The Boys on the Bus is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Bob McKeown and released in 1987."Oilers' season captured in film Boys on the Bus". North Bay Nugget, October 20, 1987. The film is a portrait of the Edmonton Oilers in their late 1980s NHL playoff runs, featuring both on-ice footage and a behind the scenes portrait of the team members.Mike Boone, "Film on Oilers an intimate look at hockey champions". Montreal Gazette, May 17, 1988.
The film was originally shot during the 1985-86 NHL season; however, after the Oilers were eliminated from the 1986 Stanley Cup playoffs by the Calgary Flames in the division finals, McKeown opted to return during the 1986-87 NHL season to shoot additional material, culminating in the Oilers winning the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals.
The film premiered theatrically in Edmonton on October 19, 1987, and had a further theatrical run,Robert Tychkowski, "The Boys On The Bus premieres at Keyano College Theatre". Fort McMurray Today, December 8, 1987. before being broadcast on CBC Television on May 17, 1988 at the outset of the team's return to the 1988 Stanley Cup Finals.Bob Remington, "Program sees Oilers with fan's eyes". Edmonton Journal, May 17, 1988.
Legacy The Boys Are Back, a sequel film following the Oilers in the 1988-89 NHL season after star player Wayne Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings, was released in 1989.Grant Fuhr and Bruce Dowbiggin, Grant Fuhr: The Story of a Hockey Legend. Random House of Canada, 2015. . p. 71.
The film has remained influential for its pioneering status as one of the first sports documentaries ever to provide a behind the scenes view of its subjects rather than focusing solely on in-game performance and interviews.Simon Houpt, "An oral history of the iconic 1980s documentary that captured Edmonton Oilers at their peak". The Globe and Mail, May 23, 2025. It was directly cited as an influence by the producers of the 2020 basketball documentary miniseries The Last Dance,Mike Ganter, "The Last Dance inspired by Edmonton Oilers documentary". Toronto Sun, May 7, 2020. as well as being cited by former Oiler Mark Messier as one of the inspirations behind the creation of the 2024 sports documentary series Game Seven.
The film was rebroadcast by the NHL Network in 2017.Marcy Di Michele, "1986-87 Oilers: 'Boys on the Bus'". The Hockey Writers, March 14, 2017.
Awards
+AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryNomineesResultRef.Gemini Awards1988 Best Sports Program or Series Bob McKeown Bill Anderson, "Anne of Green Gables wins three". Nanaimo Daily News, December 2, 1988. Best Direction in an Information or Documentary Program or Series
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