Plot
Gordon Bombay is a successful but arrogant Minneapolis defense attorney. After winning his 30th case, he celebrates by drinking, is arrested for drunk driving, and sentenced to 500 hours of community service coaching the local "District 5" Pee-Wee hockey team. Bombay has a troubled hockey past: as a youth player in 1973, he missed a decisive penalty shot for the Hawks, leading to an overtime loss and the disappointment of his stern coach, Jack Reilly.
Bombay meets his new team, finding they lack equipment, skill, and even a practice rink. Their first game is a humiliating 17-0 defeat against the Hawks, still coached by Reilly. Frustrated, Bombay berates the players, then teaches them to fake injuries to draw penalties, which backfires and causes more tension. Charlie Conway, one of the players, stands up to Bombay’s tactics.
Visiting his mentor Hans, who owns a sporting goods store, Bombay reflects on quitting hockey after his father’s death and Reilly’s criticism. Encouraged by Hans, Bombay reconnects with his love of the sport, skating on a frozen pond as he did as a child. He apologizes to Charlie and his mother, starting to earn the team’s trust.
Bombay persuades his boss, Gerald Ducksworth, to sponsor the team, providing new gear and practice time. Renamed "the Ducks" after Ducksworth, the team learns fundamentals and earns a tie in their next game. They recruit three new players: siblings Tommy and Tammy Duncan, who are skilled figure skaters, and Fulton Reed, a powerful shooter. Recognizing Charlie’s potential, Bombay begins mentoring him.
Bombay discovers that due to redistricting, Hawks star Adam Banks should be playing for the Ducks, and he forces Reilly to transfer Banks. However, after overhearing a misinterpreted remark from Bombay, most of the team quits, forfeiting their next game. Ducksworth tries to broker a deal with Reilly to keep Banks on the Hawks, but Bombay refuses on principle, losing his job rather than betray the team.
Bombay regains the trust of the team, and with Banks joining them, they qualify for the playoffs by defeating the Huskies. The Ducks advance to face the Hawks in the championship. During the game, Reilly orders his players to injure Banks, knocking him out. The Ducks rally, tying the score late in the final period. With time expiring, Charlie is tripped, earning a penalty shot—the same situation Bombay faced as a youth. Unlike Reilly, Bombay encourages Charlie to simply do his best. Charlie executes the "triple-deke" move Bombay taught him and scores, winning the title for the Ducks.
After the victory, Bombay boards a bus to attend a minor-league tryout arranged by Basil McRae of the Minnesota North Stars, who once played Pee-Wee hockey with him. Nervous about competing with younger players, Bombay is encouraged by the Ducks, who remind him of his own advice: believe in yourself and keep trying. He promises to return next season to help them defend their championship.
