Sudden Death

Two years earlier, Darren McCord failed to save a young girl from a house fire, leaving a haunting memory. That tragedy shapes his approach as a fire marshal and fuels his resolve to protect his family at all costs. His sense of duty drives him to take responsibility in the present crisis.

Darren takes his son Tyler and daughter Emily to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals as a birthday gift for Tyler. The game pits the Pittsburgh Penguins against the Chicago Blackhawks, a climactic backdrop for the drama that unfolds. The family outing quickly collides with a city-wide hostage crisis.

Emily runs off during the game and is abducted by Carla, the lone female terrorist disguised as Iceburgh. Carla places Emily in the VIP suite with other hostages, intending to execute them. The kidnapping escalates the crisis and puts Darren on a direct path to rescue.

Darren searches for Emily and encounters Carla in the arena, engaging in a brutal confrontation. He fights her, ultimately killing Carla to prevent further harm. The violent encounter marks Darren's first direct assault against the terrorists.

Darren tries to get a security guard to help, but the guard is another terrorist in disguise. The guard is killed during the botched attempt, confirmed as part of the larger plan. The betrayal heightens the sense that no one can be trusted inside the arena.

Darren discovers a mobile phone and reaches Secret Service Agent Matthew Hallmark. Hallmark claims the situation is under control and urges Darren to stand by, but Darren refuses to wait and insists on handling it himself. This moment marks the start of the hidden alliance that will complicate the rescue.

Secret Service and police surround the arena as tensions rise in a tense standoff. Hallmark is revealed to be in league with Foss and attempts to kidnap Tyler, but he fails. Darren realizes Hallmark's duplicity and advances toward a resolution of the crisis.

Darren confronts Hallmark and sets him on fire, killing him and ending his schemes. He then uses Hallmark's phone to taunt Foss, who still holds Emily. The betrayal is sealed as Foss reveals his own strategy to keep the hostages alive just long enough to exploit them.

Darren disables more bombs and fights Foss' men, his progress slowed by constant confrontations. At one point he even disguises himself as the Penguins' goalie to escape and defends a shot on goal. The ticking clock drives the tension toward the final act.

With time running out, Luc Robitaille scores the game-tying goal in the final moments, forcing sudden-death overtime. Darren's efforts to locate the remaining bombs are thwarted by the expanding chaos. The game becomes a backdrop to the rescue mission.

As overtime drags on, Darren climbs to the arena roof, battles two henchmen, and one explodes the score display while they fight. He reaches the owner's box to rescue Emily, the Vice President, and the remaining hostages. Emily, Tyler, and Darren then reunite and prepare to leave the arena.

Foss attempts to flee in a helicopter, but Darren shoots the pilot, causing the chopper to crash into the ice. Foss falls to his death as the arena explodes around him. Medics arrive as Darren's children praise their father’s heroism and the family is rescued.