The Show
Interestingly (at least to me), I was actually on the scene when part of this DVD was shot, and it seemed like a pretty good concept at the time, as they were following the NHL's enforcers, players whose main skill is in dominating the physical aspects of the game. That was over two years ago. As the league changed the rules, putting an emphasis on speed and skill, the DVD became somewhat irrelevant to the league as it looks today. But for fans of "the good old days," a chance to reminisce is always welcome.

Focusing on Darren McCarty, Ian Laperriere, Jim McKenzie and Eric Cairns, the disc gets it off to a bad start, by choosing the wrong players. Only McKenzie and Cairns are really enforcers, while Laperriere and McCarthy are more like two-way players or instigators. Of course, they wouldn't want to pick "real" enforcers. That would send the wrong message to the fans, who just hate fighting.

If they wanted to find enforcers, they would have looked to George Laraque or Donald Brashear, two guys who are really lost in the shuffle of the new NHL. Of course, McKenzie no longer plays in the NHL, and the other three were all released by their teams, catching on elsewhere as less important players, despite this DVD talking about how much they mean to their teams.

While it's certainly out of date, the disc is still not a bad time. Narrated excellently by "C.S.I." star William Peterson, the disc strikes an extremely dramatic stance on the matter of enforcers. Alternating between the players' stories and montages of big hits, saves and goals, the disc is a bit schizophrenic and unable to build any kind of cohesiveness or momentum, so getting into the flow of the disc is a challenge.

The on-ice action isn't anything new for fans tuning in, though the use of on-ice microphones certainly makes it more interesting. The part of the lives of the "enforcers" that's alluded to, but not often seen, is their personal lives, which according to the disc are polar opposites of their careers. The off-ice moments unfortunately are far and in-between, limited to some family time in front of the cameras and some locker-room joking. It's nothing all that revealing, for a DVD that claims to bring "the viewer inside this world of the NHL's toughest men."

Once in a while, the show gets it right, like the section about fear and it's place in the sport and in the role of the enforcer, or the segment on Cairns, which shows the lonely parts of the job, when too much toughness lands you on the bench. But for the most part, the DVD has the unusual job of highlighting these tough guys, but not glamorizing fighting. By walking the midline, and glossing over the off-ice lives these brawlers live, the disc doesn't succeed at much.

The DVD
A two-disc set, "Honor & Courage" is packed in a standard-width black keepcase that has a tray for the second disc and a couple of promotional inserts (see The Extras for info on that second disc.) The animated, full-frame main menu provides options to play the show, select chapters and view the special features. The scene-selection menus have animated previews and titles for each chapter, while there are no audio options, subtitles or closed captioning.

The Quality
The full-frame game video used on this DVD comes from a wide assortment of sources, and as a result, the quality varies tremendously. None of it rises above your standard TV quality sports video, with grain, some blurring and color bleeds and pixilation, with the exception of the footage shot just for this disc, which is obvious, as it features either crisp sit-down interviews that have excellent color and detail, or wireless-mic narration. There's some haloing, but the new footage is mostly quite good.

The audio, presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, is very clear and well produced, putting the strong music into the surrounds, leaving the center speaker free to pump out the participants' voices. It's not the most adventurous mix, but a good one, nonetheless.

The Extras
Three shorter, specially edited versions of the show make up the brunt of the extras, focusing on three of the stars, McCarty, McKenzie and Laperierre (apparently Cairns' lack of a "La" or "Mc" in his name was held against him.) There's a lot of repetition in these bits, while Peterson's narration was rerecorded by another actor, making them only interesting to fans of the particular player, who will want to see the small bits of added material.

Three music videos for songs on the soundtrack, including Trapt's "Stand Up," Disturbed's "Stricken" and Aphasia's "Flatline." I think I have seen more videos on DVD now than I've seen on MTV in a few years. These are OK, over-the-top rock videos, but nothing "Director's Series" worthy, to be sure.

Also included on the first disc are videos that explain the NHL's new rules, which were created with EA Sports' "NHL 06" game. There are six clips, which can be viewed separately or in a group.

The second disc is an extra unto itself, as it is a five-track CD, featuring the music heard during the main feature. This is pretty standard nu-metal music, featuring all the dark, screaming rock music that fills that Fuse network that I avoid so much. Here's a track listening:

• Disturbed - "Guarded"
• Trapt - "Disconnected (Out of Touch)"
• Static X - "Dirthouse"
• Dark New Day - "Pieces"
• Bloodsimple - "What If I Lost It"

The Bottom Line
Had this been released a few years ago, it would have been well-received, when interference was the norm in the NHL, and these players were in demand. But now, in a wide-open league, these slower-skating clutch-and-grabbers, with the exception of Laperriere, are either not playing or are struggling to hold onto jobs. As a result, the show has become dated very fast, and is more of a historical document than anything else.

If you enjoyed those aspects of the old NHL, then it will be entertaining, but as a fan of the new game, it ended up being a bit boring to me. The special features, aren't much better, repeating material from the main feature. The greatest value of this set is probably the level of irony at work, as the NHL pays tribute to a kind of player the league has effectively eliminated. Of course, an improved league is worth a wasted DVD opportunity.

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.