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| Bobby Sanders | |
|---|---|
| 'Odd Man Rush andBull Run' character | |
 Tom Blyth in Bull Run | |
| First appearance | Odd Man Rush (2020) |
| Last appearance | Bull Run (2025) |
| Based on | Life ofBill Keenan |
| Portrayed by | Jack Mulhern andTom Blyth |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Robert Sanders |
| Nickname | Bobby |
| Occupation | ice hockey player,investment banker |
| Home | New York City,New York, U.S. |
Robert "Bobby"Sanders is the protagonist of thecomedy-drama filmsOdd Man Rush and its sequelBull Run, based onBill Keenan's two memoirs. He is played byJack Mulhern andTom Blyth.[1][2]
Bobby Sanders is a fictionalized character drawn fromBill Keenan’s own experiences. InOdd Man Rush, after graduating from Harvard, Sanders heads to the European minor hockey leagues, chasing the slim possibility of proving himself and earning a place in the NHL. His story unfolds with an observant restraint and is marked by moral ambiguity, an avoidance of sensationalism, and an attention to the slow accumulation of pressure rather than dramatic climaxes.[3][4]
InBull Run, Tom Blyth brings a similar tone to Bobby Sanders, delivering his direct-to-camera lines with the bemused detachment of someone watching a system collapse in real time and calmly deciding to record it. His performance threads comedy and vulnerability with precision; Bobby isn't merely mocking the absurdity around him, but grappling with a genuine existential anxiety about whether participation itself makes him complicit in something corrosive. The fourth-wall breaks externalize that conflict, allowing Blyth to register the distance between Bobby's private awareness and his public performance at work—a tension that generates humor without sacrificing thematic seriousness.[5]
Odd Man Rush is the 2020 film which introduces Bobby Sanders. It was directed by Doug Dearth and produced by Todd Slater, Jonathan M. Black[6] Grant Slater, Karen Baldwin, andHoward Baldwin.[6] The film is based onBill Keenan's 2016 memoir,Odd Man Rush, about growing up in the 1990s as a New York Rangers fan, playing college hockey forHarvard and ending up in minor pro leagues in Sweden and Germany when injuries disrupted his dreams of an NHL career.[7][8] It was released on September 1, 2020.[9][8]
Bull Run is a 2024 American film (and sequel toOdd Man Rush) directed by Alfredo Barrios Jr. and produced byDoug Ellin (the creator ofEntourage), Howard Baldwin, Karen Baldwin andBill Keenan.[10] Based on Bill Keenan's 2020 bestselling memoir,Discussion Materials, the film starsTom Blyth[11] andChris Diamantopoulos.
It premiered at theNewport Beach Film Festival on October 19, 2024.[12][13] The film was released byVertical (film company) in theaters and VOD on November 14, 2025.[14]