While Russia and Canada haven’t always got along, there’s certainly one thing our nations agree on: we both love hockey. So it’s no surprise that one of the breakout successes of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival is The Red Army. On the surface The Red Army is a documentary about the infamous Russian national hockey team that dominated the sport in the early 80s. But director Gabe Polsky’s love of the game, and desire to understand life behind the Iron Curtain has elevated the film beyond a standard jockumentary and into something much more nuanced, emotional and engaging. In this episode of The Director’s  Canvas, we lace up with Gabe to talk about his film and inspiration while hitting the ice, shooting some pucks, and visiting the Hockey Hall of Fame.