🏒 The Mighty Ducks (1992) – Review

🎬 Let’s start by showing y’all the trailers, shall we?

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Just like I did with Game Changers Season 1, I’ve gotta mention up top: the first Mighty Ducks film is still on Disney Plus, but its sequel series Game Changers Season 1? Yeah, that got yeeted off the platform, never to be seen again 🪦🦆.

Now, for the movie that started it all — a hockey comedy-drama that, despite me not being a sports guy, still manages to have a chokehold on my nostalgic little heart. I love the first two films in this trilogy… the third? We don’t talk about the third.


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Plot Rundown (Non-Spoiler)

We meet Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez), a smug hotshot lawyer with a deep dislike for kids and hockey. Once upon a time, he loved the sport — until a soul-crushing childhood moment turned him off it forever. After getting slapped with a DUI 🚔🍺, his punishment is community service… coaching a ragtag Pee-Wee hockey team.

Naturally, this team is a hot mess: no skill, no discipline, and no matching jerseys. Through reluctant mentorship, unconventional training, and the occasional bad decision (limo on ice, Gordon?!), he slowly turns them into contenders. Oh, and there’s a villainous rival coach lurking in the background, ready to ruin everything…


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Cast & Characters 🦆

Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez) – Our “I hate kids and hockey” coach. Smug at first, but once his layers peel back, you realize he’s just a man scarred by one bad shot as a kid.

Charlie Conway (Joshua Jackson) – The heart of the team. Loyal, coachable, and low-key the moral compass. His bond with Gordon becomes the film’s emotional glue.

Hans (Joss Ackland) – The wise, kind-hearted mentor who sells hockey gear and advice. Think Yoda with skates. 🛷

The Ducks Kids –

Goldberg (Shaun Weiss) – Goalie, loves to eat, terrified of the puck at first 😂.

Averman (Matt Doherty) – Comic relief with endless one-liners.

Jesse Hall (Brandon Quintin Adams) – Feisty, hates losing, and not afraid to speak his mind.

Connie Moreau (Marguerite Moreau) – Tenacious, one of the better natural players.

Fulton Reed (Elden Henson) – Gentle giant with a rocket slapshot and zero skating skills (at first).


Adam Banks (Vincent Larusso) – Star player on the rival Hawks who gets transferred to the Ducks mid-season.

Coach Jack Riley (Lane Smith) – And here’s our villain… the most douchebaggy coach in the entire franchise. This man’s entire coaching philosophy is “If you can’t win, you’re worthless.” He literally encourages injuring kids to win games. Yeah, real role model material 🙄. Out of all the bad guys in this franchise, Riley takes the cake, the plate, and the fork.


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The Villain: Coach Riley 😡

I have to emphasize: Riley isn’t just your typical rival coach. He’s a toxic, win-at-all-costs psycho whose morals are buried somewhere in a snowbank. He gaslights his players, teaches terrible sportsmanship, and flat-out orders dirty hits. You know that special Disney sports movie magic where the villain loses in the end? Oh, it’s extra satisfying here.


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Favorite Song Moment 🎶😭

There’s a scene where Hans convinces Gordon to reconnect with the game, and a piece from the soundtrack plays that still gets me misty-eyed every time. It’s this perfect blend of hope, nostalgia, and second chances — the exact emotional lift that sets The Mighty Ducks apart from other ’90s family sports films.

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Funny Moments 😂

Limo driving onto the ice to meet the kids (Bombay, what were you thinking?!)

The raw egg puck-handling drill — clever and hilarious when it goes wrong.

The mall rollerblading “training” session where Fulton looks like a baby giraffe learning to walk.


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Season 1 vs. This Film

Watching Game Changers Season 1 years later gave me nostalgia for this movie, but also made me realize how much sharper and heartfelt the original was. The stakes were personal, the kids had distinct personalities, and the villain was truly punchable.


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Final Thoughts 💭

The Mighty Ducks isn’t just a kids’ sports movie — it’s the gold standard for underdog stories. It has humor, heart, and a villain you love to hate. This is the film that earned Gordon Bombay the title “Minnesota Miracle Man,” and it still holds up today.


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Rating ⭐ 10/10

For me, this is peak Disney ’90s family fun with just the right balance of comedy, drama, and triumph.

🚨 Spoilers – Full 3rd Act Write-Up 🚨

As the season builds, Bombay manages to whip the Ducks into shape. Their journey through the playoffs leads them right into a final showdown against Riley’s Hawks — Gordon’s childhood trauma and current redemption arc all rolled into one icy rink.

Riley, being the snake he is, tells one of his players to deliberately take out Adam Banks. During the game, Banks gets slammed into the goalpost so hard he ends up injured and sent to the hospital. The Ducks rally, determined to win for him.

The tension ramps up as the game stays close. The Ducks’ unconventional plays — some of which Riley sneers at — keep them in it. It all comes down to a penalty shot with Charlie. This is where Gordon redeems himself as a coach: instead of pushing “win or else,” he tells Charlie, “If you miss, it doesn’t matter. We’re here to have fun.”

Charlie skates, fakes, and scores. 🥅🥳 The Ducks win, the crowd explodes, and Riley gets exactly what he deserves: the sting of defeat.

Now, here’s a note for physical media fans — the DVD ending plays “We Are the Champions” over the celebration. Disney Plus does not have this version. Lucky for me, I own the DVD 3-film pack.

The movie wraps with Gordon boarding a bus for a hockey tryout, promising the Ducks he’ll see them next season. It’s a hopeful, perfect ending.