10 Greatest Moments in 90's Juvenile Sports Cinema

6. Mighty Ducks 2: "It's Knuckle Puck Time"

"No slap shots!" I remember my gym teacher yelling this over and over again in gym class. It was no use. Every kid wanted to see if they could do the Knuckle Puck. It was worth the penalty. The Knuckle Puck is the Triple Lindy of hockey slap shots. Better yet, its the Five-Point-Palm-Exploding-Heart technique of slap shots: only one man knows the secret. That man is Russ Tyler as portrayed by Kenan Thompson in the 1994 sports classic (completely serious) D2: The Mighty Ducks. In the sequel to the 90's hit, we find the Ducks, the ultimate underdog youth hockey teach, partnering with young players from all across America to face the world's best hockey teams in the Jr. Goodwill Games. Russ is a late edition to the team, coming in to replace an injured Duck player. He fills the Carl Weathers role in the movie. At first, he's a pain in the Duck's feathers. A heckling jokester who ridicules the young team for the soft diva-like way they play the game. When the heckling reaches a boiling point, the Ducks accept a challenge to have an old-school smash mouth game of "school-yard puck"; Russ and his crew vs America's finest. A game is played, lessons are learned, respect is forged. The Ducks find their heart and earn the respect of Russ and his boys. As a consolation prize, Russ is offered a chance to be a Duck. In addition to the raw street edge he brings to the team, he also has an awesome finishing move called the Knuckle Puck. Trying to describe the Knuckle Puck isn't an easy job. I guess you could call it the hockey version of Happy Gilmore's golf swing. Perhaps we should leave it up the man himself to define his signature shot: Fulton: What the heck kinda shot was that? Russ Tyler: Ah, you like that, huh? Fulton: Yeah! Russ Tyler: That's my Knuckle Puck. It's hard to be accurate, but it drives goalies crazy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqq-glymrRs