The Mighty Ducks Cast: Then And Now
They can’t skate. They can’t win. They can’t be serious. One thing the Mighty Ducks can do, however, is age. 23 years after they first hit the ice, we tracked down cinema’s most enduring ice hockey team to see what the puck they’ve been up to…
Joshua Jackson – Charlie Conway
Before he was Pacey, he was Charlie in ‘Mighty Ducks’. Dawson made him a household name, but Jackson notched up some teen classics outside of the Creek – 'Urban Legend’, 'Gossip’, 'Cruel Intentions’, 'The Skulls’ and Bryan Singer’s 'Apt Pupil’ were all made between 1998-2000.
Sci-fi series 'Fringe’ got him onto the comic-con circuit, while a recent role in TV series 'The Affair’ has him back in the spotlight. Jackson has been married to Diane Kruger since 2006 – clearly she was a fan of The Creek.
Marguerite Moreau – Connie Moreau
One of the most recognisable of the Mighty Ducks alumni, Marguerite Moreau – who played bruiser namesake Connie Moreau – has done a pretty good job of sustaining a career, apres ‘Ducks’.
Highlights include the lead in the 'Firestarter’ straight-to-video sequel, a guest spot on 'Lost’, playing opposite Roger Sterling in 'Mad Men’ and a recurring role in Golden Globe-nominated drama 'Brothers & Sisters’. She’ll reprise her role in the Netflix-only 'Wet Hot American Summer’ sequel series, released later this year.
Emilio Estevez – Gordon Bombay
As the reluctant coach of the Mighty Ducks, Estevez returned for sequels 'D2’ and 'D3’ but did not voice any of the characters in the super-weird sci-fi animated 'Mighty Ducks’ animated series. Estevez moved into directing and won plaudits for his 2006 ensemble 'Bobby’, about the assassination of Bobby Kennedy.
His most recent success was 2010 drama 'The Way’, which starred Estevez’s father, Martin Sheen. He’s currently filming new movie 'The Public’, about a homeless sit-in at the New York Public Library.
Joss Ackland – Hans
A theatre-trained British acting legend, Ackland made a rare non-villainouis appearance in 'The Mighty Ducks’ as Gordon’s mentor Hans.
Best known for playing baddies in the likes of 'Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey’ (which he regretted) and 'Lethal Weapon 2’, Ackland slowed down when he entered his 80s, but he’s still doing what he loves: in 2013 he played King Lear at the Old Vic in London, and appeared in 'Fall Of An Empire: The Story Of Katherine Of Alexandria’, otherwise known as Peter O'Toole’s last movie.
Vincent Larusso – Adam Banks
Adam Banks was the Ducks’ star player, but we bet actor Vincent Larusso wishes he was half as in demand as his character.
Aside from a role as 'Bank Robber’ in 'Superhero Movie’, or maybe because of 'Superhero Movie’, Larusso’s film career has been on thin ice; his Wikipedia page makes for sobering reading (heartbreaking sentence: “In college, he was in a 10-minute movie called 'Fecal Matters’”).
Elden Henson – Fulton Reed
The team’s slapshot specialist and powerhouse enforcer, Henson has scored some pretty impressive career goals since the Mighty Ducks migrated. 'She’s All That’ and horror 'Idle Hands’ gave him post-'D3’ teen cred, but it was 'Lords Of Dogtown’ that got him noticed in indie circles.
He played Foggy Nelson in Netflix’s 'Daredevil’ series – so that’s where you recognised him from! – and reprises his role as Pollux in the final part of 'The Hunger Games’ series later this year.
Shaun Weiss – Greg Goldberg
Goalie Goldberg graduated to defence in 'D3: The Mighty Ducks’, even scoring the winning goal, but off the ice he’s found that fame is a slippery slope. Apart from the role as 'Bus Driver’ in lesser Owen Wilson comedy 'Drillbit Taylor’, Hollywood didn’t seem to have a role for Weiss, so he took matters into his own hands and released his own web series.
Fame parody 'What About Weiss’ is described as “Ray Donovan with dick jokes” – a trailer can be found on YouTube if you’re so inclined.
Matt Doherty – Lester Averman
If you don’t remember Lester from 'Mighty Ducks’, you might remember him as Kevin’s brother in 'Home Alone’, or as the enormously-noggined 'Heed’ in Mike Myers’ 'So I Married An Axe Murderer’.
TV work has been slim picking since the 90s, but we reckon his CV is sorted for the next ten years or so thanks to a pivotal role in Ben Affleck’s Oscar-winning movie 'Argo’ – the fact that role was 'Butler (Uncredited)’ is neither here nor there.
Brandon Adams – Jesse Hall
Just as famous for American kids classic 'The Sandlot’ as he was 'The Mighty Ducks’, Adams ran the gamut for a young African-American in the entertainment industry, with small parts in 'The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air’, 'A Different World’, 'Sister Sister’ and 'Moesha’, plus he played Young Michael in 'Moonwalker’.
He’s since rebranded as B.Lee, a profane but proficient rapper – check him out on YouTube.
J. D. Daniels – Peter Mark
The Ducks’ feisty #24, Peter Mark only appeared in the first 'Mighty Ducks’ movie. A few unremarkable movie and TV roles followed, but Daniels, now 34, is currently attending Columbia University in New York.
He should probably be studying but it looks like he spends a lot of time running his Facebook fan page, which teased “BIG NEWS” on June 28th which has so far not come to pass. Maybe 'Like’ him just in case it pans out.
Aaron Schwartz – Dave Karp
Like Shaun Weiss, Aaron Schwartz also appeared in 1995 comedy 'Heavy Weights’, but unlike Shaun Weiss, he hasn’t had to resort to writing his own web series just yet.
A recurring role in 'Gossip Girl’ (as Vanya) kept him busy, as did small parts in 'Suits’, 'Law & Order’ and 'Elementary’, the US adaptation of Sherlock Holmes. It’s probably fair to say he has grown into his looks since playing podgy defenceman Dave Karp.
Garette Ratliff Henson – Guy Germaine
The younger brother of Elden Henson, Garette played talented Ducks pucksman Guy, love interest to Connie Moreau (“I was this close!”). Henson filled out the 'Mighty Ducks’ trilogy before playing Christina Ricci’s love interest in 'Casper’.
He flirted with a career as a professional ice hockey player, but Hollywood payed better. But hey, at least he was in that 'Captain America’ movie! I mean, the 1990 'Captain America’ movie, but still.
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Photos: Rex_Shutterstock/PA/Disney/Buena Vista