I'm very excited about some of the novels that I have adapted. I think they're equally as powerful, if not more. Going After Cacciato (by Tim O'Brien) is something I'm very passionate about.

People think, sports delivers a message. It's not just about winning and losing, although that's important. It's about other things, too. It demonstrates how it can say certain things about your culture and your society.

In the U.S., coaches could be the father next door. They had no formal training. They're like old hockey players. They don't go to school and study.

I speak a little bit of Russian.

If people see North American hockey and they see violence and brutality and it's not so interesting, that sends a message too about your culture.

My parents are from the former Soviet Union, from Ukraine, and I grew up wanting to be a professional hockey player.

I guess the prime example is in North America there's a thing where if there's no opportunity to move forward with the puck, then a [hockey] player is told to dump the puck into the other zone. Just give up the puck and dump it in. Give it to the other team. And to the Soviet mentality in coaching, it just doesn't make any sense. If you're a skilled player, why are you going to give the puck away to the other team? Just give it away, right?