If you played hockey as a kid growing up in the late eighties/early nineties, you probably watched the 1986 cult classic Youngblood, starring Rob Lowe. A risqué, action-packed hockyy flick, in it Lowe plays a seventeen year old farm boy who joins the Hamilton Mustangs. While there, he’s taken under the wing of an older player, played by the late, great Patrick Swayze, and has to deal with a brutal bully on the ice. In order to make his dreams of playing in the NHL come true, Lowe’s Derek Youngblood has to learn to stand up for himself both on the ice and off.
With it’s R-rating, Youngblood is a cool little eighties movie and, outside of 1977’s Slap Shot, one of the most beloved hockey flicks of the era. Even though it wasn’t much of a hit back in 1986, it holds up pretty well as a film of its era, and even co-stars a very young Keanu Reeves as a French Canadian teammate of Derek’s, plus the great Ed Lauter as his coach, and Cynthia Gibb as his love interest. It’s this week’s Best Movie You Never Saw!
This episode of The Best Movie You Never Saw was written by Alex Maidy, narrated and produced by Chris Bumbray (with Adam Walton) and edited by Edward Clark. Berge Garabedian is the executive producer. Watch previous episodes below and let us know if you’ve ever seen Youngblood in the comments!