The 2021 NHL season has been far from normal, in keeping with the disruption around the world.
The realignment of the divisions is one major change that has come into play, whilst limited spectator attendance is almost mandatory for any sports event right now and another significant change from previous seasons. That means fans will have to settle for watching on television and maybe getting their hockey fix elsewhere also.
During the first lockdown, the NHL Player Gaming Challenge saw each club represented by one or two players on the PlayStation 4 title NHL 20, which helped fans feel closer to the action in times of stress. Video gaming is not the only media fans can use to get their fix – there are a huge number of films featuring hockey which can help keep interest piqued. However, with so many to choose from, how do you not end up watching the wrong one? By following our guide to the best five, of course.
The Miracle on Ice is a fabled event in hockey history, and you know how it turns out before the opening sequence has even rolled on this 2004 film, but it is a must-watch anyway. At times it is a spine-tingling, emotional film and outright joy to watch. Kurt Russell plays Herb Brooks, and is nothing short of brilliant. Any hockey fan, of any age, should have watched this at least once.
Slap Shot
Released in 1977, this Paul Newman sports comedy did earn plaudits from critics, and could easily have been consigned to history, but for an emerging cult following. The fictional story of the Charlestown Chiefs might not be for the faint-hearted, with strong language and a focus for on-ice violence, but it has become a much-loved and respected depiction of small-town hockey. In 2007, Dan Jenkins of GQ even labelled it the best sports film of the previous 50 years.
This was one of the feel good movies of 1992, and perhaps one of Emilio Estevez’s most famous roles. He plays Gordon Bombay, a brilliant hockey tactician looking to exercise his own demons of the past through a new team. It is saccharine sweet in places and certainly aimed at a mainstream market, but after spawning two sequels it can only be classed as an unmitigated success.
Happy Gilmore
Happy Gilmore is not as much of a hockey film as the others on the list, but it has enough elements of hockey to make it worth a watch, if not to serve as wacky inspiration for aspiring players out there. It stars Adam Sandler as an aspiring hockey player with nothing but a powerful slapshot in his arsenal, who turns to golf to find some success. Sandler is a comedy star both on and off-camera, having not only featured as a lead character in films, but also as a director. A feature by Foxy Bingo details how Sandler is also widely known for his animated work, including voicing Count Dracula in the Hotel Transylvania movies. Still, he is best known for comedy and Happy Gilmore is right up there with The Waterboy as the best of Sandler’s offbeat takes on American sports.
Like Slap Shot, Mystery, Alaska is a comedy-drama about an amateur team from a fictional town. Russell Crowe and Burt Reynolds star in a much-loved tale of the Saturday game, on the ice of a local pond. Whilst it only took $8.9m at the Box Office, from a budget of $28m, it was strangely prophetic. Released in 1999, it told of an outdoor game against the New York Rangers – within a decade the NHL were staging outdoor games, which the Rangers have featured in. Well worth a watch, if only for that.
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