He Became Abraham Ford

Abraham Ford is one tough hombre in AMC's The Walking Dead. He nearly killed Eugene in the series after it was revealed that Eugene was lying about a cure for the zombie problem, and that revelation seemed to change Abraham's persona. As I'm demonstrating, I am a fan of The Walking Dead which means that I'm watching the mid-season premiere of the show tonight rather than watching the Grammys or anything else that might be on TV tonight including hockey. At this point in the series, it's hard to imagine anyone else playing Abraham other than Michael Cudlitz at this point with his prominent red hair and mustache, but Cudlitz's start in the movies actually has a hockey tie-in!

Michael Cudlitz played a character named Cole in the 1995 movie D3: The Mighty Ducks. Cole was one of the members of the varsity team that confronts the ragtag Mighty Ducks team after they all received scholarships to the prestigious Eden Hall Academy!

Cudlitz has a pretty memorable scene in this rather forgettable movie. Playing the varsity team's enforcer, Cudlitz's Cole decides to take a run at the Mighty Ducks' Dean "Bash Brother" Portman. A little Hollywood magic later, and Cudlitz's scene is a bit of a hyperbole.

Being that this movie was produced by Walt Disney, I don't need to tell you that the Mighty Ducks prevail. However, there's a glimpse into Michael Cudlitz's early Hollywood work!

And just to add one more cool hockey relation to the cast of The Walking Dead, Danai Gurira, who plays the katana-wielding Michonne, was actually an excellent field hockey player during her time living in Zimbabwe! She was a swimmer, she was a sprinter in track-and-field, she played some tennis, and she played a lot of field hockey! Unfortunately for field hockey fans, Danai joined a Children's Performing Arts workshop in Zimbabwe at age 13, and she had to cut down on her sporting life.

It's pretty cool to know that two cast members of one of the most popular shows on TV have some hockey in their backgrounds. While they haven't wielded a hockey stick in the TV show to eliminate a zombie or two to this point, they certainly know how to use one if it ever comes to that.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!