Dede Allen collaborated with director George Roy Hill once again for this comedic tale of a smalltown ice hockey team who face extinction.
In another eye-catching performance, Paul Newman is at his charming best as aging player-coach Reggie Dunlop, who, when all else fails, decides he will turn to the violent Hanson brothers to whip up the crowd and change the team’s fortunes.
Screenwriter Nancy Dowd based the film on her brother Ned’s experiences playing minor league ice hockey, and in doing so manages to draw out the ridiculousness of an overly macho world defined by brutality and foul-mouthed braggadocio.