Forty years ago, the movie Slap Shot hit the theaters and it became an instant favorite among hockey lovers. It starred the legendary Paul Newman as well as Michael Ontkean and it was about a minor league hockey team who isn’t quite playing by the rules. It’s interesting to note that for this movie the team, the Charlestown Chiefs, were modeled after an actual pro hockey club that was based in Johnstown, Pennsylvania back in the 1950s.
It is said that Paul Newman has said that he had more fun making this film than on any other film he has starred in, and that it remained his favorite of his own films, until his death. The movie is hysterical, so if you have an opportunity, make sure you watch it.
If you do and you want to learn more about the movie, check out the book The Making of Slap Shot: Behind the Scenes of the Greatest Hockey Movie Ever by Jonathan Jackson. “Veteran sports writer Jonathon Jackson lets fans not only relive just how the film was made, but brings to light surprising facts (i.e., Al Pacino was the first choice for the role of Reggie Dunlop; almost every scene-even the absurd and unbelievable ones-depicts a real life event). With access to those involved in the making of the film, he brings to life some of the magic behind the creation of memorable scenes and characters, especially the Charleston Chiefs, one of the most popular fictional sports teams in history.”
Based on interviews with over 50 cast members, production staff, and anyone of note involved in the film’s creation.
So I was thinking about other hockey films that should be watched too and, of course, the first one that came to my head was Miracle. Of course, watching what happened with the United States men’s hockey team when it actually happened back in the 1980 Winter Olympics beats any movie version of it, but if you weren’t around for that event this movie is a close second.
For those of you who were too young to remember, the Soviet Union Olympic hockey team was the heavily favored team, but the Americans pulled out a ‘miracle’ victory and it became known as “Miracle On Ice.” I had the chance to talk to Mike Eruzione who was the captain of the team back then and he can vividly remember details of the event as if it just happened yesterday.
If you want to hear the interview, click here:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/sportspalooza/2014/04/03/sports-palooza-radio-show
Miracle won the Best Sports Movie ESPY Award for 2004 and in 2006, the American Film Institute nominated this film for AFI’s 100 Years…100 Cheers. In 2008, AFI nominated this film for its Top 10 Sports Films list.
If you want to introduce your kids to a fun hockey movie, try the Mighty Ducks movies, where a self-centered lawyer, Gordon Bombay, is sentenced to community service coaching a rag tag youth hockey team. The movie, which debuted in 1992, stars Emilio Estevez as Bombay. According to the storyline, haunted by memories of his childhood Bombay lost the winning goal in a shootout, thereby losing the game, and the approval of his coach. After being charged for drunk driving, the court orders him to coach a peewee hockey team, the worst in the league, Gordon is at first very reluctant. However, he eventually gains the respect of the kids and teaches them how to win, gaining a sponsor on the way and giving the team the name of The Ducks.
(Shhhh…if you have really young kids, try Tooth Fairy with Dwayne Johnson because, well, all the kids love The Rock and Johnson as a Tooth Fairy is adorbs. But you didn’t hear it here.)
Another great hockey movie is Youngblood, a drama released in 1986 starring Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze, and Keanu Reeves, which focuses on a skilled young hockey prospect who is hoping to attract the attention of professional scouts.
This is just a start. There are so many hockey-related movies out there like Slap Shot. What’s your favorite?
