It’s been a minute since I broke out an “all-time” article, so why not during the dog days of August? Please remember that these choices are merely opinions; I did not visit Rotten Tomatoes before making my list.
*** Note – some of these movies are not recommended for individuals under the age of 18 due to mature subject matter. Parental discretion advised.
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#3 – Mighty Ducks 2
If I had to pick one from this trilogy, the second instalment of the Disney classics gets my vote. MD1 had a better plot and hero-villain conflict; a former superstar player (Estevez) taking on his former coach, the person who influenced his off-the-ice issues before coaching. MD2 is a stark contrast to MD1; MD1 was much darker and more focused on relationship/character development. MD2 had a fun vibe, with characters like Dwayne Robertson wrangling opponents on the ice with a lasso, and a roller hockey specialist who could.. shoot a knuckle-puck?
If a person watches this movie in hopes of a Shoresy-esque hockey component, they will be disappointed. Louis Mendoza shoots left in one scene, and right in another (maybe 5 seconds apart). The tying goal features Team Iceland playing the most passive defence in the history of hockey, followed by a drop-back to the goalie, who turns out to be a skater and not Goldberg. At what point did this equipment change happen, and how did Wolf the Dentist (coach) not notice? This movie is clearly made for kids, but is so ridiculous that you’ll chuckle. MD 2 is mindless entertainment, is highly quotable (“this isn’t a hockey game… it’s a circus!”) and has a high re-watch value at hockey camps.
Under-rated thing that I liked about this movie – despite Wolf (Iceland Coach) being a straight up punk as a player and taking out Bombay’s knee in a scrimmage, he summons up the class to shake Bombay’s hand after losing in the finals. This is such a hockey thing to do – no matter how ugly it gets out there, the spirit of hockey is to honor the handshake after a loss.
#2 – Youngblood
This is more of a personal opinion than a consensus opinion. Youngblood is not a household hockey movie name like “Miracle” or “Mystery Alaska”, but it is a classic that draws so many parallels to junior hockey ‘back in the day’. The plot of Youngblood was very ‘hockey realistic’ in the 80’s/90’s; American hockey player moves to Canada to pursue his hockey dreams, has some difficulties fitting in as a rookie, has to learn how to stick up for himself, and develops relationship with savvy veteran (Patrick Swayze).
Great movies and songs have the ability to take a person back to a place and time in their lives. Youngblood takes me back to my first year junior with Pembroke (CCHL); Pembroke was a long way from St. John’s NL, especially in 2002 with no cell phones and slow internet connections. Trying to fit in with veterans like Brent Patry aiding in the transition. Youngblood had a much better rookie season than I did, points wise (hangs head).
Of all the hockey movies, the ‘villain’ (Carl Racki) is the most intimidating. Racki was released by Youngblood’s team in the early going, only to surface with Thunder Bay in time for the playoffs. It might be a movie, but it blows my mind that a team would release a smooth-skating goon like Racki!
#1 – Slapshot
The Dowd family 70’s classic is a perfect depiction of minor pro hockey. Older barns, second rate talk shows, industrious towns, travel by bus, and player-coaches – Slapshot has all the ingredients of a minor pro hockey meal. There are so many iconic scenes in this movie; some that come to mind are the Syracuse starting line-up read-out for the final game and the Hansen’s first shift in the Federal League.
Another thing that I love about Slapshot is the comedic twist of a conclusion. No one that saw Slapshot for the first time back in 1977 expected Ned Braden to start peeling down while a brawl was going on. While his character was anti-fighting from the jump, I don’t think anyone expected Braden to put on a show like he did.
Slapshot has transcended time. Walk into a coach or GM’s office in any league across any country, and you’ll likely see the photo of Reggie Dunlop with his Chiefs jersey on, standing next to a chalk board that says “we supply everything but guts”. If you’re a hockey player born in – say – 2007, there’s a really good chance you’ve heard of the Hansen Brothers, or a reference to “putting on the foil”. I made the “Reg, you see this quarter… it used to be a nickel” reference to describe the concept of inflation to someone the other day… in a Joe McGrath voice no less!