Five hockey movies to tide you over during the break

As the NHL settles down for a break that will hopefully end on December 27th, the break provides some much-needed time for both hardcore and casual hockey fans to enjoy some of the classic movies made about their beloved sport. From the movies I have personally seen, I have selected what I believe to be the top 5, though arguments about the order or certain inclusions and exclusions are certain to ensue.

Honorable Mention: The Mighty Ducks (1992) (Rotten Tomatoes: 21% Critics/65% Audience)

The quirky comedy, hockey's answer to the Bad News Bears, cannot be left off this list, if only because Disney used the film's success to launch The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (now just the Anaheim Ducks) NHL franchise. Emilio Estevez's Gordon Bombay and the "Flying V" formation became iconic. Thought panned by critics, the film did well at the box office and inspired two sequels and an animated series (all of which are best forgotten.)
The film was the silver screen debut of a 10-year-old actor named Jussie Smollett, who has since gone on to fame and infamy.

Dishonorable Mention: Tooth Fairy (2010) (Rotten Tomatoes: 17% Critics/41% Audience)

The fact that this stinker of a "comedy" devoid of good humor somehow made over $100 million at the box office makes me weep for humanity.

5) Youngblood (1986) (Rotten Tomatoes: 44% Critics/68% Audience)

This 1986 movie was a critical and financial flop upon its release in 1986, but gained steam in rentals and became somewhat of a cult classic. The simple plot of a young player (Rob Lowe) struggling to find his inner toughness to defeat a bullying enforcer and avenge his teammate (Patrick Swayze) did not sway critics or audiences early on. But the film grow on you with the simple charm of that many 80s movies displayed.

George Finn, who played the menacing villain Carl Racki was not a professional actor but a legit former enforcer who had piled up 364 PIMs over the course of 136 games in four years of his run in the OHL, while contributing 52 goals and 62 assists.

In addition to Lowe and Swayze, the film was the silver screen debut of a young Keanu Reeves, who played a goalie named Heaver. Reeves had been a star goalie in high school, once earning his teammates MVP vote and the nickname "The Wall" for his puck-stopping abilities.

Former NHLers Steve Thomas and Peter Zezel were among the uncredited extras used in the film.

4) Miracle (2004) (Rotten Tomatoes: 81% Critics/90% Audience)

Kurt Russell portrays Herb Brooks, the no-nonsense coach who spares no one, including himself in engineering the USA Hockey Team's remarkable gold medal run at Lake Placid in the 1980 Winter Olympics., stunning the powerhouse Soviet National Team along the way. A vast improvement over the hastily made 1981 movie Miracle on Ice.

The scene where Brooks drives his players to exhaustion with end-to-end skating drills following a draw with Norway, and forces them to understand they are playing for the USA rather than for individual glory is arguably one of the most emotional scenes in any sports movie. While Russell shines in the lead, the relatively unknown cast steps up to give the film its gritty realism.
Al Michaels, who had called the game back in 1980, re-recorded most of his commentary for the movie, with the exception of the classic "Do you believe in miracles?" which he felt he could not recreate well enough to give it justice.

Herb Brooks died in a car accident mere months before the movie's release. The film is dedicated to his memory.

3) Goon (2011) (Rotten Tomatoes: 81% Critics/71% Audience)

A lop at the box office, Goon found new life and success on Netflix. The happy go-lucky Doug Glatt (Seann William Scott) stumbles onto his dream job as a minor-league hockey enforcer, overcoming his lack of even the most basic hockey skills. By the end of the movie, the affable Glatt has earns the respect of his teammates (including the sullen, angry superstar he is there to protect), gets the girl, and defeats his nemesis, an opposing enforcer Ross Rhea in a fight. Rhea, portrayed by the incomparable Liev Schreiber who has made a career of playing nuanced bad guys, is the one puts the film over the top and makes it truly great.

A 2017 sequel, despite brining back its entire dynamic cast, is best forgotten.

2) The Russian Five (2018) (Rotten Tomatoes: 100% Critics/98% Audience)

There are some great documentaries about the game of hockey, but this one certainly stands out. It is an absolute must-watch for anyone who followed the NHL in the 1990s as the Detroit Red Wings built a powerhouse franchise which won two Stanley Cup while engaging in on the most brutal bitter blood feuds with the rival Colorado Avalanche.

Though much of the credit goes to captain Steve Yzerman and a gritty supporting cast, it was the hiring of Scotty Bowman, the defection of Sergei Fedorov and the eventual arrival of Soviet-era superstars Igor Larionov and Slava Fetisov which is the focus of the movie. Bowman's brilliant decision to put the Russian players together and trust them with a heavy workload propelled the Wings to the next level on ice and made the Red Wings a must-see attraction.

The film's most poignant and dark moments are centered around the auto accident that ended the career of one of the Five, defenseman Vladimir "RoboCop" Konstantinov.

1) Slapshot (1977) (Rotten Tomatoes: 85% Critics/89% Audience)

This cult classic is possibly the only one on this list which transcends the label of a hockey movie or even a sports movie. Though some of the colorful language may cause offense for some modern day viewers, it is still a must-watch.

Paul Newman's Reggie Dunlop has to be one the legendary actor's most iconic characters: a scheming, hustling, manipulative player-coach who goes from a lovable leader to conniving conman in the blink of an eye. You can't help but root for Newman in his quest to save his minor league team from being closed down. You laugh at his antics on the ice as he tries to make his team into a bizarre brawling attraction. You cringe when an angry Newman, who can't take no for an answer, lashes out bitterly at anyone within range.

Thought it was "The Hanson Brothers"(played by former hockey pros David Hanson, and real-life brothers Jeff and Steve Carls) on who become the public face of the team and start putting fans in the stands, it is Dunlop who sets the tone for the movie and turns it from a mediocre comedy into a complete and complex film.

Among the credited and uncredited extras used are Dick Roberge, who holds the minor league record with 852 career goals, Connie Madigan who holds the distinction of being the oldest ever NHL rookie, having made debut in 1973 with the St. Louis Blues at the remarkable age of 38, and current Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau.

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