SLAP SHOT (1977): WHAT THE FILM GETS RIGHT ABOUT HOCKEY

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Now with enhanced closed captioning (cc).
Warning: Spoilers
It always seemed to me that a big part of the enduring popularity of Slap Shot (1977), beyond Paul Newman’s brilliance in the lead role, was related to Nancy Dowd’s script and her remarkable attention to detail. In essence, the movie gets a lot of things right about hockey, so I decided to create a video in which I would enumerate each place where the script succeeds in building verisimilitude. Dickie Dunn would doubtlessly be pleased: because of Ms. Dowd’s skill as a writer, Slap Shot "capture[s] the essence of the thing.”
0:00 Pre-Intro
0:07 Introduction
1:06 Inherent violence & danger
3:14 How the players see the media
7:26 Goalies in their own world
9:43 Throwing objects onto the ice
10:39 Bad owners and managers
13:15 Organ music
15:03 Pre-game brawls
16:38 1970s streakers
18:01 Puck bunnies
19:19 Soap operas
20:51 Franchise relocation
22:40 Nature of a minor leaguer
24:16 Taking on opposing fans
25:23 Booster clubs
26:20 The coach
28:24 Outro
29:06 End screen
#SlapShot #hockey #ReggieDunlop #PaulNewman #Hansonbrothers #GeorgeRoyHill #hockeyfights

[@markko17]

Hockey players have always been great with their fans. I remember Mike Ricci being asked why he always signed autographs and he said, "My brother's a plumber and if I weren't playing hockey, I'd be his helper."

[@thegadflygang5381]

Before we got mascots, indoor fireworks and players making millions you had blue collar guys who would stay around after practice to sign everything and even skate with the kids I'm so glad I was a child in this era and got share the ice and talk to all the NY Rangers. Especially guys like Joey Mullen, Nick Fotiu, Chris King, Kocur, the Beezer They loved us as much as we loved them. It was a beautiful thing just one of the many things that have made the game less appealing

[@donparkison4617]

Love Mike Ricci.

[@Skank_and_Gutterboy]

@@donparkison4617 I was typically not a fan of the teams that he was on but I always liked Mike Ricci, he wasn't a player that "went Hollywood" like a lot of NHL players did in his era, he was was a "blue-collar" guy. He really had an honesty about him, he really was a character (in a good way), and just seemed like a good dude.

[@joeyboedeker2047]

​​@@donparkison4617 he's AWESOME. Saw him in a fight, the whistle blew, he stops, the ref drops the Puck and he just went and started swinging again!!!😂😂😂

[@mikearchibald744]

His plumber brother probably made more money.

[@HolmstromRules]

One key reason that screenwriter Nancy Dowd got so much "right" about hockey was the fact that her brother Ned Dowd, who also plays Ogie Oglethorpe in the movie, was a minor league hockey player. She gave her brother a portable cassette tape recorder to record audio on the team bus on road trips and other places. A lot of the personal banter you hear in the movie was taken near verbatim from those audio tapes.

[@modjohnsenglishdisco]

I thought I saw his photo over the Carlson Bros as a Chief. Makes sense.

[@PaulRudd1941]

That's just super cool.

[@TheSpritz0]

THANK YOU for sharing that story, very cool!!

[@dukecraig2402]

Yep, and I believe he played for Johnstown (Pa) which is where it was filmed and the "Hanson Brothers" also played for in real life, if I recall correctly they were actually two brothers and a cousin that played the parts of the three Hanson brothers in the movie. Yea she got the idea and a bunch of actual things in the movie from their real life exploits on the ice. I think it was the creator of All In The Family, Norman Lear, who adopted the same approach at one point during his career as a creator/writer of TV shows that when everyone on the writing team of a TV show would come to work Monday morning he'd say "What happened, what'd you do this weekend?" to the writing staff to get ideas for the show, this same approach was used to great extent by Ray Ramano when writing for Everybody Loves Raymond, the vast majority of the storylines for most of the episodes of his show were based on real life occurrences, at one point during an interview with him and his wife she said that every once in a while it felt a little creepy knowing that parts of her life were being broadcast to half of the world. Edit, at 15:31 if you look at the picture of the Johnstown Jets that's from the newspaper article from the season the year before the movie came out when he's talking about the real life incident that was written into the movie about the pre game brawl you'll see half the cast of the movie, they were the actual hockey team and were basically portraying themselves. If you read about the production of the movie they did that because when they were casting it they ran into the problem of not being able to find enough actors who could skate well enough to play the characters, so Nancy at one point recommend just getting actual team members to play the parts.

[@HolmstromRules]

@@dukecraig2402 I recalled hearing that Dave Hanson was related to the two Carlson brothers, but in articles I've read on the subject it doesn't mention that. An article from the NHL on the 40th anniversary of the film only mentions that Hanson is a "life-long friend" of the Carlson brothers. Hanson was supposed to play "Killer" Carlson in the film and third Carlson brother Jack was supposed to be the third "Hanson," but he got called up to the WHL and couldn't work in the film. On a personal note, years ago I bought a first year Kalamazoo Wings (IHL) jersey that I later found out was worn by Ned Dowd!

[@jasonboisseau409]

“They brought their fucking toys”. One of my favorite lines of all time. Right up there with “I’m listening to the fucking song”.

[@JosephButson]

lol The song quote is the best!

[@jerseyforhawks]

Banging soda machine scene in train station .. " Took my F#cking Quarter!". BANG.

[@Nsdus5676]

That’s the best line ever!

[@ComePoopAtMyHouse1]

One of that stinkin rut beer

[@SNARC15]

Still to this day we'd rather have them playing with their toys than playing with themselves.

[@FantasySportsSpot]

The Hansons are still iconic to this day. Slap Shot is still the champion of hockey movies.

[@obsessedwithcinema]

Amen. 🙏

[@dannibarber5793]

Americans got to mention war even in hockey how fking sick

[@bobd1805]

Awesome movie. One of my friends who played college hockey exclaimed, "Everything in that movie is true!"

[@STARPHASE]

The teddy bear toss isn't isolated just to Hershey. That's an AHL tradition around Christmas, where the first goal the home team scores, fans throw teddy bears on the ice which then get donated to children/families in need. The Hershey Bears just hold the record for the most thrown, but it's not something only they do.

[@spiderman4x]

It’s still done in Johnstown with our now junior hockey team.

[@illbyno1]

Even OHL does it every year. Glad the tradition has caught on seemingly everywhere. Love it.

[@martharunstheworld]

It's actually in all minor league hockey teams.

[@fredholley6248]

@@martharunstheworld Yes, I'd say 90-95% of all minor league teams have a 'teddy bear' night.

[@tcy5499]

Was gonna comment this same thing. We do it here in pensacola too for the ice flyers and that's the southern pro league

[@Saintbow]

I have three brothers and we all grew up playing hockey. When we got older and bummed around in the local leagues, three of us ended up on the same team. Before one game, the hockey director, rink manager, and the gm, pounded on the locker room door and it was right out of Slap shot. They asked for the three of us to step out into the hallway, even though we were still getting ready for the game and got chewed a new one in the hallway while we were just standing there in our skates and skivvies. Telling us to behave this game and we better not get into trouble. So when we were allowed to get dressed, we handed the rest of our team our spare jerseys. Our whole team had our last name and the ref's pulled me aside and asked "How many are you?" and I told him "It was the 60's and 70's, mom and dad got busy..." then skated off. I know some would think it would be a blast to have so many brothers on the same team, but sadly you also end up with a target on your back. All for one and one for all was our motto. If one brother was dropping gloves, all of us were.

[@purplexs2506]

From Australia, I know next to nothing about (Ice) Hockey : (we reserve the term "hockey' for the grass-field game). But I did see Slap Shot when it came out, with a Canadian friend in tropical Darwin. I've only seen the film that once. It's one of the best, funniest movies, and I would rate it the most unforgettable.

[@kelly2558]

Too bad Aus doesn’t have ice rinks. Aussies, with their exemplary toughness and disrespectful wry sense of humour, would make great hockey players. In fact, maybe they should work on that. After all, the Jamaican bobsled team in the 84 Winter Olympics did surprisingly well.

[@yourwrongloserhaha]

@@kelly2558there are a few aussies on my beer league team and they are pretty good considering they learned the sport and how to skate at 25 😂

[@mckessa17]

Hockey is by far the best professional sport to watch, nothing else comes close.

[@brettbeierl2616]

One of the hansons made it to the minnesota north stars..played about 50 games

[@kris50503]

The “Hanson” brothers were named Carlson-Jack, Steve and Jeff. They played high school hockey in Virginia, MN. All three spent time in the WHA, particularly the St Paul Saints. Jack played 8 games late in his career for the North Stars. Dave Hanson subbed in for Jack, who was called up by the Oilers just before shooting; Steve and Jeff

[@luvslogistics1725]

The movie was something all movies fail at nowadays- it felt real, the characters interacting with each other and the world, responding to the environment around them, the way they talk. I met my first puck babies when I went to Canada to play. Over there you were a celebrity in small towns even at the youth level whereas back home nobody cared that you played.

[@richardclegg5853]

I've heard this is one of Paul Newman's favorite movies and movie making experiences. The other actors / hockey players said he was great to be around

[@obsessedwithcinema]

It was indeed the one that Newman spoke most fondly of in interviews. He had worked with Strother Martin on Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and a couple of other films as well. They were fairly friendly. The recollections of the cast about working with Newman are invariably about his generosity of spirit, trying to help the other actors flourish in their roles.

[@markdemchak5510]

Yes he was . I played hockey in CT and in Norwalk was a rink called the Crystal Ice palace a great smaller old rink about 180x 60 and boards topped by metal fence. The Crystal Comets a traveling pickup team amongst others played here and Newman learned to skate here late at night holding onto the Zamboni that the owner Leo Skidd? a fantastic man drove around the ice. Steve Mendelo an actor I skated with was also in the film. He was Jim Ahern

[@notathaiguy]

When on the Tonight Show, Paul Neuman was asked what was his favourite movie that he acted in. His answer;"Slap Shot."

[@mckessa17]

He liked having the Canadian flag above his bed.

[@jrs86]

well damn, this went a hell of a lot deeper than I'd ever imagined it would. Great video, interesting points of view and honestly, amazing comparisons to real-life cases and scenarios.

[@KenMac-ui2vb]

The Wings and Avalanche had one of the best brawls of all time. As soon as the ref dropped that puck it was on like Donkey Kong. God, those were the years...

[@JohnCunningham-sy5ug]

Effn A that was glorious pay back 😊

[@magnustheman524]

Wings still celebrating turtle pounding day every year.

[@mikeace5831]

I remember that game very well

[@markdemchak5510]

Newman loved the movie. I played hockey in that era in CT and in Norwalk there was a rink called the Crystal Ice Palace a small rink with character about 180 x 65 with boards topped by a metal fence. The Crystal Comets a minor league team amongst others used this as their home rink. Newman learned to skate here at night while holding onto the back of the Zamboni driven by owner Leo Skidd? a great individual. Steve Mendelo an actor from Milford CT whom I skated with was on the movie as character Jim Ahern. He told me part of the story during filming

[@Music--ng8cd]

Won a speed skating race at Crystal. I was in Kindergarten and the prize was a Happy Meal. Haven't been to Norwalk in years, though it's good to see that the Oyster Festival is still going strong.

[@ARIZJOE]

Paul Newman: great actor, great guy, great Ohioan. And the scenes with Melinda Dillon - fantastic!

[@CatFish107]

Dennis Lemieux's soul is close to Glenn Gould. "My allergy to those fucking fans has returned." One of the all time great lines in cinema.

[@1950Bonanza]

I've seen this movie a few times, back in the 80's in Seattle, and it made me a fan of the game and the Thunderbirds. I did really enjoy the break down of the movie, I could tell you put some real effort into the analogies. It was a thoroughly enjoyable video, thanks for making it.

[@brucesmith9144]

Remember that former Flyers defenseman, Ross Lonsberry, lived in my neighborhood in a regular suburban house typical of middle class families. After the Flyers won the 1975 Stanley Cup against the Sabres, a bunch of us took a congratulatory sign to give him. Recall that it was his wife that answered the door and thanked us.

[@woodchuck9344]

How tf would anyone know that much less remember.

[@thatonewriter8043]

You can't rememeber your neighbor, what they do, or one interaction you went out of your way to have? That's not much to put together, bud. Sure, it's pretty convenient that so many people online have these stories about how they knew pro athletes so well. But remembering such a basic story? Nah, chief. I could tell you some similar ones about the local electrician.

[@Rockhound6165]

He was my favorite player in those days. I wanted to be a winger because of him.

[@Rockhound6165]

@@thatonewriter8043 boy who pissed in your cornflakes. Players back then lived in regular neighborhoods. Only a few were making the big bucks so it's not unusual to see a player or 2 in your town or even neighborhood. Bob Kelly used to own a liquor store in Deptford, NJ and I used to see him there all the time. Tim Kerr owned an electronics store in Pitman. Rick Tocchet spent his summers at the Ocean City and when he was on the Penguins and they won the Cup he got to bring it with him. Hell, I played softball with former Phillie and Brewer Don Money's son.

[@brucesmith9144]

@@Rockhound6165 well said. Met Dave “the hammer” Schultz in a movie theater at the Ellisburg Shopping Center. Movie: Jaws in 1975. Guy was humble off ice. As kids growing up in South Jersey, we admired these guys as they were regular guys off ice.

[@paulhiebert1887]

What strikes me about this movie is about how much of a love song it is about hockey in the 70's. It is part of my trifecta of themed movies based on the same idea. The other two being Bull Durham about baseball and This Is Spinal Tap about rock and roll. People who have committed their lives to their obsession of something that they feel has transcended their own lives and even though their lives are imperfect, perhaps because their obsession takes precident over every thing else in their lives. They become ordinary people who have extraordinary lives. I enjoyed your take on this. Thank you!!!

[@obsessedwithcinema]

My pleasure.😊

[@solracer66]

I had the pleasure of seeing Spinal Tap in concert in 1992 and it was and it was hands down the best concert I have ever been to.

[@daveyboy_]

Notice that when he saw that his younger players saw reggie as their coach or leader he started talking in a growling voice. What a film- on so many levels

[@jimringomartin]

Slap Shot is in my blood, my DNA. Playing hockey in the 70's was unlike any other time. My teammates named me Mohammad Prep. And the spot on "why would anyone want a job as a goalie" that was the reason I moved to left wing. Got so tired of being blamed for every loss. I had a 2.1 GAA for craps sake.

[@Pocketrocket-pj1us]

In any era, that's a great GAA!

[@sammyweed4771]

Lol. We be undefeated if our goalie was that good

[@jimringomartin]

@Pocketrocket1993 thanks, except we never got more than one goal. Tony O was my hero

[@shaneblair-hicks4975]

I feel ya buddy. Lost 90% of my games one year and people were talking shit. Next year our team was stacked and I had 8 shutouts and won an award. I swear I only faced 5 shots a game.

[@Wayne-hm1qj]

"Dave's a killer ya killer" "Dave's a mess" 😂😂😂

[@grandadmiralthrawn66]

Christ, I couldn't put my finger on why I love this movie so much but you pretty much nailed every point. The Syracuse Bulldogs parodying the Bullies era Flyers was fucking genius.

[@THESANDMAN9]

THEY were parodying the BEAUCE JAROS, 1975 NAHL. NOT THE FLYERS. LOOK AT THE UNIFORMS.

[@francoisregis2155]

Exactly they where based on the Jaros. 2 weeks ago the Hanson bros and Yvon Barrette came to a local hockey game, I was wearing my Ogie Oggelthorp cosplay and a guy wanted to buy my syracuse jersey thinking it was the Jaros he saw his mistake when he was closer to me

[@lomax117]

I used to go to the Johnstown Jets games when I was a teenager. When Hollywood showed up to make the movie, they couldn't get actors to skate, so they got the hockey.players to do it. But they couldn't act. They told the hockey players to just be yourselves. There you have the movie slap shot

[@70smusicfanatic34]

Your analysis of Dowd’s commentary on the motives of the owners is spot on and reminds me of a response given by Chicago Bears QB Jim McMahon to being asked his opinion on Bears’ then-president Mike McCaskey and McCaskey’s ideology on team management. McMahon related an interaction in which McCaskey told him “Jim, we don’t need to win the Super Bowl every year”. Implying that the business was making alot of money regardless of Super Bowl wins, appearances, or even playoff appearances. The fans will still keep showing up and the money train will keep rolling. McMahon says he was perplexed and asked McCaskey “Mike, what the hell are you even talking about? When I play, I play to make it to the Super Bowl EVERY year and intend to WIN it every year!”

[@Pocketrocket-pj1us]

Cool story. It's funny, if you took the owner from Slap Shot and swap him with the true story of Leafs owner, Harold Ballard and people wouldn't have beleived it!! Lol Stranger than fiction :)

[@tonyhill1141]

Really a nice juxtaposition of the Draistl interview with the film. Well done. Almost 50 years later and the relationship between writers and players is virtually unchanged.

[@dougmphilly]

best thing to do is listen to a john tortella post game press conference - gold.

[@blademan4089]

I played hockey thru the 70s… It’s pretty accurate.. Still the best sports film ever …

[@jamestiscareno4387]

Me too

[@sammyweed4771]

Me too 70,s and 80,s

[@steamer1112]

Awesome video. I had seasons tickets for the entire New Westminster Bruins dynasty in the '70's. From 74-75 to 77-78, the won the WCHL championship and went to the Memorial Cup final 4 years in a row, losing the first 2 but winning the next 2. We also went to see them play in Victoria a dozen or so times and even went on a road trip to Kamloops with a bunch of other fans. I had a category for the brawls we saw: a line brawl was a "mini brawl", a brawl with just a couple of fights and lots of milling about and pushing and shoving was a "disapointment and a waste of bloody time" and then there were 4 or 5 major balls to the wall crazy fighting all over the ice brawls. New Westminster and Billing Bighorns had a massive brawl with Brent Gogol from the Bighorns in about a half dozen fights, The Victoria Cougars had my all time favourite goon, Archie Henderson. When the Cougars would play in Queens Park Arena in New West, the fans would wait till Archie stepped on the ice and a round of "Arrrrrrcccchhhhiiiieeeeee's" would start from the crowd. By the time he'd circled the Cougar end of the ice the whole crowd would chanting it. The fans in Victoria did the same thing to Harold Phillipoff from the Bruins. They both seemed to love it. Once, in Queens Park in New West, Henderson stepped on the ice and promptly fell on his butt, got up and fell on his butt again. He then reached down and took off his skate guards. He got a standing ovation and you could probably hear us chant "Archiiiieee" 5 blocks away.

[@theowineman1805]

As a young lad , late 70s ish. Watched New Wesminster Bruins vs Victoria Cougars WHL game where John Paul Kelly and Boris Fistrick go into the stands and go to blows with fans. They were getting pellted on the ice, and in the crowd....it was crazy!

[@ronpeacock9939]

The game is much different today... which is why I like it because it does depict the game how it was then. Teams play more as teams today where back then, they were a bunch of players. I love the movie because it takes me back to a time in my life that was much simpler... Life is nowhere near as simple today as it was then.

[@darthcheney7447]

Thank you. This was a great vid. My family is from Detroit and my Grandmother worked for the Red Wings during the 30's. This is one of my families all time favorite movie cause Hockey, and, of course Paul Newman. The Red Wings Org. honored my Grandmother in 2000 as "Hockey Grandma". She passed in 2009 but passed on to the family the love for Hockey and of course, the Detroit Red Wings.

[@sammyweed4771]

Great story. We where blessed to have her !! She got to see some great hockey and some of the best players ever. Been a wings fan since the early 70,s I got to play at Olympia and I’ll cherish that always. Probably been to over 1000 games. Had season tix for awhile

[@darthcheney7447]

@@sammyweed4771 My Aunt saw the Beatles at old Olympia Stadium back in 1964.

[@sammyweed4771]

@@darthcheney7447 nice my mom seen Elvis there

[@mckessa17]

Go Leafs

[@zoso4rune504]

I remember that Bruins game. Minutes before the end of the game Esposito had a clean break away but a fan threw a ball on the ice that ether hit him or his stick that was just enough to throw off his concentration and it was Gerry Cheevers who made the save. Esposito in turn went into the locker room in frustation while his former team mates climbed over the boards and beat up New York fans.

[@martharunstheworld]

This is one of my very favorite movies. A very good friend of mine who was a minor leaguer for a few years was an extra in one of the scenes and has a few stories about filming!

[@jackm4457]

Slap Shot highlighted everything that is great about hockey as well as everything that is not so great... A decade later, Bull Durham did the same for baseball. Slap Shot had it all: so much broad humor, yet with a plausible, serious undertone about the team's future. Even the romantic relationships (between Newman and his ex played by J Warren AND Ivy League grad Ontkean and his long-suffering wife -- Lindsay Crouse.) The acting was superb. The pacing was perfect. The editing was as good as it gets.... and, oh yeah, it was about Hockey, whick I consider the best-designed team sport ever.

[@soldierprincess8422]

I love how it went from keychain to bike chain to wrench 🔧

[@francoisregis2155]

I always imagine that scene especially getting hit by a wrench 🤣🤣🤣 ouch

[@darrylb5247]

I was starting to play Senior B Hockey at age 14 in 1974 (a level of Ice Hockey comparable to that in the Movie). I can personally vouch for the attitudes and incidents being fairly typical of either low grade Minor Pro (something less than AHL or WHL and CHL calibre Hockey/Officiating etc. as was the North American Hockey League and comparable Leagues like the Southern League and on the high end the EHL) or Senior B or house league Collegiate Hockey (later I played on such teams as a goalie at BCIT). Anyway 1974-75 was the height of "dirty Hockey" as the Philadelphia Flyers won the Stanley Cup 2 years in a row as the former "tough guy mentality" NHL Team the Boston Bruins informally "passed the Torch" to them as Orr's failing knees and skill erosion due to WHA nabbing a couple key players (penalty killer Derek Sanderson and Goalie Gerry Cheevers) meant that Boston Bruins were fading and the first expansion team winners of the Stanley Cup would be the Flyers in 1974 and 1975. In 1975 the top 3 NHL Teams at the end of the year all had 113 points, Philadelphia, Buffalo and Montreal. In some ways Buffalo IMHO should have won the cup but they lacked a top notch Goalie like Bernie Parent, and Philly had the edge in muscle. So you can imagine all the cuckoo things that went on across the country in the 1970's as 1975 seemed to have more PRO ICE HOCKEY TEAMS than any year before or since (just from counting them from THE HOCKEY NEWS). The 1972 SUMMIT SERIES between Canada and the Soviet Union fueled a lot of interest in ICE HOCKEY then. Personally I always liked Montreal then as they won 10 Stanley Cups in 15 years from 1965 to 1979 (Yvan Cournoyer's 10 cup winning years ...he peaked in 1973). Few get to play on such teams. So whether you played at this lower level or watched it, it made you smile when SLAPSHOT came out in 1977 and I remember playing one game where there were so many fights that we went through 2-2/3 sheets for penalties and just 3-4 players in front for almost the entire game! The scene with Ogie Oglethorpe was funny as one of the best players I remember was a Big Indian with a slap shot that would bruise your fingers and almost rip the glove off! One shot that I stopped about midway between knee and ankle and in spite of the thick leg pads...it almost broke the lower leg bones! Easily a 100+ MPH Slap shot! No longer comes at you like a streak of black but it "hops in on you" more like WARP DRIVE! Luckily just him and a few powerful farm boys shot that hard. They could embarrass any goalie from center if you weren't alert and got out into the slot to cut down the angle. A certain parallel to BASEBALL is that Pitching in SINGLE "A" was about 80 MPH and DOUBLE "AA" Ball was about 85 MPH. Triple AAA like in Bull Durham (1988 with Kevin Costner) was that higher level but still short of MLB Ball ...when I worked in New England in the late 1990's I got to see the Boston Bruins, The Red Sox, Pawtucket Red Sox etc., and could see the the parallels between A, AA, AAA and MLB Ball as compared to Ice Hockey and the NHL, AHL, WHL, IHL and the lower Pro Leagues and Senior B (Senior A ranged the full level of Minor Pro Hockey in the USA as Canada had and has very strong SENIOR A Teams like way back in 1955 when The Penticton Vees trounced the Soviet Union 5-0 and the Trail Smoke Eaters beat them 6-1 in 1961. Seth Martin later played for the St. Louis Blues...the best Expansion Team prior to the Flyers with 3 Stanley Cup Finals in a row from 1968-1970. Anyway the lower levels of SPORT are more like REALITY for most of us of course and a lot of the reason that movies like this are so popular. It helps that Paul Newman could skate and play at a Senior B level just as Steve McQueen could race cars and Motorcycles well enough so that Bullitt and comparable movies were big hits!

[@jessebourneau6426]

Thank you for this. I could smell the hot dogs and coffee. Dad and I enjoyed this movie in the theatre after one of my games. Mom still walked out though.

[@DarrenShaw-ev5tb]

Watched this with a small Alberta Canada hockey team ! All those farm boys Loved this Movie !!

[@spiderman4x]

It’s still crazy how well this movie mirrored the city it was filmed it. The steel industry was collapsing there and they were hit with another massive flood a year later. The Johnstown Jets went away after the flood. Hockey came back but the city has been dying ever since.

[@ludovicoc7046]

Best. Sports. Movie. Ever. ...and one of the funniest movies ever made.

[@obsessedwithcinema]

Word.

[@MrJohnnyDistortion]

There's a great and very realistic Gordie Howe movie that I saw once.

[@Rockhound6165]

When it comes to the media, it's all sports. In 1972 Steve Carlton of the Phillies went 27-10 winning nearly half of the team's games and he was a media darling. In 1973 he had an off year going 13-20 and was excoriated in the media. At that point he rarely, and I do mean rarely, gave an interview. As for goalies, Bernie Parent put it mildly when he said, "You don't have to be crazy to be a goalie but it helps." About Hershey and the teddy bears, it's one night a season and it's a charity thing.

[@lucgagnon5241]

Like how you're relating things from the film to the reality of hockey and the rest of the world. What amaze me the most about Slap Shot is that it's still "up to date" even if the movie is nearly 50 years old. It's like Nancy Dowd had a crystal ball and saw much more than what hockey was back then. She also predicted what was coming many decades after the wroting of Slap Shot's script !

[@gerwen1]

This Vid popped up on my feed randomly. It was of interest so I watched it. I enjoyed it so went to give it a thumbs up. I was shocked by how few likes and subs you have. You're punching way above your weight when it comes to quality of content, with this vid at least. This feels like it was made by a much bigger channel. Hope you get the success you deserve. I'll be watching more for sure.

[@chrishackett554]

That “pregame brawl” during warmups was filmed in our home city at the Utica Memorial Auditorium now the Adirondack Bank Center, home of the AHL Utica Comets and Utica University Pioneers. The Aud has a stressed cable roofing system and was the design by which Madison Square Garden was modeled after. The other on ice scenes were filmed at the Onondaga War Memorial in Syracuse and Hamilton, NY. I saw many EHL and NAHL games in the 70s and 80s and there was a lot of questionable on ice antics including players jumping into the stands and fighting with fans at the Clinton arena during a playoff game. The film is based on the Johnstown Jets who played in those minor leagues. Paul Newman stated that Slapshot was his favorite movie to make.

[@elliyahugenesove9777]

Awesome video you really did "catch the spirit" . I grew up towards the end of the "Original 6" era and followed hockey for many years. I eventually moved to Israel where it was difficult for many years to even find out who won the Stanely Cup.I think it is somewhat ironic that today I live close to the city where Israels' team trains (yes Israel has a hockeyteam.) By the way "Slapshot was shown on television with Hebrew subtitles-the translations were just as funny as the movie

[@obsessedwithcinema]

Thank you for your note. It is good to know that the game is continuing to gain in popularity worldwide. It must have a terrible ordeal to try to follow the NHL in the era prior to the World Wide Web. This would tend to create a more resilient and determined fan. The International Herald Tribune used to be about the only place to follow the NHL, when travelling in the mideast.

[@Coffeecourage]

Martin and Newman made this the best SPORTS MOVIE of all time, arguably their best performance, unrecognized because it was hockey related

[@howie9751]

Top three yes, but Bull Durham was the best, followed by Miracle...IMHO.

[@dennis3351]

1970s were a great era in hockey. I was a Springfield Indians 'ahl' fan then and Eddie Shore ownership. I would take that era any day over today.

[@francoisgendron9762]

Slapshot is, by far, the movie that I watched the most in my life. I know every single line of that movie both in english and french. The french version is an absolute gem.

[@shawa666]

HANRAHAN, SUZANNE C'T'UNE LESBIENNE!

[@peterjohnson617]

When I first started watching hockey in the late 50`s ---early 60`s most of the players spoke french

[@TheSpritz0]

Totally agree, and my SECOND favorite (action beginning to end!!) is WATERLOO 1970, free here on KZbin starring Rod Steiger, Orson Welles, Christopher Plummer!!

[@francoisregis2155]

@francoisgendron avoye leve tes osties dpatin 🤣🤣🤣

[@Enraged.]

The reporter asking Draisaitl why he was so pissy is such a funny interview. I'm incredible impressed he kept his composure as well as he did. I would've blown up in his face, had that been me.

[@eggsII]

This. So many examples of just that. John Tortorella and the NY Post hockey writer comes to mind.

[@davidj.thompson]

The one scene that made me laugh out loud was where the Hansons climb the glass, leap into the stands and the crowd just "melts" away in terror.

[@franks9344]

Great piece, wonderful insights! Here's my Slap Shot memory... Frank Hamill was #12 on the Broome County Blades, the guy the Hansons buried in the corner. So it's 1976, Ocean Hockey School at the Ocean Ice Palace in Brick, N.J., and Frank was one of our instructors. There was lots of buzz about a hockey movie coming out soon and when we found out Frank was going to be in it we all told him how excited we were to see him and to see the movie. His reply to a bunch of 12 & 13-year-olds: "oh you guys can't see this movie!" Needless to say we saw it anyway!

[@103755080]

I HIGHLY recommend watching the movie with the audio comment by the Hansons/Carlsons. Lots of background info and some more hilarious stories. Steve Carlson coached high school in Kenosha, WI. Came out to play rat hockey one Friday night. Helluva memory.

[@TombomOfficial]

Awesome video! Film can be so illuminating on what is really happening in the reality! Slap Shot might be a "heightened reality" film, but both this film and Bull Durham are proof that film can help illuminate and enlighten people on what being in a part of culture really feels like. Awesome work here.

[@davidelder756]

Years ago, I worked in a jewelry store in Southern Ontario . The son of one of my best customers played on the Johnstown Jets at the time of Slapshot.

[@paulmiller8590]

A pleasure to meet Andrew Duncan (Jim Carr) some years back. He purchased my childhood home in western New York. What a great man... and boy did he love his trains ! Rest peacefully my friend.

[@turkeytrac1]

All time favourite hockey movie, I watch it as often as I can. Your bit about the team members being gentlemen off ice, reminds me of a flight I was on as 14yr, flying from Edmonton to Ottawa at Christmas, the day after the Oilers handed Montreal their asses, ( we were going east as a family to vist family) and the Habs crew at the time, not only took the ribbing from losing, but also signed the menus the airlines handed out then. Truly a great memory, wish I still had that menu. Thanks for this video.

[@lyonellaverde3135]

Even if I didn't hear the accent, the focus on hockey gives away that this video was made by a Canadian. Another clue is the reference to the 1972 Summit Series. When Americans think about hockey we think about the 1980 Miracle on The Ice.

[@stinkfinger630]

You should have used the example the Blues going into the stands and actually getting arrested. That’s the direct correlation with the Slapshot scenario. Overall, excellently done! Thoroughly enjoyed your video.

[@Retarmy1]

Yes I'm saint Louis I remember the game 😅

[@psil0cibin89]

This movie is filmed in my hometown of Johnstown. I never knew it took from a lot of real life stories of the Johnstown Jets.

[@eggsII]

The Blues of the late 60s and the Flyers of the 70s absolutely were the models for Dunlop’s turn toward tough, borderline against the rules hockey. The most obvious item that the movie portrays in its satire is just how ridiculous the hockey of that era really was.

[@barrykochverts4149]

The town where Nancy Down grew up, Framingham, MA had a minor league team called the Framingham 'Pics (Olympics). They played in Loring Arena, just a mile or so from our neighborhood, and we teens went to their home games. The players on the 'Pics and the rest of the short lived, New England Hockey League seemed to be models for the characters in Slap Shot. There were young turks, smooth skaters and what seemed like 80 year olds on the ice, all of whose playing styles were well represented in the movie. I remember a big, old defenseman who wore a shield shaped clear mask, which was odd in the day (We figured he'd taken one too many high sticks). We fans were pretty bloodthirsty; the cheering style fit the tenor of the game. When Slap Shot came out, it was a perfect simulacrum for the game we knew. Nancy's brother, Ned was on our high school team. When I learned that she wrote the movie, and (much later) that Ned was in the cast, it all fit what we knew of semi-pro Hockey in Massachusetts.

[@JonahPedersen-tz3uk]

I’m 54 and I just saw Slapshot. It’s been a long time since I have enjoyed a movie that much. “I’m listening to the fucking song!”

[@wandacircus1667]

i´m 55 now, a hockey coach 4 2 decades and i luved it, same as my players loved to play for me, leading by example and we r family till this day.... i would like to tell some storys bout that, but it would be a book in the end... i appreciate what you explained here and still slapshot and the hansons are hockey history at it´s best, would like to see a vid about those nforcers, which all had a real person behind it, showing here ;)

[@TM-bn8pv]

I grew up playing in Johnstown (Johnstown) in the cambria County War Memorial where the movie was shot...the Hanson (Carlson) Brothers are always around. Awesome guys, great with fans. It's based off the 70s Johnstown Jets/Chiefs. Johnstown won the first Kraft America Hockey town US, which got us a new scoreboard and some other fixes to the Cambria County War Memorial. Still the arena looks the same overall as in Slapshot.

[@francoisregis2155]

Id love to go there and visit the town plus the arena

[@richyrich4672]

I grew up in Windber. 👍

[@timcobos8954]

I thought players attacking fans was unrealistic, until the Ron Artest incident in the NBA. That free for all, with the fans, was life imitating art.

[@BobSmith-in2gn]

Love the snooty journalist with the Oiler. Sums up the pieces of work perfectly and the arrogance of the media.

[@glenmellan8018]

This was a mandatory viewing before every hockey game, early 1990s minor hockey. There was more violence and more hitting in minor hockey in the 1990s there is in the NHL now, crazy

[@andywarshall4801]

well done. super smart analysis and essay.

[@obsessedwithcinema]

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@badplay156]

I have to agree with Gordie Howe. He was a gentleman who never refused a fan. When I was a child my parents went to a Leaf game. Gordie was watching the game. He was huddled at a counter when my mother saw him and recognized him by the back of his neck. Although hiding from fans he graciously gave his autograph. There was a story about him going to Whistler and skiing for the first time. He had never been on skis. He spent most of the skiing down the black diamond (most difficult) ski runs.

[@Gunbudder]

This movie was always special to me because my local hockey team is also the Chiefs and i grew up watching this movie probably 100 times. Goon is probably my second favorite hockey movie after Slap Shot

[@MikeGrimwood]

Great video of yours and Thank you for reminding me to rewatch this great movie. I was circa 18 when I got to watch this movie as it came out. We knew nothing of Ice Hockey in the UK yet a couple of friends and I watched the film 2-3 times on video together and laughed our asses off long before LMAO was a thing:)

[@judeau9151]

Love this content. You should make one of these on Mystery Alaska! Can we also talk about how the few hockey movies that get made are all pretty good? Might ducks, slap shot, Goon.. I wish I knew a way to make the sport more accessible

[@obsessedwithcinema]

Thank you for your kind note.

[@och70]

As fun as they are, you do have to turn off the rational hockey part of your brain to watch the Mighty Ducks movies, especially the first one. There is no way the league would have even allowed any of the players from the District Five team that became the Ducks on the ice without proper hockey equipment. That's a lawsuit just waiting to happen. Goldberg the goalie didn't even have leg pads until they got the sponsorship money from Gordon Bombay's boss. The character named Tammy Duncan wearing figure skates to play hockey? Not happening. The character named Dave Karp was wearing a football helmet! haha

[@bruceringrose7539]

You also have to suspend your brain to watch Slapshot, there are parts that are greatly exaggerated, but like the Ducks, that’s where the fun is!

[@stassandrews6207]

Good work, reference material around the theme provides a richer tapestry. A couple good movies i just downloaded are Frailty, and A simple plan. A good tv show also was True detective, season 1. Good luck with your project.

[@obsessedwithcinema]

It is all going quite well, thanks, due to all the nice people and their supportive comments.

[@bryantwalley]

We watched this movie over and over as teenagers when it came out on HBO.

[@vibratingstring]

An honest to goodness well thought out thesis---on SLAP SHOT!!! LOVE IT!

[@obsessedwithcinema]

Reggie and his friends deserved no less. I like to think that George Roy Hill and Paul Newman would be pleasantly surprised and proud (and maybe a little amused as well) that we are all hanging out discussing their work so long after they created it. Slap Shot does tend to linger in the mind after one views it. 😊

[@jerseyforhawks]

Watched Slap Shot over and over back in the 80s, it was a dense smelly classic. Loved it. You take is very thorough, but I am most amazed about the references to move the team to Florida. Or as they say in the move FLA. At that time I thought it impossible. I was quite wrong.

[@spingmink]

INSTANTLY re-watchable great soundtrack actors heart and humor Not just a hockey movie A great movie

[@Newbobdole]

Your correct usage of, “replete,” earned my subscription. Great analysis!

[@ragin2490]

A true "Timeless Classic" !

[@78tag]

This explanation of the warriors of sport is right on the money. Good effort here.

[@obsessedwithcinema]

Thank you for your kindness. It is most appreciated.

[@xBonyKnees]

what a wonderfully put together video! loved it.

[@obsessedwithcinema]

Glad to hear you enjoyed it.

[@667hodge]

I live in Johnstown where this movie was filmed.Its the best hockey movie ever

[@beatsbreaksbricks6566]

Great essay. I had no idea why I liked this movie so much 😅 I almost wore my Reggie Dunlop jersey to work today

[@SimuLord]

What hockey needs now is a great hockey video game. NHL 93 played a huge role in me getting into hockey as more than just "the Bruins are on TV" and actually becoming a fan of the league (Gary Thorne and Bill Clement on ESPN did the rest.) It doesn't even necessarily need an NHL license. You could do something like Super Mega Hockey (in the same vein as the wonderful Super Mega Baseball series) to get people enjoying the sport in itself.

[@Pocketrocket-pj1us]

Yeah, it sucks that Rip Hawkins and EA sports have become like the evil empire!

[@RKEAYS]

Im guessing youre from Edmonton? if not, well done on the research:) it was a pleasure to watch as an Edmontonian

[@timmacsweet131]

“Let’s finish putting the foil on boys” love that line.

[@RichDuckKing]

I’ve been following various minor league hockey teams for over 30 years. A lot of it has been single or AA hockey. This movie captures those leagues perfectly. The long, arduous bus rides, the goonery, players who are in the twilight of their career or who will never get close to the NHL, the attendance problems and constant fear of folding. I witnessed all of it following leagues like the CHL/UHL, and now the FPHL. It’s hockey at its purest form, unencumbered by all the trappings of the big leagues like sponsorships and negotiating contracts. The skill level is lower, but it’s rough and tumble hockey like I grew up with. Slap Shot, in addition to be so incredibly funny, is also so genuine. It always reminds me of things like the time a brawl spilled into the tunnels of an arena, resulting in security being called to help break it up, or a long bus ride to Brantford, Ontario with a group of boosters in support of our team, the Detroit Falcons. Even the Chiefs owner reminds me of the Falcons’ owner, who moved the team to Port Huron, promised a new arena which never came to fruition, then eventually sold the team - only to pull the same stunt in another city later.

[@timvaughn3073]

Flint Generals

[@paulraich5504]

Really nice video, well researched, I liked it a lot

[@obsessedwithcinema]

Thank you for your kind words.

[@ffffffff963]

Excellent work! Great vid.

[@obsessedwithcinema]

Thanks for your kind words. I appreciate them.

[@guiseppeconlon2299]

Worked in tv production for an AHL franchise for about 10-15 years,,,, we were required to run a static camera recording of the entire ice surface and benches during warm up in event of a pre game brawl. Similarly, during an in game fight we had to run a similar static camera shot showing he benches in event the fight devolved into a bench clearing situation.

[@matambale]

Awesome movie, awesome review. Thank you for this. You got the biscuit in the basket.

[@utopia2112]

Really enjoyable video. Well done, sir!

[@obsessedwithcinema]

Thank you.

[@williamthompson2941]

one of my top ten movies - comedy used to be fun. the idea that nurdy looking teens turn out to be 'animals' had me in fits. many thanks for insights into hockey I missed in the movie.

[@obsessedwithcinema]

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed the video.

[@starpartyguy5605]

Until I heard your explanation of the movie, I considered Slap Shot to be a satire and slap at hockey in general. That was a great movie.

[@obsessedwithcinema]

Glad to be of service.

[@jacknone1564]

I can assure you. The movie is 100% accurate of minor league hockey in the 70s. Everything. The violence, smoking in the dressing room, gambling on the bus, players playing hammered, the shoddy goalkeeping, the crowds, players going into the crowd, the bounties, going through the program to see what knuckleheads were in the lineup, the vendetta lineups, fucking other player’s wives on the road. 100% true. All of it.

[@PoppySquidJr]

I think it's both. There is an obvious love and reverence for the sport, but it still openly prods its flaws for comedy

[@hibob418]

At 25:17, they forget the legendary 1972 brawl between the St Louis Blues and the Philadelphia police. At the period break, coach Al Arbor was arguing a disputed face-off puck drop with the ref in the passage to the locker room, and fans started throwing beer cups and whatever else they had, and it went from there when a cop clocked Arbor on the head (12 stitches worth) and our real-life version of the Hansons, brothers Bill, Bob and Barclay Plager went into the stands after fans. Coach Arbor and 3 players were arrested and spent the night in jail. TV footage (thought lost) was recently found in the basement at Channel 5, and there is a great story about it here on KZbin. We were told later in St Louis that a roof was built over that section of the tunnel at The Spectrum to avoid that same sort of thing, and it was unofficially given the name, the Plager Passageway. Thanks for the great piece about Slap Shot.

[@CommieCat]

brilliant video mate. you really got at the meat of why this has stuck around.

[@obsessedwithcinema]

Thanks. Your words are most kind.

[@Pocketrocket-pj1us]

Very informative and interesting, mini doc. The insight is Dead on and I have little to no criticism, constructive or otherwise. I will mention a few tidbits that I didn't hear: The women who follow the boys around, are also called, "rink rats". I'm wondering if you did know this but chose not to use the, sometimes, derogatory term!?! The other, is just a piece of trivia, that I was surprised not to hear. Glenn Hall also holds the record for playing in 502 straight games!! An ironman streak that would even impress Cal Ripken Jr. :) Besides that, there really is no blemishes to write about. I'm very impressed and you easily got a thumbs up and sub from me :) Cheers from Montreal P.S. For English speakers in Quebec, "Slap Shot" is the king, of hockey movies! Not only for the dead on satire but also bacause we eventually lost our MLB baseball team, which added another, touching parallel between the movie and fans. This element applies to both English and French speakers. But for French speakers alone, there is a series of hockey films, rarely mentioned, outside of the province. It's called, "Les Boys" (The boys) and even if you don't speak French, put on the subtitles and enjoy. There are numerous enteries in the series, to the point where I've lost track. Lol Another extremely good piece of hockey media, is the 80's t.v. show, "Lance et Compte" (Shoots and scores). Now this is the true hockey soap opera and was shown on t.v. in English and French, great drama and excitement! Feel free to check them out, if you like Slap Shot!

[@obsessedwithcinema]

You are correct. Mr. Hall's 502 game streak is unbreakable. I should have mentioned it, but there was just too much other info to synthesize. Things do tend to get lost in the shuffle. Apologies on that.

[@thomasschweda5104]

This is a good analysis of the greatest movie of all time.

[@marz2one]

the Chiefs were based on the Syracuse Minor league hockey team of the same name from the 70's.. Slapshot was filmed at the Aud in Utica, for the most part