Mighty Ducks Game Changers follows the newest generation of Ducks as they find their strength, confidence, and team. And while the kids’ stories are full of action, hijinks, and heart the parents have especially compelling arcs as well. In season two of Mighty Ducks Game Changers Lauren Graham’s Alex Morrow will come face to face with a very different kind of coach when the team arrives at Epic. Coach Cole (Josh Duhamel) is an intense and competitive hockey coach who focusses solely on the game and success, but Alex Morrow may change that over the course of the season.
The Illuminerdi had the opportunity to speak with two of the stars of Mighty Ducks Game Changers, Lauren Graham and Josh Duhamel, about their characters’ surprising similarities and differences. While both characters are parents and coaches they have very different approaches to each.
MIGHTY DUCKS GAME CHANGERS LAUREN GRAHAM AND JOSH DUHAMEL TALK ABOUT PARENTING AND COACHING IN THE NEW SEASON
During our interview Lauren Graham reveal how surprised her character is when they first arrive at Epic:
“What I think it’s going to be and what it turns out to be are two very different things. I’m ready, I bring my guitar, I’m going to make some s’mores and sit around the campfire and give these kids the summer of their lives. And then I meet [Coach Cole], who takes it very seriously and we spend most of the season kind of butting heads a little bit in terms of what is the summer and what these kids need to get to the next level or to get through their season?
And I think we both kind of learn from each other so everything’s turned up a notch. There’s like a little more sports, the kids are a little older so the relationships are a little more intense, and the aspect of us all kind of living together and being together at this camp also, dials things up a notch.”
Although this may not be the summer that the Ducks had initially expected it may be exactly what they need to go to the next level. Josh Duhamel, a new addition to Mighty Ducks Game Changers, revealed that it had been thirty years since he had skated before this series. He also talked about how his character approaches EPIC in the series, not as a fun summer camp, but a time to fully focus on hockey.
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“That is true. But I’ll just say that to answer Lauren’s response, summer to coach Colin Cole is an opportunity to get better at hockey without school getting in the way. That’s what summer is to him. But it was definitely a shock to the system when I got back on that ice after 30 plus years, it had been a long time. I played hockey up until seventh grade and loved the sport and then started playing basketball and football and other things and just sort of left the sport behind, and truly fell back in love with it this last year when I put the skates back on.
Lauren Graham also talked about how Alex’s relationship with her son, Evan, evolves and changes in season two. While Alex may technically be the Duck’s coach she doesn’t have the same competitive spirit , experience, or skills that Coach Cole can share. With Evan taking hockey more seriously Coach Cole may prove to be exactly what he needs, but Alex still has an important lesson to impart.
“Well, has Brady said to me at some point during the season, he’s like, “We’re always mad at each other.” And I was like, “I think that’s just the age.” I’m there with all his friends, I live in the dorm, I’m the coach and that’s a lot if you’re also somebody’s mom. But as a person, I just adore him. I think as a character I am trying to let him grow up and also I’m seeing how important hockey is to him.
So it’s not a little kid thing anymore, it’s something that he takes really seriously and I have to give respect to Coach Cole in terms of being probably a better person to help him with that kind of ambition than I am. I can help him have more fun so that what I mean by things is kind of turned up a notch. It’s like these are slightly older kid problems. He’s taking something more serious, I kind of need to respect that.”
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While Coach Cole may be exactly what Evan needs in a teacher he has his own shortcomings as well. Coach Cole has a very different parenting style than Alex which will come into stark focus with his son Jace. While Alex wants Evan to have fun playing hockey Cole can’t separate the coach mentality with his own son which proves to be a detriment. During our interview Josh Duhamel revealed that the nuances relationship between his Coach Cole and his son was a major part of what drew him to Mighty Ducks Game Changers.
“That’s one of the reasons I really wanted to do the show was not only the hockey and all the action and how funny I thought it was, but that very delicate relationship between him and his son. He and his son have really sort of drifted over the last couple of years. I put a lot of pressure on him and sort of immersed myself in hockey and expected him to do the same. And it’s a lot of expectations on a kid, especially even if he’s got the talent that he does.
So I think the one thing that, even as a father myself, you have to be careful about how much you hover and how much you let them sort do your own thing. And as a kid, I was given a lot of leashes, a lot of freedom, for better or worse, but you got to trust that the kid’s going to go out there and get hurt, he’s going to have his heartbroken, he’s going to win, he’s going to lose, he’s going to do all these things that don’t always feel good.
And you try to protect them from that as a father, and you sometimes just have to trust that they have to go through things on their own. In my case here, I need to give him a little bit more leash and listen to him a little bit more. And I think that that’s one thing I learned throughout the season.”
Alex Morrow and Coach Cole seem to be polar opposites when it comes to their coaching and parenting style, but throughout the second season of Mighty Ducks Game Changers they will surely learn from and influence each other. It will be interesting to see how Coach Cole changes from the mentality of the Mighty Ducks perhaps finding the fun in hockey once more. Mighty Ducks Game Changers season two is primed to be an exciting journey for the entire roster.
The premiere of Mighty Ducks Game Changers is available now on Disney Plus with new episodes each Wednesday. Are you excited for season two of Mighty Ducks Game Changers? Are you looking forward to seeing how the Ducks grow with a new coach? Who do you think has the better techniques as a parent or coach? Leave your thoughts in the comments below or on our social media and check back with The Illuminerdi for more Mighty Ducks Game Changers.
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