The Top 10 Best Hockey Movies
5. The Mighty Ducks
Stars & Popcorn’s motto is that not all great movies are good. So, while it’s easy to look back at The Might Ducks and say that it was actually not that good, it still deserves a spot on this list of hockey movies because it’s such a huge staple of so many Millenials’ childhoods. The film features arrogant lawyer Gordon Bombay who is sentenced to 500 hours of community service coaching peewee hockey. The team he’s assigned to is, well, they’re not great. It’s not until they manage to recruit a few unconventional players and learn a few life lessons, that they’re able to start playing like a real team and quickly rise in the ranks, forcing their competitors to eat their words. The Mighty Ducks went on to become a full-fledged trilogy, making it a powerhouse when it comes to hockey movies.
4. Goon
A lot of people are wondering what happened to Sean William Scott after the American Pie flicks. Well, he’s actually been working pretty steadily and even starred in one of the best hockey movies of all time. In it, he plays a loveable bouncer Doug Glatt who is a gentle giant with a gift for punching people’s lights out. The tough as nails bouncer takes no pleasure in violence, but when the local minor league team sees how good he is at brawling they manage to convince him to join. He quickly becomes the team enforcer taking on a guardian role and protecting his teammates from other players. As his reputation grows, “Doug the Thug” is targeted by other enforcers and he has to fight his way through them in order to help his team get to the playoffs. While Doug might seem like a brute, he’s got a heart of gold making him one of the best players on the big screen.
3. The Rocket
There are a lot of sports biopics out there and that’s no exception when it comes to hockey movies. The Rocket tells the tale of Maurice “The Rocket” Richard, who was considered one of the best players during the 40’s and 50s. Best known for his ability to score goals, Richard became a legend as he constantly broke scoring records over the course of his career. He was so good that other teams sent players out to stop him in order to prevent him from breaking records. The most notable record he held was scoring 50 goals in 50 games. Richard even went on to be part of 8 Stanley Cup victory teams. Needless to say, he was truly one of the greats and every hockey fan will love this biopic that won nine Genie Awards the year it came out and still holds the most nominations of any film.
2. Miracle
Most movies about the Cold War feature super spies going toe-to-toe with their Russian counterparts. However, one of the most uplifting tales from the era happened far away from any battlefield. Miracle tells the real-life tale of one of the most memorable Olympic moments of all time as the 1980 USA team takes on The USSR. The Russians were considered the best team in the world and no one expected the Americans to stand a chance against them. The team actually got their butt kicked the first time they played. Americans aren’t the type to simply roll over and give up in the face of impossible odds. Thanks to an incredible coach, the team manages to rally and pull off an impossible win. Not only was it one of the greatest moments in American sports, but it’s also one of the best hockey movies ever made.
1. Slap Shot
A lot of people think that football is pretty violent, but it’s got nothing on hockey. In fact, it can be a core strategy for some teams. Case in point is arguably one of the best hockey movies of all time, Slap Shot. In it, a small-town minor league hockey team is going to get shut down due to their sponsor’s financial troubles. Hoping to put more butts in the seats, the team captain (Paul Newman) decides to take a more violent approach to their games and unleashes his goons, The Hanson Brothers. The trio enjoys beating opposing players to a pulp and soon people are piling in to watch the games. This causes issues with some of the other players who aren’t comfortable with the new style of gameplay the team has adapted. Luckily, they’re able to come together to form and adopt an unorthodox style that makes them a force to be reckoned with.
There you have it, the best hockey movies ever made. As I said, there aren’t a lot, but if you know of any great ones out there, you should definitely let me know in the comments below. I’ll be updating this list of hockey movies as more hit the silver screen. So, don’t forget to check back from time to time to see how the rankings might change.