The speed and ferocity of ice hockey make it one of the most exciting sports on the plant and the perfect fodder for Hollywood filmmakers to work their magic.
Whether you love true stories, gritty violence or kid-friendly content, the sport provides the perfect backdrop for a couple of hours or so of superb entertainment.
With that in mind, we take a closer look four ice hockey movies you cannot afford to miss, starting with one that comes with a parental advisory notice!
Goon
Former Detroit Red Wings enforcer Darren McCarty’s recent interview with Betway Insider laid bare the brutality of a sport that is not for the faint-hearted.
The makers of controversial 2011 movie Goon took plenty of inspiration from McCarty’s era, where fighting played a much bigger role in ice hockey than it does today.
Seann William Scott is superb as Doug Glatt, a bouncer who signs for an ice hockey team and ends up becoming a massive fan favourite.
His eventual meeting with most formidable enforcer in the league, Ross ‘the Boss’ Rhea (Liev Schreiber), lays bare the brutality of the sport.
Miracle
When it comes to sporting drama, the United States’ run to the gold medal in the ice hockey tournament at the 1980 Winter Olympics takes some beating.
Coach Herb Brooks’ decision to select an inexperienced roster was heavily criticised in the run-up to the Games, particularly with the mighty Soviet Union team in opposition.
However, Brooks had built a squad that was greater than the sum of its parts and their performance against the Soviets in the semi-final vindicated his decision.
The Miracle movie, set against the backdrop of the Cold War, perfectly encapsulates the off-ice tensions between the US and Soviet Union at the time.
Slap Shot
First released in 1977, Slap Slot received a lukewarm reception from critics but has since become widely recognised as one of the finest sports movies of all time.
The closure of a local steel mill threatens the existence of the town’s minor league hockey team, the Charlestown Chiefs, who have been struggling on the ice.
Player/coach Reggie Dunlop (Paul Newman) takes drastic action, introducing a violent style of play that finds favour with the team’s supporters.
With the hugely aggressive Hanson Brothers in their line-up, the Chiefs embark on a thrilling journey back up the ice hockey ranks.
The Mighty Ducks
Disney are masters of making feel-good movies and they undoubtedly hit all the right notes with the 1992 classic The Mighty Ducks.
The story centres around Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez), whose fall from grace as a star player to drunk driver sees him tasked with coaching a ramshackle junior team.
After some initial resistance Bombay eventually gets to grips with the job at hand and completely transforms the team’s fortunes.
With plenty of heart-warming life lessons along the way, The Mighty Ducks is rightly revered as one of the best ice hockey films ever made.