Previously on The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers...
How's picking from the bottom of the board working out?
I think you should give this team a chance at least.
It's a really great group of kids.
I like the blue streak in your hair. It's badass.
You and the bad boy? Now that would be a nice rebellion.
I wanna be a part of this team. I wanna be a Duck.
Their righties play as lefties, and the lefties as righties.
Cole thought it was the only way they wouldn't humiliate us.
The Evan I used to know would never have done that.
You've reached the front office of the Anaheim Ducks.
Please leave a message.
Hi. I got your number from Gordon Bombay,
and I'm calling because I need some help.
Please get back to me at your earliest convenience
because my kids need help with their...
Hey. Is dinner over?
Well, dinner's at 7:00. It's now 8:30.
And there's a guy over there with a mop, so...
Wow, this is a tough place.
You know, honestly it amazes me how often you ignore the schedule,
when your job here is to keep the kids on schedule.
All I heard was "amazing" and then, like, a...
Speaking of schedules, tomorrow is a day off from tournament play,
so the kids can select their team captains.
Yes, right. I can tell you they won't be selecting someone
who'd humiliate the other team by playing with the opposite hand.
- Are you really still on that? - It was three hours ago.
- If anybody should be upset here it's me. - You?
Yeah. EPIC promises, top-tier competition.
And I'm sorry to say it, but the Ducks aren't exactly delivering on that.
We're on a slow ascent to greatness, and there's still a lot of games left.
And you were so sure that you could help my son.
He didn't even show up today. He's actually doing worse.
No, he's not. And I'm helping him with a lot of things besides hockey skills,
and he wants to be back on the team. He told me.
All I'm saying is you came at me with a lot of stuff
about how we do things wrong here.
All right, well, I have a plan that's gonna turn things around.
A turn is coming. Many turns.
Call me.
Oh, look. Now he knows how to use his right hand.
Guys, I'm so sorry about how the game went down.
We don't need your sympathy, dude. We can open our own door.
- I'm not letting go. - Well, we're not walking through.
Okay, fine.
I was just about to walk through there.
No, but you guys just said... What do you want from me?
Oh, it is on.
Really? You had to throw that in there?
Sorry. When it's on, it's on. I don't control that.
Anyways, you guys broke up. It was mutual. What's the problem?
- What's up guys? - Thanks.
No problem.
Awkward.
Hey there.
Sorry. Didn't deal with that door standoff great. I...
I don't handle conflict well.
That's why I can't watch those bake-off shows.
- It's fine. - You okay?
This place is incredible.
And I'm playing the best hockey I've ever played in my life here.
I should be happy, right?
But no. No.
Me and Sofi broke up.
Things are weird between me and the Ducks and... I'm not gonna lie.
When Jace walked in, I wanted to trip him.
I asked myself, "Did I give up too much for hockey?"
Yes. Sorry. It slipped. My bad. Um...
But look, you're my best friend and I got your back.
Just not in front of them, all right?
That's a separate thing. But spiritually, I got you. Big picture.
Thanks. I guess.
Okay. I may hit you with some hard truths, what my moms call a thunder chat.
'Cause it's gonna rain, whether you like it or not.
Okay. You made these decisions. This is on you.
Look, team Dominate's probably gonna win the tournament.
And then you're gonna get the chance to play in front of scouts.
And I'm gonna be the guy sitting there saying,
"Damn. My best friend's playing in front of scouts."
You've given up so much. As I see it, your only option is to go all the way.
You're right. You're right. Hockey's my girlfriend now.
You can't date a sport.
Being captain is more than just an honor.
That C on your chest at the summer showcase is like a spotlight.
- And the scouts pay attention to that. - Yeah, they do.
Now, we do things a little bit differently here at EPIC.
We wait till we're a few games into the season before we pick our captain.
That way you can make an informed decision on who you think your leader should be.
Now, I don't want any of you leaving here
until you've all agreed on a unanimous pick.
Okay? Okay, get to it.
Well, this should be easy.
We all know it's gonna be me, so we might as well just vote now.
So then we'll have the rest of the day just to chill.
He makes a good point. All in favor of Lawrence?
What's up, dude?
Actually, I don't think the captain should be Lawrence.
I think it should be me.
Okay, guys. Look, I know that yesterday was tough, okay?
But today we get to pick a team captain. This is so exciting.
- Yay. - Come on.
Feels like nominating someone to be the captain of the Titanic.
- While it's sinking. - Guys, come on.
This is a big moment. When Evan left, we lost a leader.
We became a rudderless ship. But it's time.
This is our chance to regroup. We're gonna re-rudder and rally.
With a strong captain to guide us, the possibilities are endless.
Koob. Maybe you should be captain.
Oh. No. No, no. Sorry. I did not mean for that to come out so inspiring.
I'm definitely not your guy. Um, carry on.
Maybe we can get Evan back. Also who is Evan?
Well, I think Sofi should do it.
Okay, I think we're getting ahead of ourselves here.
We can't pick a captain, you know,
without getting our heads in the game first.
It's up to us to turn this around. No one else is gonna help us.
- He's gonna help us. - Except maybe that guy.
All right, everybody. Get your stuff together.
We are going on an unsanctioned fieldtrip.
All right, everybody. Ready?
Alex?
Oh.
- Marni, hey. What are you doing here? - Just getting in my steps.
Ten thousand a day keeps the low bone density at bay.
What are you doing? Wait. Are you leaving campus?
No.
I was just enjoying nature.
Oh.
Okay. I'll leave you to it.
It kinda looks like you're leaving.
No.
- Hey, Coach. Could we stop for a boba? - Uh, sure.
- Maybe. - Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
No, no, no, no. Coach Cole does not allow leaving the campus.
- That is against the rules. - It may be his rule but it's not mine.
And believe me, Coach would support this.
We have an amazing opportunity today to improve as a team,
which is what he's always saying he wants.
So if you look at it that way, telling him would actually be defying him.
- You're right. Uh, I don't know. - Hey, Marni, these kids are hurting.
Being a perennial underdog really takes its toll.
Haven't you ever felt what it's like to be an underdog?
Every day.
You know what? Fine. But I am terrible at keeping a secret.
Don't worry. He's not gonna ask.
And if he does, just tell him we went on a long run.
He already thinks we're slow and weak.
So he won't think twice if we're gone all day.
Wait. All day? Where are you going?
You just said you're not good at keeping secrets.
That's right. You are good at this.
Thanks.
Kids, I present to you, Honda Center.
Also known as the home of the Anaheim Ducks. Made it, baby.
Whoo!
Pretty exciting, right? This team was formed...
This building was built because of a group of kids just like you. Come on.
- Yeah! - Yeah!
How did you pull this off?
Well, back at the Ice Palace,
Gordon Bombay gave me a phone number to call
in case we ran into trouble here,
a sort of "break glass in case of emergency" thing.
So hockey 911, today we are meeting the head coach of the Anaheim Ducks.
You shut yourself up.
You okay?
- Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. - Let's go, guys.
Oh, my gosh.
This is crazy.
Look. The Ducks.
There they are. Hi. I'm Gabe. I think we spoke on the phone.
Yeah.
I'm the assistant to the assistant to the director of fan relations.
- Yeah, that's made up. - He's a funny one. Yeah.
Anyway, I hear you guys are Mighty Ducks.
Yeah, that name means something around here.
We're gonna give you the first-class treatment.
All right.
Unfortunately, that doesn't include meeting Coach.
What?
- What? - Yeah, I'm sorry.
So, here's the thing. Last night there was a big executive Anaheim Ducks dinner
with a Michelin star chef who didn't read the room.
Duck was served.
Yeah, so Coach is in a little bit of a PR crisis right now.
My friend Gordon Bombay said that you could do us this favor.
You don't get it. It was full duck. Like, it was served with the head.
I didn't wanna say that in front of the kids.
Anyway, Coach feels terrible, and he'd like to reschedule.
Like, maybe next Thursday? Does that work for you?
We can't do any other day. We're not even supposed to be here today.
I'm really sorry. But, uh...
You know, we wouldn't want a Duck to leave disappointed, though.
So, we got some Anaheim Duck hats, puck cakes.
Some pens that are in the shape of hockey sticks.
They're a little uncomfortable to write with. Those are all yours.
Great meeting you guys. Good luck. Quack, quack!
I mean, what else can I tell you about myself?
My shooting percentage is scary high.
I could probably bench press all of your parents.
I saw Sidney Crosby at the airport once and we gave each other the 'sup nod.
He knew.
So, I mean, guys, it's a no-brainer.
No-brainer maybe.
But it was also a no-brainer for me last year when I got cut from my old team.
Then they begged to have me back later.
It was also a no-brainer that the new team that I started wouldn't win a single game.
We made it to the state finals.
I mean, look, guys, I've been facing adversity my entire hockey career.
Only reason I'm still here is 'cause I want it more than anyone else.
Look, if we're basing our captain off talent alone,
I stand no chance against A.J. I know that.
He doesn't need any of us for him to be great.
He said it. He said it.
But I can only succeed if we all succeed.
And that is what I will bring to the table as captain.
I will never stop fighting for all of you. I promise.
- Wow. - Wow, what? No, there's no wow.
He said I... He said it. I was... I'm better. I'm better.
I'd be a better captain.
All votes for Evan?
Oof. Looks like we got ourselves a stalemate.
- How are we gonna figure this out? - Well, we gotta see who wants it more.
How about an endurance competition?
- I'm down. - Let's go to the ice.
Or maybe we bring the ice to us.
All right, guys.
Welcome to the ice bath challenge. Test of will.
Last man in the tub is captain. Do both parties agree to the terms?
- Agreed. Bring it. - Let's go.
Bro, it's no problem. I got ice water in my veins.
Yeah!
- Anyone got a magazine and some candles? - Yeah.
This is lovely.
- Sunglasses maybe? - Sunscreen?
- I can start tanning. - You got it.
I'm sorry, guys. I feel like I let you down once again.
No, Coach. Don't say that. I mean, look how close we are to the rink.
That is pro ice, right there.
Plus, we got these hats.
I mean, you can't beat the hats, I mean, they're one size fits most, baby.
And I ate four puck cakes so I'm pretty sure I'm fixed.
No. No, no. You know what?
We did not come here for hats and cupcakes. I'll be right back.
- Think she's getting us keychains? - Wait. Where's Jace?
There you are. I've been looking all over for you.
- What's wrong? - I'm fine.
Stop saying you're fine. What are you watching?
Uh, it's just, uh, my tragic meltdown.
- Is that the Honda Center? - Yep. All happened right here.
Last year's Summer Showcase.
Pro scouts, college scouts. Biggest game I ever played in.
- Whoa. - Yeah. Tied game with 15 seconds left.
I tried to clear it out of the zone but I whiffed.
When I pulled back it just...
Oh, my God.
You scored on your own goal.
That's awful. I'm so sorry.
Just gonna put that away.
I just cracked. You know, after all those years, under all that pressure.
- It's my dad. - He's not your coach anymore.
It's different with us.
Don't you think we should just go back inside with everyone?
I can't breathe in there. There's too many bad memories.
Well, maybe we can make some good ones.
Here are team captain picks for Focus, Hustle and Intention.
- What about the Ducks? - I have no knowledge of their whereabouts.
I was just wondering if they'd picked a captain.
Right. Right. Um... Oh, boy.
You know, someone may have heard that they were taking a long run today.
It's just a great day for a run.
There's lots of cut grass and there's a light wind.
- It's warm but it's not too warm. - Marni, what is going on?
- Alex snuck off campus with them. - What?
I did what I could and I cannot be blamed.
- Kids can't leave EPIC. That's a rule. - Maybe that's your rule.
- What? - Nothing.
Something that Alex said, the one that you're mad at.
- What is she doing? - I can't... Okay.
I can definitely tell you this. She would not tell me.
Okay, you can go.
- Okay, I'll clean out my desk. - Marni, you're not fired.
Thank you.
Wow, that was a rollercoaster.
Whoo! Ugh.
I'm on it, sir. I'm trying.
- Hey, Gabe. - Alex.
This is player and personnel only. How'd you get here?
Oh, people kept yelling and I kept going.
I just don't know what to tell my kids.
We're at this hockey camp, we're getting crushed,
and they really don't fit in.
And I just don't know how to help them and I was hoping something big,
like getting to meet the real head coach of the Ducks,
would turn things around, but...
Look, I'm sorry. I know it's not your problem. I just...
I don't know what to do.
Look, um, there's nothing I can do, 'cause I'm not a coach.
But I do know the Ducks. Come in here real quick.
So, I've been coming to these games for forever.
Ugh. I was a little bit of a misfit growing up. You know, kind of a weirdo.
I played the recorder till I was a little too old.
So, there was that. But... Oh!
When I found out that the professional sports team
that I loved was named after a bunch of misfit kids,
oh, it meant the world to me.
You had Bash Brothers, who had no fear.
You had... Oh, this guy, he invented a whole new way how to hit a hockey puck.
Russ Tyler. Yep, just a kid in the stands. He didn't play by the rules.
So they bent the rules.
They let him take the puck and put it on its side,
and the knuckle puck took flight.
This puck right here, this is the puck
that Russ scored with in the Junior Goodwill Games.
Players touch it for luck. every time they hit the ice.
- Heard of the knuckle puck. - No.
- It's players only. - Okay. Cool.
Yeah. Anyway, long story short, they won.
And they won because they decided to look at things differently.
You know, they kinda looked at things sideways.
You know, being a Duck, it was never about fitting in
or trying to find something big to help you.
Try thinking small. That's what the Ducks are all about.
All you gotta do is just figure out that weirdo awesome sideways
for each of those kids.
Alex, you want the coach of the Ducks to help you.
You are the coach of the Ducks.
Someone call the coach Come tell him to come notice
Notice
- We've lost faith and we feel hopeless - Hopeless
- Nick Ganz, they don't know the name - Name
- Mighty Ducks, we're gonna change the game - I guess...
- We still fly, though - Fly, though
Matter of fact, hit them with a high note
Yeah, we down like the V but we fly for whatever
Yeah, we're the Ducks so we're flying together
Eh, eh
Sofi and Jace I don't mean to diss them
But they were there alone Definitely kissing
- What? - Guys.
- Hey. - Get your skates on.
- I'll meet you on the ice. - Okay. Let's go.
This ain't nothing.
- Nothing. - This is insane.
Yeah, this is nuts. But I'm not giving up. Ever.
I've sacrificed too much this summer,
and, man, I'm not letting that sacrifice go to waste.
This is stupid.
Yeah! Yeah!
Let's go! Yeah!
Can anybody tell me what this is?
Uh...
- A hockey puck? - This is a knuckle puck.
- Knuckle puck? - That's right.
Somebody reminded me that the original Ducks
were challenged just like you guys
by teams that were supposed to be better than them.
So they had to look at the game sideways.
It was everywhere and nowhere.
Whoa!
I can't believe that actually worked.
So, today, I want each of you to find your inner knuckle puck.
- Who's ready to change things up? - Whoo! Come on!
Okay, Fries, you've said that your brother likes to use you as target practice.
We're gonna turn that into your advantage. All right. Fire away.
Fire away?
It went in.
- Score! Go for it! - Keep them coming.
Gertie, Sam, the two of you are fearless.
While the old Ducks had the Bash Brothers,
I would like to propose that you guys are the Smash Siblings.
Gertie, you go that way. Sam, circle around that way.
Meet in the middle, make a sandwich, take them down. Go.
Yeah. I mean, yeah.
Whoo!
I call that the Duck. Quack, quack.
Coach, I wanna score.
Yeah, I mean, that's a sideways thing for a goalie to do, right?
Yes. Great idea.
So where do we start? I was thinking, uh...
They'll never see you coming.
Sofi, you're our sharpshooter, but I think we should mix it up.
Put 'em on their heels. Try a knuckle puck?
Let's do it.
Hit it.
Nice. Bring it in, guys. Bring it in.
Great job. Really great work.
Do you think we are ready to go back and kick some EPIC butt?
- Yes, we are! - Wait, wait. Uh...
We still need to pick a captain.
I think it's easy.
I nominate Jace.
Ha!
Jace? No, I didn't mean it like that. I mean...
No, I totally get it. I mean, I don't understand either.
The captain should be the one who loves the game more than anyone.
Yeah. You've seen me on the ice. I'm a mess out here.
But you're out here.
It took a lot of guts to step back out on this ice.
You know what happened to Jace at the Summer Showcase, right?
It happened right here.
Life threw you a knuckle puck. Yet here you are.
It's obvious to me how much you love this game.
Yeah, but...
I second Jace for captain.
I agree.
Everyone, hands in. Whoo!
Ducks on three. One, two, three!
Ducks!
Hey. I found some friends who said they'd scrimmage with you.
- That's the real Anaheim Ducks! - How cute. Mini Ducks.
- Let's see what you got. - No way!
- Oh, my God! - Let's go!
Yeah!
Nice!
Yeah!
Whoo!
Thanks, man.
Hey, Morrow. You took the kids off campus? You know, we have rules here for a reason.
There are liability issues. Apparently, you don't think these rules apply to you.
- Did you even pick a captain today? - Mmm-hmm.
Yeah? Who is it?
- It's Jace. - What?
Sometimes you have to break the rules to get where you wanna go.
That was awesome.
- Hoping you'll be the real Ducks one day. - Yeah.
Look at him. I can't believe it.