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Our American Stories

The "Slap Shot" Story with Dave Hanson

Our American Stories

iHeartPodcasts

Documentary, Society & Culture

4.6817 Ratings

🗓️ 18 April 2025

⏱️ 11 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On this episode of Our American Stories, the iconic Hanson Brothers from Slap Shot weren’t actors—they were real minor league hockey players. When Dave "Killer" Hanson was cast in the 1977 cult classic alongside Paul Newman, the unforgettable trio was born. Here's David himself with the true story behind one of the most legendary roles in sports movie history.

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Transcript

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0:00.0

This is an IHeart podcast.

0:04.5

Adventure should never come with a pause button.

0:07.1

Remember Movie Pass?

0:08.4

All the movies you wanted for just nine bucks?

0:11.1

I'm Bridget Todd, host of There Are No Girls on the Internet.

0:13.9

And this season, I'm digging into the tech stories we weren't told.

0:17.4

Starting with Stacey Spikes, the black founder of movie pass who got pushed out of the company

0:21.6

he built.

0:22.8

Everybody's trying to knock you down and it's not going to work and no one's going to like it.

0:27.3

And then boom, it's everywhere.

0:29.3

And that was that moment.

0:30.7

Listen to there are no girls on the internet on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

0:34.7

You know what? or wherever you get your podcast.

0:49.2

This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories.

1:00.0

Decades after it was released in 1977, the movie Slapshot holds up as one of the true classics of American sports film. Its comical depiction of a minor league hockey team resorting to violent play to gain popularity in a declining factory town still resonates with audiences around the world. Much of the film's success has to do with Paul Newman's performance as an aging player coach,

1:16.6

but the movie might never have achieved its iconic status without the bespeckled, brawling characters known as the Hanson brothers,

1:24.6

played by former Johnston Jets players Steve and Jeff Carlson and David Hanson brothers, played by former Johnston Jets players, Steve and Jeff Carlson, and David Hanson.

1:31.6

Dave Hansen grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he eventually starred in football, baseball, and hockey, at Humboldt High School.

1:39.3

He played for the University of Minnesota under legendary coach Herb Brooks, and of course that's hockey.

1:45.9

Hansen then played for the Detroit Red Wings and Minnesota North Stars in the National

1:50.8

Hockey League.

1:51.5

The following excerpts are from a video interview with Dave Hansen by Paul Guggenheimer.

...

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