According to writer Randy Feldman, he wrote the first draft of the screenplay for the movie as a comedy/action movie parody. The only scene that remained in the finished film was the scene where Van Damme fights the penguin mascot. The original vision for this movie would become the basis for the remake Welcome to Sudden Death (2020).
The film was shot during the NHL lockout during the 1994 - 1995 hockey season, which was finally resolved later that year.
The role of Emily McCord was originally offered to Mara Wilson, but her parents forbade her from accepting it, due to the script's violent content.
The announcer used in the movie is actually the Pittsburgh Penguins' real announcer Mike Lange. He also uses some of his trademark sayings such as "Scratch my back with a hacksaw" and "Call Arnold Slick in Turtle Crick". The color commentator is also the current Penguins radio play by play man, Paul Steigerwald.
A sequel to the film had been written and was planned for a Fall 1997 release. But after the film underperformed at the box office, the project was scrapped.