First Round Down explores what happens when an athlete's dreams don't work out

What happens when the dreams of being a professional athlete don't work out? That's the question at the heart of the new comedy, First Round Down. 

It's a Canadian film about a character named Tim Tucker, a former junior hockey champion who never really made it so instead, he takes work as a hit man. This all changes when his parents die, though. Tim is forced to shift gears, go back home and take care of his little brother. 

Minus the hit man part, First Round Down is a familiar story for director and writer brothers, Brett and Jason Butler. Both grew up dedicated to hockey but when they realized their careers on the ice weren't going far, they had to look for a new place to focus their drive and competitiveness. This is where filmmaking entered the picture. 

"Filmmaking is such an interesting process, it's one of those things where you can never be perfect at it," Jason explains. "It's similar to hockey that way; you don't walk away from a hockey game going, 'I played a perfect game' — you can always do better."

First Round Down opens this Friday at the Imagine Carlton Cinema in Toronto. For full listings, go to Imagine Cinemas' website.

— Produced by Cora Nijhawan