Youngblood: A Look Back

'Pass the puck!'

Dean Youngblood

Dean Youngblood is  17-year-old farmhand from rural New York, who dreams of playing in the National Hockey League. Dean voices these dreams to his father who disapproves; saying he needs Dean to stay home and help on the fam. Dean's brother Kelly, who also once had dreams of playing, convinces their father to relent. 

Jim Young (Kelly Youngblood)

Dean travels to Canada to try out for the Hamilton Mustangs where he demonstrates his offensive skills but displays a lack of physical toughness. Carl Racki, who is competing for a spot, engages him in a fight and quickly defeats him. Despite this, the Mustangs head coach, a former NHL All-Star, selects Dean for the team. Dean also begins a flirtation with the coach's daughter, Jessie.

In addition to all the homoerotic sweaty locker room scenes, Youngblood had two other scenes showcasing Rob Lowe's body and beauty.  Most remember Lowe in his jock strap, but there was also a love scene with Lowe's Dean and Jessie. (Cynthia Gibb).  

Compared to the jock strap scene, which gave several views of Rob's rump, the sex scene was rather disappointing.   Although there were several quick views of Gibb's breasts, Lowe remained mostly covered in a bed sheet. The earlier jock strap scene however, more than made up for it. 

One of the other missed 'skin' opportunities included the character of Miss McGill. (Fionnula Flanagan). Dean's landlady clearly had a vigorous appetite for young hockey players, and was hoping to have her way with young Dean.  There was an entire other movie in Miss McGill's boarding house, and all the young hockey players who stayed, and laid there over the years.

I don't really remember Youngblood when it first came out.  The only films of Lowe's I think I actually saw in the theatre were Wayne's World and maybe Masquerade.  Like so many films with homoerotic themes of the 80's however, there didn't seem to be much attention given to it until years after the films release.  It was there, blatantly, but most films didn't really promote homoerotic themes when a film is released, worrying it might off strait movie goers.