How quickly people forget the player Adam Banks once was. The Mighty Ducks’ (err, District 5, Mighty Ducks and Eden Hall’s) best player for the trilogy. Banks suffered from what so many athletes current and former suffer from. The injury bug. Banks was injured after scoring a goal in a brutal cheap shot in D1, suffering undisclosed head and neck injuries (did not return). This was committed by #7 on the Hawks, McGee, who had far and away the most swag on either Minnesota pee-wee team.
This was compounded by Banks’ injury in the Goodwill Games for Team USA. Banks went down with an apparent wrist injury after a slash. Noticing a trend here? He was LeBron before LeBron, attracting extra defenders and being injured purposefully to be taken out of the game.
The more forgotten plot point is that, while Banks’ recurring injuries are surely far back in the collective unconscious of so many viewers, he never really fit in either. Like so many greats, he lacked the ability to really click with the guys because of his greatness from such a young age. Always put on a pedestal, always an outsider. When Banks first joined the Ducks, in a daring move by Gordon Bombay after a territory dispute, he wasn’t immediately accepted by his teammates. He had come over from the rival Hawks after all, Bombay’s old team, coached by a man who loved no one but was a Pee Wee hockey coaching legend. Priorities, I guess? Either way, after some discomfort and razzing, Banks became one of them. A Duck.
Fast-forward to Eden Hall, the site of D3, and Banks is again alienated from the group. Why? His superior skillset separated him again, making the varsity as a freshman while the others toiled on JV. The theme holds strong if you followed. And following the theme, he fit in with neither the JV nor the varsity. He no longer could eat with his pals on the JV because, you know, team chemistry. And he was the only freshman on the varsity, making him ill-equipped to keep up with the varsity’s quickly growing facial hair and surely hard-partying ways. (It was a Disney movie; this was not shown. Eden Hall parties were probably dope). This also can’t be confirmed, as there is no team page for the ’96-97 Eden Hall Warriors.
Sad story for Adam Banks. Career marred by injuries. Great player. Great scorer. Even better teammate and person. Adam Banks, hockey player, all-around stud (1992-1996).
Also, shout out to Linda (Charlie’s flame) for getting on the whole “Hey your nickname is offensive” thing. Chick was way ahead of her time.