It has been nearly five decades since the 1977 cult classic film “Slap Shot” first graced the silver screen, half-shocking and half-delighting audiences with its profane, violent, and altogether absurd plotline. Detailing the pivotal season of a small-town minor league hockey team, the film follows the Hanson brothers, three rough-and-tumble players whose ridiculous antics include everything from inciting pre-game brawls to lighting their teammates on fire. And the even-more-ridiculous kicker? It’s all true.
At least, that’s what the real-life Carlson brothers will tell you, the trio of hockey players from Virginia, Minnesota, on whom the film’s colorful main characters are based. Jeff and Steve Carlson starred in the film, while St. Paul native David Hanson filled the role of their brother, Jack Carlson, who respectfully declined after being called up to play for the Edmonton Oilers in their 1975-76 season.

Courtesy of Jack Carlson
It’s worthwhile to wonder if Jack harbored any regrets after the film went on to earn $78 million at the box office and secure a legacy as one of the greatest sports films of all time. But Jack, who is now 70 years old, sees little use in dwelling over the past.
“I went on to play another six, seven years in the NHL, so it turned out well for everybody. I have no regrets,” shares Jack, who, true to his on-screen persona, racked up a whopping 1,111 penalty minutes in his 508 professional games.
Jack may not have answered the fated casting call back in 1976, but he is answering more than his fair share of calls today. In fact, when we caught up with the hockey legend in October, he was packing to leave for a meet-and-greet event in Detroit, of which he does several a year. From autograph-signing and puck-dropping to special screenings of the film, Jack maintains an enduring legacy in the realm of youth hockey.
In an ironic turn of events, the penalty-magnet served as a referee for almost 40 years after retirement, first for USA Hockey and later for the Twin Cities AHA league. He only hung up his skates after an emergency hip surgery last year, at the age of 69. “There were many times when I was refereeing and these young kids—I’m talking 12, 13 years old—would come up to me and say, ‘Hey, were you in the movie ‘Slap Shot’?’ I would say, ‘No, but my brothers were. And who let you watch that movie?'”

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When asked how long it was before Jack let his own daughter, who is now 32, watch the movie, he laughed. “She was probably 18. I came home one day and said, ‘What are you doing?’ and she said, ‘Dad, I’m watching ‘Slap Shot.’ I said, ‘Well, you better not be.'”
Now expecting a grandkid in the coming year, Carlson will have yet another generation of “Slap Shot” discovery to worry about. And maybe, another chance at a young hockey player on the horizon, a dream which narrowly evaded him with his daughter, Lauren. “I got her on hockey skates at 6 years old,” Carlson recalls. “She looked at me after practice one day and she said ‘Dad, I’m gonna need a new pair of skates. But can I get those white ones?'”