Steve Carell played hockey in high school and college

Steve Carell played hockey in high school and college, Getting the bad box-office taste out of his mouth, actor Steve Carell this week begins production as the slow-witted weatherman Brick Tamland in the much-anticipated “Anchorman: The Legend Continues.”

This past weekend, Carell’s movie “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” finished in third place at the box office with about $10 million, falling behind “Oz The Great and Powerful” ($41 million) and “The Call” ($17 million).

Carell, who recently stopped by ESPN’s offices in Connecticut, knows the pressure the “Anchorman” sequel will have when it’s released Dec. 20. The 2004 movie, also starring Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd, made nearly $100 million and spawned many catchphrases still used today.

“As long as we don’t put pressure on ourselves while doing it, it’ll be fine,” Carell said. “The best part of the first one was that nobody gave a s—. It was just fun. We tried to make each other laugh. We weren’t trying to meet anyone’s expectations but our own.”

Those expectations are one of the reasons Carell hasn’t remade his favorite sports movie “Slap Shot,” the cult film about a violent hockey team.

“I’ve always talked about wanting to do that, but I don’t think I could improve on what they did in the first one,” he said. “I think hockey movies are one of my favorites. I talk about them all the time.”

Carell, who attended his first ever Stanley Cup finals last spring, had a few minutes with Playbook to talk about hockey, the “Anchorman” sequel and making movies.