Dave Hanson – NAHL
Hanson played parts of three years in the NAHL from 1974-75
to 1976-77, all with the Johnstown Jets. In his first year, he placed third in
the league for penalty minutes with 249. Ahead of him were Gary Sittler,
brother of Darryl, of the Syracuse Blazers and teammate and movie brother Jeff
Carlson, also of the Jets. Just three PIM behind Dave was teammate Jack
Carlson. In that first year, the brawling Jets won the Lockhart Cup, sweeping
the Binghamton Dusters in the finals.
The following year was Hanson’s last full season in the
NAHL. He finished second in the league for penalty minutes with 311. Ahead of
him, a far, far distance away was Gilles Bilodeau of the Beauce Jaros with 451
PIM, an NAHL record.
In 1976-77, the last for the league, Hanson played just six
games for the Jets before never really unpacking his suitcase for the rest of
the season. Dave played for four other teams in pro hockey, the Hampton Gulls
of the SHL, Rhode Island Reds of the AHL, Minnesota Fighting Saints of the WHA
and the New England Whalers of the WHA.
Dave Hanson – Pro Hockey
Hanson played pro from 1974-75 to 1983-84 in a handful of
leagues, including the NAHL, SHL, AHL, WHA, CHL, NHL and IHL. He was not
drafted into the NHL but was a fourth round pick of the Fighting Saints at the
1974 WHA Amateur Draft, 59th overall. Dave appeared in 33 National
Hockey League games with the Detroit Red Wings and Minnesota North Stars. In
the World Hockey Association, he played 103 total regular season games with the
Fighting Saints, Whalers and Birmingham Bulls.
Perhaps Dave’s pinnacle in pro hockey came in 1980-81 with
the Adirondack Red Wings of the American Hockey League. He placed fifth in the
league for PIM but, more importantly, won a championship. The Red Wings won the
Calder Cup with a victory over the Maine Mariners in six in the finals. Maine
outscored Adirondack 22-19 in the series on the strength of a 10-1 drubbing in
game four.
Dave Hanson – The Author
In 2008, Hanson authored Slap Shot Original: The Man, the Foil, and the Legend
. This is a firsthand account of the behind-the-scenes
antics while filming Slap Shot. Dave also gets into how the movie changed his
life, along with the other cast members, taking them from minor hockey league
players to movie stars.
. This is a firsthand account of the behind-the-scenes
antics while filming Slap Shot. Dave also gets into how the movie changed his
life, along with the other cast members, taking them from minor hockey league
players to movie stars.
Big names abound with Bob Costas and Gordie Howe providing
the Foreward. Also included are introductions from Jeff Carlson and Steve
Carlson, the other two thirds of the Hanson Brothers.
The book is having a bit of a re-release on October 1, 2013.
Slap Shot Original: The Man, The Foil and the Legend will once again be available
via Amazon. The book qualifies for Amazon’s pre-order guarantee, meaning if you
pre-order and the price drops before the book is available for shipping, they
refund the difference.
If you order the book and the DVD of the original movie ‘Slapshot’,
you just might qualify for free shipping if the total is $25 or more!
