The Mighty Ducks

The Mighty Ducks is a 1992 American sports comedy-drama film, directed by Stephen Herek, starring Emilio Estevez as the main character of the film.

The film marked the beginning of the Mighty Ducks film trilogy; the other two films were D2: The Mighty Ducks and D3: The Mighty Ducks.

It also spawned the National Hockey League (NHL) team, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (now called the Anaheim Ducks).

Plot
After hotshot lawyer Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez) is charged for drunk driving, he is court-ordered to coach a pee-wee youth hockey team called District 5. This brings back unpleasant memories for Gordon, who lost the winning goal in a shootout during a hockey game as child.

When Gordon first starts coaching, the team isn't all that great, but after a while, he starts gaining his team's trust, teaches them how to win, is able to get a sponsor and the team's name is changed from District 5 to the Ducks.

When the team makes it to the state championship, they find themselves facing Gordon's old hockey team, the Hawks and his old hockey coach, Jack Reilly (Lane Smith).

Cast

 * Emilio Estevez as Gordon Bombay
 * Joss Ackland as Hans
 * Lane Smith as Coach Jack Reilly
 * Heidi Kling as Casey Conway
 * Josef Sommer as Mr. Gerald Ducksworth
 * Joshua Jackson as Charlie Conway, #96
 * Elden Henson as Fulton Reed, #44
 * Shaun Weiss as Greg Goldberg, #33
 * M. C. Gainey as Lewis
 * Matt Doherty as Lester Averman, #4
 * Brandon Adams as Jesse Hall, #9
 * J. D. Daniels as Peter Mark, #24
 * Aaron Schwartz as Dave Karp, #11
 * Garette Ratliff Henson as Guy Germaine, #00
 * Marguerite Moreau as Connie Moreau, #18
 * Danny Tamberelli as Tommy Duncan, #2
 * Jane Plank as Tammy Duncan, #5
 * Jussie Smollett as Terry Hall, #1
 * Vincent Larusso as Adam Banks, #99
 * Michael Ooms as McGill, #7
 * Casey Garven as Larson, #33
 * Hal Fort Atkinson III as Phillip Banks
 * Basil McRae as Himself
 * Mike Modano as Himself
 * John Beasley as Mr. Hall
 * Brock Pierce as 10-year-old Gordon Bombay
 * Robert Pall as Gordon's Father
 * John Paul Gamoke as Mr. Tolbert
 * Steven Brill as Frank Huddy
 * George Coe as Judge

Production
"The Mighty Ducks" was filmed from January 22nd to April 11, 1992. It was primarily filmed in Minnesota.

Places in Minnesota that were filmed included Mickey's Diner in St. Paul, Minnesota, Gaviidae Commons at the Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis, Minnesota and the Met Center in South Bloomingdale, Minnesota (in the scene where the Ducks saw the Minnesota North Stars play a hockey game).

The scene where Gordon meets the District 5 hockey team was filmed at Elliot Park in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Hans' repair shop was filmed at 1339 Theodore Wirth Parkway in Minneapolis as well.

The scene where the District 5 hockey team becomes the Ducks & gets their new jerseys, it was filmed at the Cook Memorial Arena in Coon Rapids, Minnesota. Other filmed scenes in Minnesota included Rice Park in St. Paul and New Hope.

The scene amid the ice sculptures was filmed during the St Paul Winter Carnival in Rice Park where the ice sculpture contest occurs. Originally, it was planned for the ice palace that had been built by the Mississippi for the carnival, but an unseasonably warm January was melting the palace which made it unsafe to film indoors.

Some of the young actors in the film who claimed that they could play hockey were lying, they had to be trained before filming began.

Charlie Sheen was offered to play the role of Gordon Bombay, but he turned it down and his brother, Emilio Estevez took the part.

Actor Jake Gyllenhaal auditioned for the role of Charlie Conway, but his parents wouldn't allow him to do the movie, so Joshua Jackson was cast by the producers. Bill Murray was also considered for the role of Gordon Bombay, but he was deemed too old for it.

Actors Elden Ratliff (who played Fulton Reed) and Garrette Ratliff Henson (who played Guy Germaine) are brothers in real life. In order for Elden to be cast in the film, he had to dye his hair color and change his name.

Actress Jane Plank (who played Tammy Duncan) didn't really know how to figure skate and Katie Walhquist was her figure skating double in the film.