1. In speaking to TIME, actor Matt Doherty, who played lovable Les Averman, revealed he had initially auditioned for the role of Fulton Reed. He was one of the bigger kids, so it made sense. The producers decided to have him try Averman on for size, and the rest, as they say, is history.
2. The original version of The Mighty Ducks was a "much darker" film—not a Disney movie by any means. According to writer Steve Brill, "there weren't murders or anything, but there was some adult romance." The DUI scene was always a part of the script, which Brill noted to TIME probably wouldn't stand up today. The humor was initially muted and dark, but after it was picked up by Disney, they were told flatly, "It's got to be funnier."
3. If you've ever thought that The Mighty Ducks is just a hockey version of The Bad News Bears, you're right. Writer Steve Brill told TIME of his inspiration, "I had idolized The Bad News Bears my whole life. I thought that was a great movie, and I thought it would be really great to make a movie that could stand up and be another." Director Pete Berg noted that it was a natural fit, "Steve kind of reminded everyone of a young Walter Matthau from The Bad News Bears. He had that persona. And I think the combination of having a lot of free time, playing a lot of hockey, and Steve's natural likeness to Walter Matthau ... all gave birth to The Mighty Ducks."
4. The Ducks and the Hawks are the only teams in the entire film to have both their names and numbers on the backs of their jerseys. Their opponents only had numbers.
5. The production crew of the first film made jokes about the final scene, when Gordon Bombay says goodbye to the team and boards a bus for his minor league tryout, noting that it would be a great setup for a sequel. It wasn't written as a cliff-hanger or even with the consideration that there would be a sequel, and given how off the radar the movie was, nobody ever even expected it to be a possibly. Disney honcho Michael Eisner was actually really interested in the possibility of sequel, because at the time he was looking to buy a hockey team and put it in southern California. The Mighty Ducks was a surprise success, but it didn't exactly blow up the box office, bringing in $50 million. Eisner was really excited about the idea of a cross promotion with a sequel, which played a big part in getting the project green-lighted.
6. According to IMDB, actor Scott Whyte, who plays Iceland captain Gunnar Stahl in D2, also played the character of Scott in D3. He originally auditioned for the role of Dean Portman, which went to another actor.
7. Emilio Estevez was ultimately cast as coach Gordon Bombay, but writer Steve Brill originally planned on playing the part before the studio nixed the idea. According to IMDB, comedian Bill Murray was also considered for the role but was "deemed too old."
8. Actor Joshua Jackson, who played Charlie Conway, told TIME that the weather in Minnesota made his hometown of Vancouver seem like a beach vacation and that he was very surprised to learn that almost the entire second floor of downtown Minneapolis is connected by human Habitrails. Although filming in Minnesota gave the movie a very authentic feel, the realities of shooting there in the winter didn't really hit until they were in the midst of it. Producer Jordan Kerner shared a story that was like an adult version of A Christmas Story: "We were in the midst of filming the scene when there's a kiss between Emilio Estevez and Heidi Kling, who plays Josh's mom, in 55 degrees below zero in St. Paul. And when they kissed, their lips stuck together. We had to get makeup to grab warm water and put droplets on their lips so they could actually separate."
9. Elden Henson (who previously went by Elden Ratliff), who played Fulton Reed, and Garette Henson, who played Guy Germaine, are actually brothers. For some reason, Elden had to dye his hair brown and change his name to Ratliff (professionally) in order to secure the part. Speaking to TIME in June, he said, "I kind of didn't really look the role, so Jordan and Steve Herek, the director, ... dyed my hair, put wardrobe on me, even put like a fake little scar on my face and actually screen-tested me under the name Peter Quinn."
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10. Many of the original Ducks were left out in the Minnesota cold for the sequel because the producers wanted characters with bigger, funnier personalities. The real surprise is that, according to Joshua Jackson's interview with TIME, he was almost recast. Said Jackson, "I do seem to remember that the second director was kind of keen to recast me, but I managed to survive him. It would have been weird to recast and keep that role played by somebody else. That would have been an odd thing to do."
11. In an interview with FSN in October of 2012, actor Emilio Estevez, who played coach Gordon Bombay, told Patrick O'Neal that he didn't expect The Mighty Ducks movie(s) to be anywhere near as successful as they were. Noting that nobody really expected them to be, he called it "kind of a fluke." In the interview, he revealed that he had never skated before being cast in the movie and that he actually cast Joshua Jackson, who played Charlie Conway, in the movie Bobby based on his experience working with him on the films.
12. Marguerite Moreau, who played Connie Moreau, really enjoyed being one of the only girls on set. She told TIME that in the first movie she enjoyed pushing the boys around a bit and tormenting them because she was so much bigger than them at the time. By the time they filmed D2, the boys had caught up to her and she really enjoyed the male attention. Said Moreau , "I cannot confirm or deny that I may have kissed two or three or maybe even five of them. I was 15! It was a very exciting time for me. I mean it's very flattering attention for a little while, you know?"
13. Actor Vincent LaRusso played the privileged and talented Adam Banks in the trilogy, but originally he was cast in a lesser role as one of the Hawks—alongside Larson and McGill. LaRusso actually got promoted after the child actor who was cast in the part was fired for being an absolute nightmare. According to producer Jordan Kerner, who spoke to TIMEas part of an oral history feature in June, "[the original actor] was being a little bit of a bully to some of the other kids. ... his mother thought of him as Marlon Brando or Brad Pitt or whatever." The kid received a serious warning and continued to engage in the same type of behavior, so he was booted.
14. Hold on to your hats, Mighty Ducks enthusiasts—it looks like there might be a fourth movie. Producer Jordan Kerner that there have been a number of discussions with Disney about bringing it back—maybe as a reboot—or have a couple of the original cast members anchor the cast as coaches in their 30s. It's hard to imagine Emilio Estevez making a cameo under any circumstances, but count actor Joshua Jackson, who played the always lovable Charlie Conway, among those who would love to see it happen. Said Jackson, "I feel like a fourth film should happen, and if there was a space for any of the original kids that come back and have a role, I would be surprised that anybody didn't want to do it. "There is nothing currently in the works, but according to Kerner, the studio will be interested if they find just the right story to tell. He's been pitched a few different stories already, but none have been quite right. But it looks like there's a real possibility.
