Comparison Essay

The Mighty Ducks vs. Miracle

There are many great hockey movies out to the general public. Viewers have many options, but the two that I think stand out the most are The Mighty Ducks and Miracle. The Mighty Ducks about a youth pee-wee team, and Miracle about the 1980 U.S Olympic team. Both have the same general message but take totally different routes on telling their story. One being based on a true story and the other being fictional. These movies share many of the same qualities. The purpose of this essay is to compare how both teams are underdogs and not expected to produce any type of results, overcoming all the controversy faced, and successfully conquering their goal of winning the championship.
The Ducks were the last place team in in the league and didn’t even have a team name, they were just called District 5 because that is the area where all the kids lived. Distract 5 was always the last place team and never won a game. The team didn’t even have all the proper equipment, or facility. It was really just a bunch of kids who loved the game of hockey. As another season rolled around they were projected to be the last place team once again. Then along came Gordon Bombay, a successful defense attorney, was arrested for a DWI and sentenced to community service; which was coaching this god- awful team. Bombay used to be a star in the local pee-wee hockey league, when he played for the always first place team, The Hawks. So he was no rookie when it came to little league hockey. The first game was against Gordon’s childhood team, and his new team was destroyed. In attendance to the game was Bombay’s childhood mentor and family friend, Hans, who owned a local sporting goods store. Hans encouraged Gordon to rekindle his childhood passion. So coach Bombay asked his boss Gerald Ducksworth if he would sponsor the team. His boss agreed therefore creating the Ducks, no longer Distract 5. A new look was coming for the team. They could now afford the best equipment, and now were actually being taught skills to the game of hockey due to the now available time of Gordon. The Ducks ended their next game with a tie, and with the new look of the team recruited some new players. Due to the redistricting of the community, Bombay learns that the Hawks star player, Adam Banks, should actually be playing for the Ducks. Through losing his job over trying to acquire Banks for his team, he reveals some of his secrets. His team is not happy with Gordon and resort to their old ways. Bombay wins back his team and Banks shows how crucial he is to the Ducks. With their new look, skills, and players, the Ducks do what they thought would never happen. They won the Championship, after the final buzzer went off, The Ducks and their families rushed on to the ice in triumph.
Much like the Ducks, the 1980 US Olympic Men’s ice hockey team was also counted out before they could even prove themselves to the world. With the Soviets being the number one team in the world, the US was not even given a chance in the Olympics since their team would consist of all college players. Coach Herb Brooks attends tryouts to pick his team. After the first day of tryouts Herb cuts it down from over 100 players to just 26, who would later need to be cut down to 20 for a final roster. During the first practice tempers rose, and 2 college rivals got into a fight over something that happened in college. Brooks informs them that the old rivalries needed to stop and they needed to start acting like a team and not a bunch of individuals. During an exhibition match that ended in a 3-3 tie, Herb noticed that his players were distracted by some blondes in the crowd, realizing that they were not playing to their potential. After the game, the players were forced to stay on the ice and skate mountains (similar to suicides), after each one he asked a player his name and who he played for. The first couple announced their name and what college they play for. Herb continued his

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