short films is like shooting eight commercials in one weekend,” he laughs. “It’s not for the faint of heart.”

Video of 2025-26 Canucks Opening Film – Extended Edition

The film features Justin Hartley (This Is Us, Tracker) as narrator and bridges nostalgia and spectacle with cinematic influences from Star Wars, E.T., Wall-E, and Stranger Things. Fans responded instantly. “People wrote to say it gave them goosebumps, even tears,” Pohorly says. “That’s the best compliment you can get for a sports video.”

As for the future? “Next year, maybe it’s something totally different,” he says. “In sports, there’s no script, and one bounce of the puck can change everything. That’s the heartbreak and the beauty of it.”

Below, Michael Pohorly opens up about the making of Mission Home, its cinematic DNA, emotional heartbeat, and the magic of turning a hockey video into a story about what it means to come home.

Mission Home feels more like a short film than a hype video. What was the emotional spine you wanted viewers to feel beyond the usual game-day excitement?

My hope with these videos has always been to create something cinematic with a heart—not just another in-arena hype piece. Mission Home is told through the lens of a fun sci-fi adventure, but at its core, it’s about the bond between the team, the fans, and the city. The emotional spine is simple: it’s the shared energy of this city—the belief, the energy, the connection with the players that helps power their return home.

What was the brief from the Canucks? Did they give you creative freedom, or did you have to push boundaries to make it more cinematic?

The Canucks ownership and president Michael Doyle have always been incredibly supportive of taking creative risks with these videos. There’s an approval process and collaboration along the way, and the feedback I get has always made the final piece stronger, but ultimately, they place a lot of trust in me to come up with the concepts, execute, and deliver, so the pressure is definitely on.  

When you create something for a team with a legacy like the Canucks, do you see yourself more as a storyteller, a brand builder, or a fan?

It’s simple: I’m a fan first. When I was a kid, I put so much into sports, films, and books. With every one of these somewhat crazy Canucks movies, I’m always keeping that kid inside of me who looked up to the tremendous skill and dedication these players have in mind. 

What visual or cinematic references inspired the look? I got Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, E.T., Wall-E, and even Stranger Things vibes.

You got it—all of these are in there. Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica helped shape the tone of the space sequences. Wall-E was one of the many influences for my design of our little robot Juice that my industry friend Geoff Redknap built for us. E.T. and Stranger Things influenced the scenes with the kids to add in some nostalgia blended with mystery.

I wanted Mission Home to feel like a childhood dream of space adventure—something fun, cinematic, and emotional all at once. While I was writing the script, I found myself re-watching everything from The Last Starfighter to 2010: The Year We Make Contact, all those classic films that made space feel magical when I was growing up.

The idea of “home” can mean many things: the city, the fans, the ice, or simply belonging. How did you interpret that word when building the narrative?

For me, “home” has always been about more than a particular location, it’s about where you feel connection to what you love. With the Canucks, it’s the fans and the shared history of the team and the city. In the spring of 2024, we all got to feel that energy come alive during the playoff run, and it was incredible to witness and be part of.  That pure hopeful joy I felt in the building every night almost brought tears to my eyes. Trying to achieve some of that feeling of unity was an inspiration behind this year’s concept.

How long did filming take, and where did the shoot take place?

We always shoot these opening videos over a weekend in September, where the players each come in for about an hour total, as we want to be as respectful as possible of their time. This year due to scheduling, we didn’t have access to the ice at Rogers, so we filmed at Vancouver Film Studios in Burnaby.  

I shoot at a breakneck pace and aim to get 100 different shot setups in a day vs. maybe 15 setups I might do on a commercial shoot or 25 on a feature film. 

Making these 4-minute videos is the equivalent of shooting eight commercials. Steve Jackson, the DOP, and the crew are hard at work to be set for everything. Hans Dayal came in to help produce this year with Syn Goddeseth and Curtis Binkowski, as these can be a logistical Rubik’s Cube to put together.  And I also lucked out that Elliot Montello was available to come in as the co-director, as he brought so much to this project.

I was going to ask if this production had a “happy accident.” I guess it did. 

Yes, (laughs). It was when I found out that we wouldn’t have the ice available, and I had to completely come up with an entire new direction for the video, without being able to have the players training on the ice, to give the video some natural energy and excitement. 

As soon as I found out, I talked to my longtime collaborator AJ Lutsky, and we dreamed up a starfighter sequence. Then I got on the phone, calling everyone in town trying to find an actual physical cockpit that we could film the players getting in. A few hundred calls later and a bit of luck, we found one that could work for the shots.

How do you direct players—who aren’t actors—to express something authentic on camera?

Well, I try to use every trick in the book here that I can. One is known as a “silent roll”, where I have the camera operators and sound roll first without announcing it the big way we do on film sets with everyone yelling “rolling” and with having a slate clapping in front of a player’s face. This can help keep a more relaxed feeling and some of the more authentic moments can occur while I’m going through the shot with the guys before I’ve even officially called action.

The players always bring a great attitude to these shoots. It’s something totally different from what they normally do, and they lean into it with a lot of fun and enthusiasm. It’s not easy being in front of a camera for me; even after 20-plus years in film, I still find it tough when thrown into it sometimes, so I have a lot of respect for them jumping in on these videos.

Were there any memorable moments or surprises with the players on set? Whose acting skills impressed you the most?

Over the years it’s always someone different who surprises me. A couple of years ago for Protocol V (where the opposing team’s AI robots are taking over the city), Teddy Blueger had a great intensity during the training scenes. This year, Jake Debrusk was just really natural and at ease, and Evander Kane had fun with it too. Brock [Boeser], Thatcher [Demko], and Quinn [Hughes] always do great on camera as well.