‘The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers’ Recap: ‘Coach Classic’

Written by Zeke Perez Jr.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 203 of ‘The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.

Game Changers returned this week with possibly the funniest and most classically Ducks-like episode of the series. While still peppering in plenty of drama across the burgeoning team and camp dynamics, the episode was also filled with one-liners, silly side plots, and new turns for several characters. 
 
We open on a video outlining the “Coach Classic”, an exhibition game that pits the EPIC camp’s coaches against 10 “randomly” selected campers. With the belief that steel sharpens steel and the campers will improve by playing against former NHL or collegiate athletes, the coaches show no mercy on the kids, as the footage shows them racking up goals and laying hard checks. A combination of “this seems like a really bad, and maybe illegal, idea” and “this is hilarious to watch”, it feels like something that an old Hawks team might have pulled in early Mighty Ducks movies.
 
Following the trends set in past episodes, Alex doesn’t want Evan playing in the Classic for fear that it may be too tough, while Coach Cole rigs the selection process to ensure Jace has a spot, hoping that the competition will break him out of his slump. Jace is beginning to grow less sympathetic as a character, more forcefully pushing back against his dad. Evan also teeters on the verge of a breaking point with his mom, feeling like she’s controlling him and his time at the camp. 
 
Given the lopsided nature of the Classic, a side plot sees Maya ringleading Koob and Sam into orchestrating an underground sports betting ring, with the three pushing campers to take long odds and wager candy on the kids pulling off an upset. Much like the idea of former pros facing off against children in a fully-sanctioned match, the absurdity of the campers betting candy on that match fits right at home in the Ducks universe in the best way possible. 
 
The Coach Classic felt like a good opportunity to bring in a few actual NHLers or hockey legends for a cameo, a la Mike Modano and Basil McRae in the first film, but sadly the show didn’t follow in those footsteps. It did, however, treat us to a fantastic cameo by sportscaster Rich Eisen, who perfectly fit the fun tone of the episode with some genuinely funny lines (“I gotta be honest. I do not know what I am doing here. But, they’re paying me a boatload of cash, so let’s do this thing.”) 
 
The humor flows throughout the episode. We get several great hockey jokes, including one about the “Miracle on Ice” and one playing off of the NHL’s infamous and ambiguous upper body/lower body injury designations. We also get a great Stephnie Weir episode, with the comedy pro getting more screentime and the opportunity to deliver several fantastic lines. 
 
The Coach Classic begins as you’d expect: as Eisen said, “the coaches are heavily favored… because they’re adults.” The campers land a few big plays, but the coaches dominate and take a 12-4 lead into the second intermission. By the 3rd period, Coach Cole has done everything he possibly could to help Jace get over his case of the yips, including preventing his own teammates from defending Jace and actually switching sides and joining the kids’ team. While playing for the kids, he drives a comeback (to the dismay of Maya the bookie) and looks to set Jace up with assists at every opportunity. Regardless, Jace refuses to take a shot, haunted by a blown game that is driving him away from hockey. 
 
This episode brought extra levity to those deeper storylines established in the season’s first two episodes. The team seemed to be in a good place for the moment, but the tension between Coach Cole and Jace continues to grow. Things may start to unravel again when the player rankings take center stage.

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