The Walt Disney theatrical release "Miracle" may rank as the most aggressively marketed hockey film of all time, culminating with a 30-second ad during the Super Bowl.
The story of the 1980 gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic hockey team, "Miracle" opens Friday following a month-long advertising blitz that began last month with spots in the Bowl Championship Series broadcasts on ABC.
Disney-owned ESPN has helped promote the film, premiering its trailer on espn.com and running a national sweepstakes through cable affiliates offering a chance to win four tickets to Sunday's NHL All-Star Game. Kurt Russell, who plays the late Herb Brooks in the film, will join the sweepstakes winners at the game, along with some gold medalists from the 1980 team.
"Miracle" also will have a share of the spotlight during the All-Star festivities. Brooks, who coached the 1980 team to glory, was a Minnesota native and coached there in both the NHL and collegiate ranks. He was actively involved in the film's production and had become close with Russell before tragically dying in a one-car accident on Aug. 11.
A tribute to Brooks will be part of the All-Star Game presentation and will be shown on the ABC telecast.
The NHL and several teams have been working with Disney and its distribution arm, Buena Vista Pictures, to build hype around the release. Five players from the 1980 team recently appeared at a Los Angeles Kings home game, along with the actors who played them in the movie.
The film will be screened for media attending the All-Star Game, and possibly for the league's board of governors.
HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg is the executive producer of "Miracle."
