From left to right: Adam Banks, Connie Moreau, Gordon Bombay, Fulton Reed, Lester Averman, Guy Germaine, Ken Wu
With the original Ducks back in town, Evan and Bombay each consider where their loyalties lie.
Tropes:
- All Work vs. All Play: Comes up again in this episode. Evan wants the Don't Bothers to build off their first win and keep practicing hard so that they can win more games to eventually qualify for the state playoffs. The rest of the team is just content with the fact they've ensured they won't have a winless season and are perfectly happy to blow off practice to watch the game film of their win as Logan makes them pancakes.
- Coach T is cemented as a personification of this at the gala, when he looks comically befuddled at the slightest mention of "winning isn't everything".
- Became Their Own Antithesis: Upon seeing how extravagant the gala is, Adam remarks that the Ducks have become the Hawks.
- The Bus Came Back: Fulton Reed, Les Averman, Adam Banks, Connie Moreau, Guy Germaine, and Ken Wu all return to town for the Spirit of the Ducks gala.
- Call-Back:
- Fulton and Gordon meet again after Fulton accidentally destroys Gordon's car window.
- Averman drives his limo onto the Ice Palace's ice just like Gordon had Lewis do during his first practice with District 5.
- Coach T poses at the gala with a cardboard cutout of himself; Gordon rejected a cutout of himself in the second film, burning it. This can be taken as a subtle hint that things will not go well too much longer for the new Ducks.
- Dances and Balls: The original Ducks are in town for the 25th Anniversary Spirit of the Ducks Gala.
- Downer Ending: After learning via social media that Evan had been invited back to the Ducks and briefly practiced with them before turning them down, the disappointed Don't Bothers abandon Evan on the ice.
- I Hate Past Me: Adam admits that he was a terrible person when he was a Hawk and Gordon transferring him to the Ducks made him a better human being.
- Ironic Episode Title: The episode's title as well as the gala it centers around is called "Spirit of the Ducks". As the original Ducks players tell the audience, everything that is being celebrated at the gala is the exact opposite of what the spirit of the original Ducks team was.
- Mood Whiplash: Gordon's reunion with the Ducks at the pizza parlor is initially heartwarming as they reminisce about everything that happened during the films. Then things get tense when the team starts asking Gordon why he fell out of touch with them for all of these years.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Gordon's reaction when he learns from Fulton how upset Charlie is by Gordon not staying in contact with him and the team.
- Evan’s reaction when his teammates find out about him practicing with the Ducks and leave him alone on the ice.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: The OG Ducks give one to the current Ducks organization, telling them that it was wrong of them not to honor Gordon as it was him, not Coach T, who built the program from a Rag Tag Bunch Of Misfits into champions and the team's current culture completely spits in the face of what it was that made the original team great in the first place.
- Small Name, Big Ego: Coach T asks the OG Ducks if they want to take a picture with him. None of them are interested and mock the fact there are cardboard cutouts of him at the gala.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: In an aversion of Ridiculously Successful Future Self, it turns out that the careers of the original Ducks who return in this episode are mostly mundane. Fulton is a construction worker, Averman is a limo driver, Guy is a Stay At Home Dad and Connie is a senator in Minnesota's state government. Even Adam Banks, who was the team's best player and a legitimate pro hockey prospect, wound up becoming a public defender instead of an NHL player. Making it that far in hockey, where players are recruited from all over the world, is just that difficult.
- This Is Unforgivable!: Initially, the original Ducks players are more bemused by the current culture of the team than anything. Then when they learn about the team's treatment of Gordon, they completely reject them and embrace the Don't Bothers as their true successors.
- What the Hell, Hero?: The OG Ducks are initially upset about Gordon ghosting them all of these past years, until they learn how the Ducks have cast Gordon aside.
- The Don't Bothers to Evan when they discover the video of him practicing with the Ducks and he admits that he considered going back.
- Written-In Absence: The reason Charlie Conway didn't come back for the gala was because he was sick of Gordon not making an effort to keep in touch with him and his teammates.
