A day after the series was officially announced, the big question about the new Mighty Ducks series has been answered: Yes, original franchise star Emilio Estevez will return as Coach Gordon Bombay. Estevez’s character appeared in all three of the popular Mighty Ducks films released in theaters in the ’90s (although Gordon’s role in the final film was fairly minor).

Here’s Estevez’s comment on the news from the press release:

Once a Duck, always a Duck! And after 25 years, I am delighted to lace up my skates, put on Coach Bombay's jacket and return to play the iconic character for this new chapter in ‘The Mighty Ducks’ franchise. Likewise, I am thrilled to return to my old stomping grounds with my friends at Disney and Steve Brill, the original creator of the franchise, to join them on their exciting new platform, Disney+.

And here’s the updated synopsis for the series, now that Estevez’s involvement is out of the bag:

In present day Minnesota, the Mighty Ducks have evolved from scrappy underdogs to an ultra-competitive, powerhouse youth hockey team. After 12-year-old Evan ([Brady] Noon) is unceremoniously cut from the Ducks, he and his mom Alex ([Lauren] Graham) set out to build their own ragtag team of misfits to challenge the cutthroat, win-at-all-costs culture of competitive youth sports. With the help of Gordon Bombay (Estevez), they discover the joys of playing just for the love of the game.

Thank goodness Gordon Bombay hasn’t gone to the Dark Side and turned the Ducks into an evil team of ultra-competitive powerhouse. That would have been such a betrayal. The Mighty Ducks series is expected to premiere on Disney+ later this year. Here’s another photo of Estevez back on the ice for the series:

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