Top Five Hockey Movies to Watch During The Offseason

The NHL's offseason sucks. Plain and simple.

For two teams, it lasts three and a half months, a relatively short period of time in comparison to other professional sports.

For 14 other teams, it lasts more and more depending on their elimination from the playoffs.

And for the remaining 14 teams, it's a miserable five and a half months of reminders that your team just couldn't cut it.

The offseason is supplemented by signature moments like the Entry Draft and the hallowed July 1, the start of free agency, but by the end of August, the lack of hockey in a fan's life becomes asphyxiating. 

I feel we are in this moment now.

The majority of NHL fans probably don't care if Ilya Kovalchuk ends up in the NHL or KHL nor do the articles of trading Kaberle or anything with the name Brian Burke seem at all appealing to read.

And just when you think you're going to burst at the mention of the Winter Classic, you realize there is indeed a way to satisfy your hockey hunger.

A good hockey movie.

Despite its lack of representation in Hollywood, hockey has some gems that will give the sport a good name in film for many years to come.

Here are the top five, each slide including a video of one of best moments of each movie.

5. Youngblood (1986)

Youngblood's penalty shot

Three things happen in this movie.

Youngblood scores a goal. Youngblood gets in a fight. Someone has sex.

Repetitive at times, but when it's all tied in with 80s music, this movie will be considered a classic hockey film.

Dean Youngblood was Wayne Gretzky every time he touched the puck. In fact, every time he touched the puck, it seemed to end up in the back of the net.

Slightly unrealistic, but Youngblood did have his faults: fighting. Of course, Youngblood finally learns to be able to handle his own, and score the big goal on a penalty shot to win the game.

This movie is a lot of fun, even if you're only watching to appreciate a young Rob Lowe and  the late Patrick Swayze.

It also makes you wonder what kind of point totals a player could amass if he played like Youngblood did.

4. The Mighty Ducks (1992)

Conway's penalty shot against the Hawks

Who doesn't love Coach Gordon Bombay and the Ducks?

The Mighty Ducks Trilogy is very special to me because it opened the door to hockey in my town. Everyone had street hockey gear after the first movie was released.

Why? Because every kid wanted to be just like them.

The characters are so relateable, the misfit kids of District 5 who are terrible at hockey receive a lawyer coach who "hates" hockey after previous experiences in his hockey past.

Like any Disney movie, the kids get better with the leadership of Charlie Conway who, like Youngblood, wins the big game on a penalty shot.

In the first Mighty Ducks film, we all relive our childhoods when sports took over our lives, and were the reason why we got up in the morning.

Not to mention Bombay was probably one of the best fictitious coaches in movie history.

3. The Rocket (2005)

Richard (Dupuis) fights Bob Dill (Sean Avery)

Out of all the movies in my list, this is the one people will be the least familiar.

If you are one of those people who hasn't seen it, get it on your Netflix queue immediately because this movie is perfection in the simplest form.

The story about Maurice Richard, a humble machinist with an extraordinary talent who had to fight both on and off the ice to receive the respect he deserved.

What I really love about The Rocket is that it isn't just about a player or a team, but it shows us what the NHL was like in the 40s and 50s.

For all of those people who complain about "NHL conspiracies" should take a look at what real conspiracies are like: giving points to players who weren't on the ice, the blatant bias disrespect toward French Canadians. Gary Bettman looks like a saint in comparison to Clarence Campbell.

Despite the Rocket's hardships in life, it was undeniable that he had a God-given talent to score goals but approached his talent with the utmost humility. Roy Dupuis was stunning in his portrayal of the Rocket.

And Sean Avery makes a pretty good Bob Dill as well.

The Rocket is, simply put, a well done movie that is motivated by the richness of plot and characters. Very little outside of that was necessary to make this a stellar movie.

2. Miracle (2004)

Coach Brooks makes Team USA do "Herbies"

Miracle just makes you feel good, hence the reason why it is number two on this list.

It's all the proof needed to know that the impossible is always possible.

Everyone reading this knows the story: a group of college students and an ambitious coach take on the daunting task of facing the heavily favored USSR in the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics.

It's the greatest moment in sports history, ironically enough it's hockey related and not about Canadians, but rather, Americans.

Anyone watching this movie, regardless of nationality, should feel inspired by what these boys were able to accomplish. Months and months of grueling training for a two-week tournament that cemented their names in history.

Of course, all Americans can feel that extra warmth that it was their countrymen and their country who can boast the accomplishment. I feel like no matter what direction USA hockey goes in the future, this is a moment that can never be taken away nor tarnished.

Miracle is a great way to put that extra jump in your step when your day is crappy. The best part is that the whole family can watch and enjoy this movie.

1. Slap Shot (1977)

Shenanigans with the Hanson brothers

Sometimes, I think every hockey fan misses this style of hockey.

There is something so manly and real about this movie that just seems to fit the definition of hockey like a glove.

Because of that, Slap Shot is hands down the best hockey movie ever made and I don't think there will be a movie to surpass it. It's one of those movies you will want to watch over and over again because of the sheer entertainment that amasses in the two hours it runs.

It has the hockey skill, the fighting, the blood, the profanity, the crudeness, the sex, and most importantly, the humor. What more can anyone ask for in a hockey movie?

Paul Newman plays the aged Reggie Dunlop, coach and player of the Charlestown Chiefs, a pathetic minor league hockey team.

But things get interesting when Chiefs General Manager Strother Martin trades for a set of brothers, forever inked as the Hanson brothers. As the blood spills from the unusual threesome, so come the fans and the wins.

This movie is chock full of quotable and memorable moments that will always be considered some of the greatest moments in sports films.

And you will never, ever forget the Hanson brothers.