by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
In the early 1990s, hockey was a really big deal for me. I played hockey for a long time when I was younger. I wasn’t very good, but I still enjoyed it. The Chicago Blackhawks were good enough to be relevant, but not good enough to win the Stanley Cup. My Sega Genesis was brimming with NHLPA Hockey ‘93. Nothing was a bigger deal for a young hockey fan than the release of The Mighty Ducks. It had a profound effect on me. The movies taught me that underdogs matter, that team hockey trumps individual performance, and that flying V doesn’t work because it’s technically an offsides penalty.
The love for hockey grew with The Mighty Ducks trilogy, but if you’re in the mood for a nostalgia grab, look no further than Mighty Ducks: Game Changers.
It’s well documented that Emilio Estevez didn’t return to season two due to a variety of reasons not worth bringing up again. Even I have to admit, though, I missed Gordon Bombay this season. This isn’t to say Josh Duhamel and company aren’t doing the best they can, but there was something about Bombay’s presence that connected older generations of fans AND showed some of his best lessons still applying to a group of young hockey players. I’m hoping potentially whatever hindered him from being back for season two gets resolved so he can maybe return to the ice.
Season two finds the newly minted Mighty Ducks invited to a prestigious hockey camp called Epic in Los Angeles, led by former NHL player, Collin Cole (Duhamel). There, the Ducks are forced to choose between friendship and individual glory. Led by coach Alex Morrow (Lauren Graham), the Ducks learn more about hockey and play against the best players from all over the country.
The team members who were chosen to come to Epic were team captain, Evan (Brady Noon), Sofi (Swayam Bhatia), Nick (Maxwell Simkins), Maya (Taegan Burns), Sam (De’Jon Watts), and Koob (Luke Islam). My first thought immediately once I saw who was invited was, WHERE IS EVERYONE FROM SEASON ONE??? They brought half the team, and some of the members of the team that I liked from Season One didn’t even make the cut. I do wonder if they just weren’t available for Season Two, or if they will no longer be part of the show. Regardless, I was frustrated to see some of the people who didn’t make the cut go to Epic.
At Epic, we immediately see Coach Cole isn’t messing around. He makes it clear from the start that this isn’t a typical summer camp, and it will be more intense than most of the kids expect. There are a lot of different drills and exercises he put the kids through to test their physical and mental strength. Some kids thrive under this type of intense pressure, and some crumble.
Some vital lessons come to light in this season. One of the lessons is about putting too much pressure on young kids. It’s a fine line between kids in middle school and high school who have aspirations to play professionally. If a kid has what it takes, how hard do you push for them to be great? More importantly, how honest do you need to be with a kid who has aspirations to play professionally when you don’t think they have what it takes? A conversation like this takes place in an episode this season, with two outcomes. First, the kid internalizes it to the point where they didn’t want to play anymore. It was pretty crushing to watch this kid have their dreams potentially destroyed. After a while, they did end up using the feedback as fuel to have a chip on their shoulders. This is yet to be determined for a result. It helped a little, but the full impact is yet to be determined.
The other important lesson involves what summer means to kids. Yes, it’s a time to maybe brush up on skills and training. It’s also a time to chill out and relax, something a lot of these kids with a lot of pressure on them desperately need. Alex is one of the people at Epic who see the potential of letting the kids embrace summer. Cole, on the other hand, believes summer is a time to work hard and make the most of your chances. These kids sacrificed a lot of what summer represents to them, but some great lessons are learned along the way. This is where we also see the best interactions between Alex and Cole.
From a performance standpoint, most of the kids are fine. The writing is doing the performers no favors with the corny and a little too cute dialogue. Nick and Maya have been relegated to comedic relief with no real hockey skills to show for their performances. Koob and Sam also are comic relief, but hardly get enough time to do much of anything. Sam in particular spends this season reacting and not much else, making it two seasons in a row where this has happened. This leaves Evan and Sofi to carry a good amount of the performance weight, along with Alex.
The notable exception to this is with Jace (Naveen Paddock). He is a talented but troubled youth who comes to Epic with something to prove. Once we see him starting to interact with more kids, he begins to open up a little more and share his struggles. His story is fascinating, and I’m glad he had the chance to showcase what he can do. I’m not exactly sure I buy how it’s resolved, but I did like some of the parts of how his struggles are fixed.
Season Two relies less on cameos perpetuating nostalgia, and rather on what the spirit of the Ducks represents. It’s starting to become meta with how much the Ducks have meant to everything hockey-related. The ducks represent underdogs and the triumph of the human spirit. The execution of this gets messy from a hockey perspective, but it’s still enjoyable to watch.
The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers’ sophomore season is a little clunky and generic. It’s missing some key people, and dare I say, missing some of the overall magic from Season One. It’s a serviceable Season Two, but it would rank on the low end of The Mighty Ducks universe shows and movies. If you are a completionist who wants to complete all series you start, go ahead and finish. Beyond that, there are plenty of other things to add to the queue before you get around to this one.
Score: 5/10
The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers is currently streaming on Disney+
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