There's a particular moment in D3: The Mighty Ducks that perfectly captures the joy, spirit and nostalgia of cinema's most beloved team of underdogs.
After Dean Portman (Aaron Lohr) decided not to join his fellow Mighty Ducks teammates at the Eden Hall Academy, It appears that the enforcer was out in the cold.
For the majority of the film, Portman is AWOL and during the Ducks' final match against the Varisty, it looks like all hope was lost. Battered, bruised, but refusing to be broken, the team are in need of a miracle.
Just when things were looking bleakest, the prodigal Bash Brother returns at the half-time break to fire everyone up.
After finally accepting his scholarship, Portman is reunited with his partner in crime and friend, Fulton Reed, as the pair instantly start to lay the smackdown.
As soon as Portman takes to the ice, the enforcer for The Mighty Ducks is a marked man. Within seconds, his direct rival on the Varsity team makes a beeline for the Ducks star and he has only one thing in mind, to knock seven shades out of Portman.
What unfolds is one of the greatest hip checks in the history of hockey as the Ducks destroyer sends the poor Varsity player flying through the air before he smashes through the glass and lands in the crowd.
There's also some penalty box stripping as the crowd goes wild.
Are there massive plot points? Yes. Would any of this ever happen? No. Do fans of The Mighty Ducks care? Not at all because just like so many other scenes in the beloved trilogy, it's about how they make you feel and during that moment, audiences were reminded that the Ducks will never go down without a fight because they stick together.
Almost 30 years later, they're still together as some of the key members from the trilogy return in Disney's reboot of the saga, The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers.
Of course, you can't talk about one Bash Brothers without mentioning the other, Fulton Reed (Elden Henson) aka the owner of cinema's best slapshot.
Speaking with the Irish Mirror - along with his co-stars Matt Doherty (Lester Averman), Vincent LaRusso (Adam Banks), Marguerite Moreau (Connie Moreau), Garette Henson (Guy Germaine) and Justin Wong (Kenny Wu) - Henson was delighted to reprise the role of Fulton in the Disney + show.
"Well for me, I just felt happy to be there. With Steve (writer of the series), you trust him because we know he created these amazing films back then and he has done such an amazing job with the show now. It was so much fun to revisit, but I didn't have any preconceived ideas coming in about where my character would be now.
"I just felt lucky to be there. It was really fun. Like, who gets to do this? Who gets to revisit characters 30 years later?!? We all felt a degree of just being happy to be there," said Elden Henson.
Tough as nails and with a slap shot that can blast a hole through a net, smash glass or knock a goalie unconscious, Fulton is unquestionably one of the most popular players with fans.
Fiercely protective of his friends and willing to lay a beatdown on anyone that tries to mess with one of the Ducks, the metal-loving enforcer never ran away from a fight.
Now that he's back, viewers of The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers will see that not an awful lot has changed with Fulton and there's even a lovely throwback to the very first moment when he met Coach Bombay.
As fans will remember, Fulton was initially something of an outsider which is fitting because 30 years later, the new show revolves around a ragtag bunch of Pee-Wee hockey players that have been cast aside.
Rather than retread familiar ground that was covered in the famous trilogy, Game Changers focuses on a new group of kids as the underdogs form their own team with the help of the iconic Coach Bombay.
Unlike other films and TV shows that slavishly try and replicate the exact ingredients of what made the original property so special, Game Changers cleverly refocuses the action by turning the present-day version of the Ducks into, well, cake eaters.
Overly competitive, aggressively hostile, and willing to cut anyone that doesn't match their impeccable standards, the modern-day version of the Ducks have completely forgotten what made their team so special.
Essentially, they epitomise everything that's wrong with the ruthless win-at-all-costs nature of underage sport.
At the centre of all this is 12-year-old Evan Morrow, who after being cut from the powerhouse Ducks, goes on to form his own team - the wonderfully titled 'Don't Bothers' - with the help of his mother Alex (Lauren Graham) and Coach Bombay.
The new team might not have all the talent in the world, but they've got guts, friendship, and most importantly, the true spirit of the original Ducks on their side.
In the latest episode, generations collide as the new kids meet Minnesota's most famous Pee-Wee hockey champions.
Without getting into spoilers, the return of the original Mighty Ducks is a real treat for fans of the trilogy and when fans of the films think of Lester Averman (Matt Doherty), it's very likely that they hear Lester Averman!
After all, with a mouth that's as quick as his ability to move the puck around the ice, the motor-mouthed jokester was a stalwart of the Ducks. In fact, the very first time we meet the players of District 5, it was Averman's dog poo prank that instantly told the audience what these kids were like.
When he wasn't making fun of the opposition or driving Coach Bombay mad, this goofball proved himself to be a talented hockey player that contributed some key goals. He also got beaten up a fair bit on the ice too! Maybe it was his "distinctive" style of commentary?
Speaking with the Irish Mirror, Matt Doherty said that he's eternally grateful for the opportunities that he gained from being a Mighty Duck, especially since his background is similar to the character.
"It's really hard to encapsulate one special memory. I mean, we got to do three movies that then turned into a sports franchise. Then they do this show from that! For me, getting the privilege of just being able to discuss these films with fans and other people means a lot, especially 30 years later.
"Also, being able to meet people like Wayne Gretzky, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael J Fox - who just happen to visit! - Kristi Yamaguchi, Greg Louganis. That's incredible. That's not even mentioning all the hockey games we got to see!
"The experience just makes me appreciate how blessed I am to have, like, my life just change. You know, where I come from, I come from a neighbourhood that's just like where the District Five team comes from. My brothers work in a steel mill. We got to play hockey in front of 13,000 people and actually play it! That's such a blessing," he said.
As viewers will see, Averman's motor-mouth and ability to get on Coach Bombay's nerves are still as sharp as ever in Game Changers, but if you asked any fan of The Mighty Ducks who the best player was, the answer is unanimous.
Yes, he may originally have played for the Hawks and during that time he was a bit of a cake eater, but Adam Banks (Vincent LaRusso) is the Wayne Gretzky of Minnesota Pee-Wee hockey.
Upon entering the Ducks locker room for the first time, the gifted attacker was given a welcome that's colder than the ice he dominated but eventually, he won the team over and became their star man.
Graceful, lethal, and brave, the offensive player could always be relied upon to score a goal when the team really needed it the most.
However, Banks' talents also made him a marked man as he took hit after hit but like a true Duck, he never backed down and got his revenge where it mattered the most, on the scoreboard.
For LaRusso, his favourite memory was a famous one, "I'll give you a favourite scene, and I think a lot of the cast will agree with this one! I have to admit something and it's a bit embarrassing, I don't remember how much of the scene made the movie but my favourite scene was when we did the Coca Cola cans as champagne bottles at the end of The Mighty Ducks. Like, we shook up all the Coca Cola cans and then poured them all over us.
"That was absolutely incredible, it's been a while since I saw The Mighty Ducks and I don't remember how much of it made the final cut, but that was a riot. I remember being a kid and thinking, 'wow, this is incredible! Who else gets the chance to get together with ten friends and spray Coke all over each other?!?!? That was pretty great," said LaRusso.
You can't talk about The Mighty Ducks without mentioning Connie "The Velvet Hammer" Moreau because in terms of an introduction, the first time we see her on the ice tells you everything that you need to know about the very first female player on the team.
As Bombay drives onto the ice in his limo, we see Connie knocking the other boys down on their ass before kindly welcoming the new coach to the group
In fact, she's the first Duck to offer a nice word to the future 'Minnesota Miracle Man.'
Fiercely loyal to the team and willing to do anything to help them win, Connie's ability to skate around defenders and score goals made her a nightmare for opponents. As she famously said in D2: "I'm no lady. I'm a Duck!" and that will never change.
In Game Changers, Moreau has lost none of that competitive edge and aside from being extremely successful in her line of work and personal life, she continues to inspire a new generation of female hockey players.
Speaking with the Irish Mirror, Marguerite Moreau said there's one scene from the original film that she remembers fondly because it still impresses her children.
"I have a five-year-old and when I was showing him the movies before we went up to do the show, one scene stood out for me and it's the very first scene of the original Ducks. You know, the one that's like them setting a booby trap where the four boys and I put the dollar in the purse that's full of poo.
"I think it just sets the tone for how the group gels and captures the spirit of the Ducks. Like, even in the third one where we're still doing little tricks on each other and on the other team, that just feels really fun to be a part of. Being a part of that mischief was great.
"And I think I just wanted Connie in the show to be still, like, a leader. In the original film, she was sort of trailblazing back then because she was on a team of boys and pushing hard, just like the boys.
"She wasn't the token girl and even if she was, she didn't see herself like that. I said to Steve Brill (writer of The Mighty Ducks films and TV show) that so many people reach out to me and say, 'I started playing hockey because of that character.' There are now women who played at the Olympics and stuff and they said my character was a small part of that, which is very humbling and inspiring. I was like, 'let's keep some sort of her spunk and fight, let's keep her habit of always wanting to do what she wants to do, no matter what' in the show. That was fun," she said.
After beating the Hawks and establishing themselves as the dominant team in Minnesota, the stakes were even higher in D2 as the Ducks, erm sorry, Team USA, took on the formidable Iceland at the Junior Goodwill Games.
More players were needed, more Ducks were needed. Arise, Kenny Wu (Justin Wong).
The former Olympic figure skater could dazzle opponents with his acrobatic and unique technique.
After learning from Russ Tyler how to play some street hockey, Wu became a key playmaker that was also able to throw a few punches when needed. After all, it takes some fight and bottle to be known as 'the third Bash Brother.'
In The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, viewers will see that Kenny Wu still has the ability to score the most stylsh goals possible but for Wong, his favourite scene from the films involved a memorable prank that plenty of people have probably tried since.
"Some kids actually asked me this question the other day and the first thing that came to my head, even though I hadn't seen the movies in a long time, was the shaving cream scene where me, Shawn, and Mike Vitar were putting shaving cream on Ty's (Dwayne Robertson) hand and then doing the feather prank.
"To me, no matter what, even if you're just acting that scene, it's just hilarious watching someone just slabber themselves with a bunch of shaving cream. You're not even acting, you're doing that for real. It's so much fun! Then you watch that scene and it suddenly cuts to Elden and Aaron jumping on their beds, moshing with their hockey sticks as guitars. That scene definitely comes to mind when I think of my favourites!" said Wong.
With millions of passionate fans, almost 30 years of fond memories, 10 episodes of a new Disney + show, three beloved films, and one NHL team massively influenced by the saga, it's clear that The Mighty Ducks are continuing to fly high.
For the original cast members, the chance to put on that famous green and yellow jersey again was a no-brainer, especially given the year we've all endured.
"The show feels like it's needed and timely, it's great to have a story like this in the world right now and we got to play a tiny part in it. This show brings a lot of joy. It talks about overcoming the odds, what it's like to be disregarded, misrepresented and underrepresented. To me, it's the underdog story that will always live and to be a part of that is pretty humbling," said Matt Doherty.
Few people would call The Mighty Ducks films the greatest of all time. However, plenty more would call them their favourite to watch, especially when they need a fun and nostalgic skate down memory road.
Right now, the so-called "comfort film" has rarely been more needed and that's exactly what The Mighty Ducks is.
While the new version of the Ducks are ultra-competitive and define the win-at-all-costs culture of youth sports, they're definitely not mighty.
However, we've got a feeling that with the help of Gordon Bombay, the true spirit of the original Ducks will continue to live on with the 'Don't Bothers.'
Who knows? The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers might just inspire a new generation of friends to practice their Flying-V formation and chant quack, quack, quack!
After all, ducks will always fly together.
The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers is available to watch on Disney +.
