Misinterpretations

The lasting power of the gritty hockey movie "Slapshot" never ceases to amaze. Thirty-three years after it was made, the Hanson brothers are still well-known and popular and clips from the movie are shown over and over at hockey rinks around the world.

There's a terrific new book on the subject, "The Making of Slapshot," by author Jonathan Jackson that's about to hit the bookstores. It includes a foreward by actor Michael Ontkean (Ned Braden in the movie) and lots of minutae about the film. Heck, the guys I play organized shinny with every Monday night use the Chiefs motif as a template, from uniforms to gloves to goalie masks to the fact the main organizer goes by the handle of "Reg."

What is also amazing is how one line from the movie about "old-time hockey" continues to be misunderstood and used as a motto for fighting and goon hockey. On Wednesday at the Air Canada Centre, the Leafs ran an entire video segment splicing fight scenes from Slapshot with fight scenes involving Leafs over the years, again with the "old-time hockey" phrase as the central concept.

What people fail to understand, of course, is that when the character played by Paul Newman (Reg Dunlop) utters the phrase "old-time hockey," he's actually urging his teammates NOT to fight, NOT to goon it up, but rather to get back to the basics of the game, shooting and passing and skating.

The scene comes after Dunlop has met with the mysterious owner of the team who has told him of her intent just to fold the franchise, rather than sell it.

He comes back to his team, sees that the goon hockey that has put the Chiefs back on the map has been an exercise in futility, and urges his teammates to get back to "old-time hockey. None of the wrestling shit." He tells them to "Play it straight."

So every time an organization like the Leafs or some other teams uses the "old-time hockey" motto as an excuse to show fight videos, all they're doing, really, is showing their ignorance and lack of understanding of what the original movie actually said. It's like when Ronald Reagan mistakenly chose Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." as the theme song for his 1984 re-election campaign, not understanding Springsteen's song actually lamented the loss of national pride.

Then again, as H.L. Mencken wrote and said, people will believe what they want to believe.

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[chris]

People really do believe what they want to believe, Damien. Look at the political and social discourse in the United States right now as proof.

Of course, misinterpreting the movie Slaphot has been going on for a long time now. At that time, the movie was originaly intended to skewer the style of hockey that was being played in the 1970s, when the Philadelphia Flyers used goon tactics as a means to Stanley Cup success. Today, Slapshot has been hailed as the measuring stick for all hockey movies, TV series, etc. to live up to, minus the irony.

[Moe Green]

Way to go Damien and way to have the guts to speak the truth. We can always count on you for that.

[S Good]

Ha. I have been saying this for years and people look at me like I'm crazy.

[Dan]

You really captured the spirit of the thing Damien.

[Matt B]

I'm always amused by how the 1970s came to characterize all of hockey. It was a black mark on hockey when the talent was so sparse (pro hockey went from 6 teams in 1967 to 32 in 1974 in both the NHL and WHA) and players like Gary Bergman and Mad Dog Kelly could somehow play professional hockey (yet couldn't skate any better than my current 12 year old nephew).

[Steve C]

So I guess 'old time hockey' doesn't mean helmet-less, bench-clearing brawls to you? Regardless of what the movie says, this is what 'old time hockey' means to people in this day and age.

[joe jacobs]

Great article Damian, especially the quotes and historical references sprinkled in there!

[Will Espey]

As the stickboy for both the Johnstown Jets and Charlestown Chiefs back then, I really wish the wonderful fans of the movie "Slap Shot" would watch the theme of the movie and not just the team of the movie. It really is a masterpiece! As fa...r as the type of hockey, old or new, had we not been able to kill off so many penalties, and had our goalie not been able to keep the biscuit out of our basket not much more would have happened besides what actually took place on our streets. Wins and loses are counted by who has the most goals in a game. You can't take the sport out of the game, you can only get a game, type, out of the sport! But what do I know, I was simply there!

[Tim]

Hey Damian... The boys and I want you to have this as a little memento. It's a Chiefs key ring. You can't buy these in stores.
Love
Joe McGrath

[Greg]

"Today, Slapshot has been hailed as the measuring stick for all hockey movies, TV series, etc. to live up to, minus the irony."
----------------

It's got nothing to do with irony and everything to do with realism. It's a great sports movie because it captures the context it's trying to portray perfectly... it tells from the inside a sports story that could be true (and many parts of it were) in a way that we can believe and relate to, instead of relying on Fat Albert shooting "knuckle pucks" or Robin Hood and his band of merry Eskimos teaching the New York Rangers a lesson about humility.

[Ron]

And nice H.L. Mencken reference as well.

[koho]

And Mencken was right Damien and how ironic that is. I havent seen Slapshot in ages, the movie that drips so much irony it even starts with an ironic double entendre which is its title.

When Reggie preaches "old time hockey" to his embattled troops, he cites Eddie Shore as the epitome of this ideal. I'm sure you see the irony in that, as Shore was one of the meanest dirtiest SOB's to ever lace em up in the NHL as well as being highly talented of course.

Hockey in itself has always been steeped in it's own machismo, while there have been many graceful, gentlemanly players down through the years, they've always had to have a guy riding shotgun for them, you know the guy that keeps the other team "honest." Old time hockey Damien is merely that whistful, nostalgic and somewhat murky past, the one that we wish was like we remembered it. The teams in the NHL that have enjoyed winning it's ultimate prize, maybe don't always brawl there way through each and every game, but they could if they really wanted to and that is a part of so called team toughness that never goes out of fashion. The game has always been 1 part skill, 1 part goaltending and 1 part intimidation, it makes for a heady cocktail and that my friend is old time hockey.

[JD Wood]

Everyone remembers 'Slapshot' for the trash talk and goon scenes. Just sayin'...

[Jack Robinson]

"Pi** on Eddie Shore!"

"Johnny doesn't believe in the fighting, he told me so."

"A hundred bucks of my own dough to the first of my men who really nails that creep."

Who cares nowadays what "old-time hockey" actually meant in the movie? Do you think the fans are going to go, "Hey, wait a minute! The Leafs (or whatever team) have been mistaken all this time calling the fighting 'old-time hockey.' That's it! Honey,tell the kids to put their coats back on, we're going home!"?

[Geoff Read]

Bravo Damien! As a historian I appreciated your correcting the revisionists who misunderstand "old time hockey".

But I still wrap my hands in tinfoil just in case.

[Gman]

Actually, the line I remember most is "We're just some rich broad's tax write-off." The real truth behind 90% of minor-league sport.

[Craig]

Ahhh you aren't getting off easy here.

You're right. "Old time Hockey" mean't getting back to basics. But it also did NOT leave out tough gritty Hockey, which is the brand those old greats played. Oddly, when the discussion shifts to so called "head shots" or concussions on regular "hockey contact" created by bigger, better and infinitely faster NHL players of today, we all know where you run Sir.

Remember the part in Slap Shot where the Hansons triple team a guy on the boards..... I wish you to be that guy! HA! ( I kid)

Another note. The inaugural shift skated by the Hansons in the movie..... only half of what they did was actually illegal. Like it or not, Hockey is a contact game.