- “You may make it, you may not, but that doesn't matter, Charlie. What matters is that we're here. Look around, who would've ever thought we'd make it this far. 1-2-3 Triple Deke. Take your best shot. I believe in you, Charlie. Win or lose.”
- ―Bombay to Charlie Conway.
Gordon Bombay is the main protagonist of the Mighty Ducks franchise appearing in: The Mighty Ducks, D2: The Mighty Ducks, D3: The Mighty Ducks and The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers. He is portrayed by Emilio Estevez.
Background[]
Bombay as a child in 1973.
Bombay grew up in Minneapolis and was a very talented hockey player during his childhood. For six years, Gordon played for the Hawks pee-wee hockey team led by Coach Jack Reilly. During the 1973 state championship game, he blew a penalty shot costing the title for the team and ending their undefeated winning streak. Sadly, Gordon's father passed away sometime shortly before the game. Both his father's death and the loss would continue to haunt Bombay into his adult years affecting his attitude towards winning.
Gordon is shown to be a superior puck handler and scorer. While smaller in stature compared to most players, he is a very proficient and fast skater, which helps make-up for the size difference between him and opposing defenders.
Appearances[]
The Mighty Ducks[]
Adult Bombay as a lawyer.
Years later, Gordon is a prominent Minneapolis defense attorney, whose brash courtroom antics, though successful, have earned him no respect among his peers. After being arrested for drunk driving, Bombay is sentenced to 500 hours of community service by coaching the local District 5 peewee hockey team. When Bombay meets the team, he realizes the kids have no practice facility, equipment or ability to go with it.
The team's first game with Bombay at the helm is against Bombay's old team: the Hawks, the team from the snooty suburb of Edina. Reilly is still head coach and remains bitter about Gordon's shortcoming in that fateful game. District 5 gets pummeled and after Bombay berates the team for not listening to him, the players challenge his authority.
Meanwhile, Bombay discovers his old mentor and family friend Hans, who owns a nearby sporting goods store, was in attendance. While visiting him, Bombay recalls that he quit playing hockey after losing his father four months before the championship game. Hans encourages him to rekindle his childhood passion. Bombay approaches his boss, Gerald Ducksworth to sponsor the team, which Ducksworth reluctantly agrees.
Gordon meets the District 5 Team.
The result is a complete makeover for the team, both in look (as they can now buy professional equipment) and in skill (as Bombay has more time to teach the kids hockey fundamentals). Now playing as the "Ducks", they fight to a tie in the next game and recruit three new players: figure-skating siblings Tommy and Tammy Duncan and slap shot specialist and enforcer Fulton Reed. The potential of Ducks player Charlie Conway catches Bombay's eye and he takes him under his wing.
Bombay donning a Duck jersey.
Bombay learns that star player for the Hawks, Adam Banks, actually resides in the Ducks' district boundaries and threatens Reilly into transferring Banks to the Ducks. After hearing an out-of-context quote about them, the Ducks lose faith in Bombay and revert to their old habits. Ducksworth makes a deal with Reilly about the Hawks keeping Banks, however Bombay refuses since it would be against fair-play, which Ducksworth berated him about when he started his community service. Left with either the choice of letting his team down or get fired from his job, Bombay takes the latter.
Bombay catching the bus for the amateur league tryout.
Bombay manages to win back the Ducks' trust and Adam Banks proves to be a valuable asset. The Ducks manage to make it to the championship against the Hawks. Despite the Hawks' heavy attacks taking Banks out of the game, the Ducks manage to score a tie and earn a penalty shot in the final seconds of the game. Bombay encourages Charlie to take the shot, reassuring him that even if he fails it will be alright. Charlie manages to score a goal using a technique Gordon taught him.
After the championship, Bombay boards a bus headed to a minor-league tryout. Although he seems daunted at the prospect of going up against younger players, he receives the same words of encouragement and advice from the Ducks he had given them, promising he will return next season to defend their title.
D2: The Mighty Ducks[]
Gordon and Team USA.
Gordon Bombay becomes a star in the minor leagues and is expected to make it to the NHL soon. However, after a career-ending knee injury, he returns to Minneapolis. Bombay is then offered a chance to coach a team representing the United States in the Junior Goodwill Games. Team USA consists of many of the old Ducks, in addition to five new players with special talents.
The lure of celebrity becomes a distraction to Bombay, who begins to neglect the team in exchange for a luxurious lifestyle. Fortunately, easy victories come over Trinidad and Tobago, and Italy in the double-elimination tournament. During this time, Fulton Reed and Dean Portman gain recognition for their enforcer skills, becoming known as the "Bash Brothers". Backup goaltender Julie asks Bombay for a chance to play, but he tells her to wait, as current goalie Greg Goldberg is on a hot streak.
Reality sets in when the team suffers an embarrassing 12-1 defeat at the hands of Team Iceland, coached by ex-NHL player Wolf "The Dentist" Stansson, who is known for his tough reputation. Team USA plays badly, but Adam Banks manages to score a goal, only to get slashed in the wrist moments later. Frustrated, Bombay drives his players even harder, but they begin to suffer, completely exhausted. Eventually, the team's tutor, Michelle McKay, cancels their practice and confronts Bombay.
However, Bombay continues to suffer until one of his mentors, Jan, personally visits him, and reminds him of how he used to love the game. During a match against Team Germany, Bombay fails to arrive on time, forcing Charlie to tell the referee that Michelle is actually "Coach McKay". They play poorly, entering the third period tied, until Bombay shows up and apologizes for his behavior. Inspired by their coach's "return", the players come back to win the game and advance to the next round.
The renewed Bombay finally realizes Adam's wrist injury, benching him despite his complaints. To fill the open roster spot, Charlie recruits street hockey player, Russ Tyler, whose unique "knucklepuck" secures USA's victory over Russia (who defeated Iceland earlier), advancing USA to the championship game for a rematch against Iceland. Before the game, Adam's injury is healed and returns to Team USA's locker room, only to find they already have a full roster. Charlie gives up his spot on the roster so Adam can play, cementing his position as the true team captain.
At first, Iceland appears to be out to dominate Team USA again, but they manage to score one goal, despite several penalties that Team USA sustain from Ken Wu, the Bash Brothers, and Dwayne Robertson. Bombay is annoyed because "this isn't a hockey game, it's a circus." After a motivational locker room speech from Bombay and new Duck jerseys from Jan, the team emerges rejuvenated. The Ducks manage to tie the game when Russ outsmarts Team Iceland by disguising himself as Goldberg, so as to prevent himself from being covered and pulling off a successful "knucklepuck", to Wolf's horror. The game is forced to go to a five-shot shootout. With a 4-3 score in favor of the Ducks, Gunner Stahl (the tournament's leading scorer) is Team Iceland's final shooter.
Bombay knows Gunner favors shooting the glove side after a triple deke, and replaces Goldberg with Julie, who has a faster glove. Gunner advances on Julie and fires a hard slapshot. Although Julie falls to the ice, she slowly turns to look at her glove while the entire stadium waits in breathless anticipation. She then opens her glove and drops the puck, signifying the game-winning save. With this, the Ducks triumph over Iceland to win the tournament, earning the respect of Wolf and Team Iceland in the process.
D3: The Mighty Ducks[]
Gordon threatening to take legal action against the board's withdrawal of the Ducks scholarship.
Sometime after the tournament, Bombay intends to take a job with the Junior Goodwill Games, which would leave him unable to coach the Ducks at Eden Hall Academy. The Ducks' struggles appear to continue as their mentor, Hans, passes away. Meanwhile Charlie lashes out and quits the team. Bombay comes to his house the day following Hans' funeral and takes Charlie back to Eden Hall.
Gordon watching the JV-Varsity game.
He tells Charlie that Orion's career with the Minnesota North Stars ended when the team moved to Dallas and he stayed to care for his paraplegic daughter. Bombay says he told Orion that Charlie was the heart and soul of the team, and it was his hope that both Orion and Charlie would learn something from each other. Touched by his words, Charlie agrees to rejoin the team.
Dean Buckley, the school's headmaster, informs the team that its board of trustees wants to revoke the Ducks' scholarships and offers Orion a chance to start anew with a team of his choice. Satisfied with the team, Coach Orion balks at the news, threatening resignation. He gets Bombay to fight for their case, which he does successfully, threatening the board with slapping them with an injunction if the Ducks are expelled from Eden Hall, swearing that no matter how long it would take, he would win in the end, and the board would face a huge financial loss from the resulting lawsuit. Faced with a no-win situation thanks to Bombay, the board, with great reluctance, reinstate the scholarships, much to the triumph of the Ducks and Orion.
Bombay's final shot of the trilogy.
Prior to the JV-Varsity game, Orion brings back the Duck jerseys. Throughout the game, the Varsity dominates on offense. However, the Ducks keep the game scoreless after two periods. During the second intermission, Dean Portman returns to the team, adding a needed spark. Late in the game, the Ducks get two penalties and must play 5 vs 3. During the time-out, Orion renames Charlie captain and tells him to go for the win if the opportunity presents itself. With seconds left in the game, Charlie passes the puck back to Goldberg, now a defenseman, who scores into an wide-open net as time expires, securing a 1-0 victory for the Ducks.
Following the victory, Charlie embraces Orion and spots Bombay who has attended the game, and they both look across to a banner with the Ducks' logo. Bombay was able to get Eden Hall to change their mascot from the Warriors to the Ducks. Bombay, then departs the game, amid a sea of cheering fans, with a smile. Now his hockey team and his protégé Charlie Conway are in good hands with Coach Ted Orion.
The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers[]
Bombay greets Alex Morrow.
Jan had passed away sometime after the events of D3, leaving Gordon the Ice Palace in his will. Bombay would later drift away from the Mighty Ducks as they began to become a team that only cared about winning under leadership of Coach T. He claimed it was hard to let the Ducks ago. Bombay did move on to run a college program for hockey students. However, he broke the recruitment rules/state laws by giving money to a kid who could not afford tape for his hockey stick. The kid went on to play for the Islanders, however since Gordon broke the rules he was asked to quietly resign. They told him he could never coach college hockey again.
With no more Ducks in his life, no hockey, and no way to revive his legal career, Gordon Bombay focused on the only way he knew to make a living: the Ice Palace. His management of the Ice Palace seemed to be haphazard, as the place was constantly in need of repairs and upgrades and Bombay had been dogged by the authorities for code violations. His personality reverted to his pre-Ducks persona; hating hockey and children. This attitude did not help in his oversight of the Ice Palace, as that was a business largely dependent on accomodating hockey practices and providing a place for families to ice skate. Years later, Alex Morrow would visit the Ice Palace asking for rink time for the hockey team that she was putting together after her son was kicked off of the now-hypercompetitive Ducks. Bombay refused at first, but changed his mind when Alex offered a great sum of money.
Alex and Evan would repeatedly pressure Bombay to go back to coaching, which Bombay would refuse all the time, however, Gordon still loved hockey deep down. While the Don't Bothers were practicing, he wrote a play in Alex's playbook, which helped the Don't Bothers to break the Ducks straight-victory streak.
Alex suspected Gordon of this however and confronted him about this. Bombay then revealed that he abandoned the Ducks because of their new attitudes and abandoned hockey because of being fired. Alex then comforted him by saying he was not alone and had them. Later on that night, Bombay had a cup of coffee by himself and took down the "No Hockey" logo on the wall of the Ice Palace.
Gordon later joined Alex, Stephanie and Stephanie's husband Clark for dinner where he volunteered Alex to take on Stephanie and the other Duck moms in the skills challenge. Gordon helped train Alex for the slap shot competition and Alex beat Stephanie's record, however her shot did not qualify because her skate went over the line. Still, Bombay congratulated her and gave her what was left of the pecan pie to celebrate.
When Bombay meets Evan's estranged father, he spends time with Evan and Rob, and even manages to get Rob to go to Evan's game against the Hawks.
Gordon was re-united with an old face soon, when some cement hit his car window accidentally by Fulton Reed. Fulton invited Gordon to re-unite with the old Ducks at Twin City Slice. Before he met up with his old team however, Alex let him know that Stephanie and the other members of the committee did not invite him to the "Spirit of the Ducks" gala because they were embarrassed by him. Not wanting to let his old team know, he blew them off at dinner. However, Evan Morrow tells the old Ducks the truth at the gala, leading the old team members to pick him up at the Ice Palace and honor him instead of Coach T at the gala. With his spirit re-newed, Gordon accepted Alex's invitation to be the assistant coach of the Don't Bothers.
With him being back in coaching he implemented several old methods he used back then like the soft passes and new methods as such when he helped Logan by flipping the puck similar to flipping a pancake. However, because of Alex's new attitude towards winning Gordon Bombay stepped in to help the Don't Bothers in the state championships.
The night before the first game, Gordon had a chat at the bar with Coach T and told him the story about how he got banned from coaching in college. Sensing that the Don't Bothers were a threat to the Ducks, Coach T told a board member of the league. The board said that Gordon's ban applied to the league since it was NCAA certified. However, Alex stepped in and found a loophole, stating that the Don't Bothers did not meet the requirements as scouts did not come their games. This allowed Bombay to coach.
The Don't Bothers make to the semi-finals, putting them one win away from facing the Ducks. The night before, Alex and Gordon sat in the arena and reflected on the journey. When Alex mentioned that she wanted to return to law school and finish her degree, Gordon was supportive and said she would make a great lawyer.
The Don't Bothers were able to win their semi-final, but it came at a price as Sofi injured her knee. While she was cleared by the medic, everyone advised her not to play, Gordon citing his history of knee injuries. As they were below the minimum roster requirement, the Don't Bothers forfeited the final to the Ducks. Alex challenged the Ducks to a game at the Ice Palace the following day: if they lose, the Don't Bothers get their name, if they win, the Don't Bothers drop out of the league. Notably, Gordon told Coach T that he had no idea what it meant to be a real Duck.
While the game started well, the Don't Bothers were losing after two periods. After a speech by Sofi and other members of the team, Gordon gave the team the jerseys of the original Mighty Ducks. The Don't Bothers won the game and took back the "Mighty Ducks" name. Gordon then resurfaced the ice with the Mighty Ducks logo.
Trivia[]
- His success in leading and coaching the District 5 team, turning them to victorius Mighty Ducks has earned him the nickname and title, the Minnesota Miracle Man.
- It is unknown currently how long Gordon was a member of the Junior Goodwill games committee after D3.
- His Duck jersey that he was donning is numbered #99 (possibly in honor of Wayne Gretzky) which was later reused for Adam's jersey when he later joined the Ducks.
- His birthday is listed as May 12, 1962 (Emilio Estevez's birthday)
- According to Season 1, episode 3 of The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, a website article stated Gordon coached the Ducks in 1998. This is false, since he actually started to coach the team around 1991–92.
Gallery[]
