Trivia

The entire New York Rangers roster is fictional. Many players on the actual Rangers roster at the time refused to be in the film.

The movie is loosely based on the 1905 Stanley Cup game between the Dawson City Nuggets and the Ottawa Senators.

The defense Russell Crowe's character John teaches the team is a Neutral Zone Trap, or simply, The Trap/Trap. It was made famous by the New Jersey Devils in the late 1990s and early 2000s, culminating in three Stanley Cup championships. It greatly diminishes scoring opportunities.

The metal "goaltender" that Russell Crowe's character John uses for shooting practice is painted to look like former Montreal Canadiens goalie and NHL Hall Of Famer Ken Dryden.

At the end of the film, the recruited players are going to play for the Binghamton Rangers, the AHL affiliate for the New York Rangers at that time. The franchise relocated to Hartford, CT in 1997 to become the Hartford Wolf Pack, leaving subsequent minor league hockey teams in Binghamton unaffiliated with the NHL's New York Rangers.

Mike Myers: As NHL commentator Donnie Shulzhoffer. The character shares similar mannerisms and sayings as Canadian hockey commentator, hero, and all-around legend Don Cherry. Myers had also previously starred in Austin Powers (1997) and Austin Powers : L'Espion qui m'a tirée (1999), and would go on to star in Austin Powers dans Goldmember (2002), all of which Jay Roach directed.

Sam Rosen, John Davidson: As themselves and the TV announcers during the final climactic game. Known to New York Rangers fans as Sam & J.D., Rosen and Davidson had called Rangers games together on the MSG Networks from 1986-2006, with a brief reunion in 2025.