Youngblood (1986 Film)
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''Youngblood'' (released in the Philippines as ''Fight for Love'') is a 1986 American
sports drama A sports film is a film genre in which any particular sport plays a prominent role in the film's plot or acts as its central theme (arts), theme. It is a production in which a sport or a sports-related topic is prominently featured or is a focus o ...
film directed and co-produced by
Peter Markle Peter Markle (born September 24, 1952) is an American film director, television director and screenwriter. He has directed episodes of ''Everwood'', ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', ''The X-Files'', as well as many other programs. He was dir ...
; co-written by John Whitman; and starring
Rob Lowe Robert Hepler Lowe (born March 17, 1964) is an American actor, filmmaker, and entertainment host. Following numerous television roles in the early 1980s, he came to prominence as a teen idol and member of the Brat Pack with starring roles in ...
,
Cynthia Gibb Cynthia Gibb (born December 14, 1963) is an American actress and former model who has starred in film and on television. She began her career as a cast member on the musical television drama '' Fame'', based on the movie of the same name. She ...
and
Patrick Swayze Patrick Wayne Swayze ( ; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and dancer. Known for his romantic, tough, and comedic roles in blockbusters and cult films, Swayze was nominated for three Golden Glob ...
. The film's cast includes Keanu Reeves in his first feature film role.


Plot

Dean Youngblood, a 17-year-old farmhand from rural New York, has dreams of playing in the
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
. Dean voices these dreams to his father who disapproves; however, Dean's brother, Kelly, convinces their father to relent. Dean travels to Canada to try out for the Hamilton Mustangs where he demonstrates his offensive skills but displays a lack of physical toughness. Dean earns the nickname "Pretty Boy" brought on by his rivalry with fellow hockey player Carl Racki. Racki, who is competing for a spot, engages him in a fight and quickly defeats him. Despite this, the Mustangs head coach, a former NHL
All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...
, selects Dean for the team. Dean begins a flirtation with the coach's daughter, Jessie. After his team mentor, Derek Sutton, is deliberately injured by Racki (now with a rival team), Dean returns home. His brother inspires him to keep playing, and teaches him some fighting skills off of the ice, his father teaches him on the ice. Dean returns to the team, ready to confront Racki in the final game of the
Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), a consortium of three Junior ice hockey, major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tou ...
playoffs. The game ends with a winning penalty shot goal by Dean with 3 seconds left. As time expires, he confronts and defeats Racki in a fight and is carried off the ice on the shoulders of his teammates.


Cast

*
Rob Lowe Robert Hepler Lowe (born March 17, 1964) is an American actor, filmmaker, and entertainment host. Following numerous television roles in the early 1980s, he came to prominence as a teen idol and member of the Brat Pack with starring roles in ...
as Dean Youngblood ** Charlie Wasley as young Dean Youngblood * Ed Lauter as Murray Chadwick *
Cynthia Gibb Cynthia Gibb (born December 14, 1963) is an American actress and former model who has starred in film and on television. She began her career as a cast member on the musical television drama '' Fame'', based on the movie of the same name. She ...
as Jessie Chadwick * Jim Youngs as Kelly Youngblood ** Ricky Davis as young Kelly Youngblood *
Patrick Swayze Patrick Wayne Swayze ( ; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and dancer. Known for his romantic, tough, and comedic roles in blockbusters and cult films, Swayze was nominated for three Golden Glob ...
as Derek Sutton * Fionnula Flanagan as Miss McGill * Ken James as Frazier * George J. Finn as Carl Racki * Peter Faussett as Huey * Eric Nesterenko as Blane Youngblood * Keanu Reeves as Heaver


Cameos

* Peter Zezel as Rossini, Mustang Player #1. * Steve Thomas as Jordie, Mustang Player #4.


Production

The filming of ''Youngblood'' took place in the east end of Toronto in the summer of 1984. Ted Reeve Arena was used as the setting for the interior of the Hamilton Mustangs home rink while Scarborough Arena Gardens was used for the setting of the arena's exterior. St Michaels College School arena was used as well. While there was a
Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), a consortium of three Junior ice hockey, major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tou ...
eligible
Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; ) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League, alongside the Western Hockey League and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. The league is for players ag ...
(OHL) team located in Hamilton in 1986, they were called the Hamilton Steelhawks, as compared to the film's fictional Hamilton Mustangs. Several of the cast and crew had actual hockey experience and skills, though star Rob Lowe had to learn to skate, and both he and Patrick Swayze, a better skater, used doubles for many of their on-ice skating scenes. Director and writer Peter Markle was a former minor-pro and international player for the USA. Cinematographer Mark Irwin, a Canadian, wore skates and a helmet and devised a special rig for shooting hockey scenes on the ice. The film's hockey consultant, Eric Nesterenko, was a 20 year
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
veteran and Stanley Cup Champion, in addition to playing the father of Lowe's character. Keanu Reeves, who played the Mustangs goalie, had played goalie at a Toronto high school, earning the nickname "The Wall". George Finn, who played villain Carl Racki, was a former
major junior Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National List of members of the International Ice Hockey Federation, Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's nationa ...
player, and enforcer, in the OHL. Many of the other uncredited team members were actual major junior or NCAA hockey players, as well as two active NHL players, Steve Thomas and Peter Zezel. Lowe later said he "hated" learning how to skate. "I don't like any sport where you're already exhausted when you're done putting on the equipment. But that said, once I got the equipment on and was out on the ice, I loved that. I loved hitting people, being hit, skating. I love the exertion and competition, so that was all great. But it's a lot of work putting all of that shit on! Give me a surfboard and let me just paddle into the ocean."


Release

''Youngblood'' was released in the United States on January 30, 1986. In the Philippines, the film was released as ''Fight for Love'' six years later, on July 15, 1992.


Critical response

The film gained a mediocre reception, with critics finding the plot derivative. It became a popular VHS video rental and cable TV showing.


Remake

On September 7, 2022, it was announced that Aircraft Pictures and Dolphin Entertainment would produce Charles Officer's remake of ''Youngblood'' with Photon Films handling distribution, and filming set to start in Canada in 2023. Pre-production was paused in 2023 when Officer had passed. Production began early 2025 with director
Hubert Davis Hubert Ira Davis Jr. (born May 17, 1970) is an American college basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball, North Carolina Tar Heels men's team. Before his coaching care ...
taking over as director as they began filming an on-ice scene at the Sadlon Arena in
Barrie Barrie is a city in Central Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay. Although it is physically in the county, Barrie is politically independent. The city is part ...
,
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
during the intermission of a
Barrie Colts The Barrie Colts are a junior ice hockey team in Ontario Hockey League (OHL), based in Barrie, Ontario, Canada. The Colts play home games at the Sadlon Arena. The Colts joined the OHL in 1995, and previously competed at lower levels of junio ...
OHL game. The cast includes Ashton James, Blair Underwood, Shawn Doyle and Henri Picard.


See also

* List of American films of 1986 * List of films about ice hockey


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Youngblood (1986 Film) 1986 films 1986 romantic drama films 1980s American films 1980s English-language films 1980s sports drama films 1980s teen drama films 1980s teen romance films American ice hockey films American romantic drama films American sports drama films American teen drama films American teen romance films English-language romantic drama films English-language sports drama films English-language teen drama films Films directed by Peter Markle Films set in Ontario Films shot in Hamilton, Ontario Films shot in Minnesota Films shot in Toronto Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films United Artists films