How a movie about minor league hockey became a box office hit-and an international cult classic Even thirty-odd years after Slap Shot's release, diehard hockey fans can still recite scenes of dialogue by heart, making lines like "putting on the foil" just common argot for the devoted. Yet many may be surprised to learn that the true story behind the making of the film is as captivating as the film itself. In The Making of Slap Shot, 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 Destined to be a collectible and keepsake (along with the jerseys, bobbleheads, and other paraphernalia associated with the film), The Making of Slapshot is a must for fans eager to learn even more about their favorite film.

More than 30 years after its cinematic debut, Slap Shot remains one of the most popular sports movies of all time, and this book is actor Dave Hanson’s firsthand account of its making. Starring the legendary Paul Newman, the movie was based on the hilarious and outrageous antics of the fictitious Charlestown Chiefs, a tough-as-nails minor league hockey team in the early 1970s. In financial trouble and due to fold at the end of the season, they bring in the Hanson Brothers—three of the toughest hockey players around—in a desperate bid to sell tickets. What ensues is pure comic genius. Here, Dave Hanson—who played ringleader Jack Hanson in the film—not only opens the vault and dishes the dirt on the making of the movie, from the bench-clearing brawls and the practical jokes on set to the legendary partying that went on during filming, but also explores how the movie changed his and many of the cast and crew’s lives forever.

Learn all about ice hockey in this fascinating, nonfiction Level 2 Ready-to-Read, part of the new Game Day series that gives fans an insider look at their favorite sports! This book is perfect for young, sports-obsessed fans who, in addition to watching and playing sports, crave the kind of expert knowledge that only an insider would know. It’s game day, and readers of Slap Shot are given a rink-side view of the passes and goals that make up an ice hockey game. Along the way, they’ll get to know all about the history of hockey dating all the way back to Canada in the 1800s! A special section in the back of the book is chock-full of even more facts about the game and its storied history and players. It is custom-made for the fan who loves all things ice hockey!

A fast-paced look at the fascinating science that explains the game of hockey. From the moment the first player steps onto the ice, every conceivable principle of science is in play. To understand hockey—fully understand it—Alain Haché argues that you must first learn how ice reacts to a passing blade, how the trajectory and aerodynamics of the puck affect its chances of getting into the net, how the tension on the stick transfers energy to the puck, and dozens of other details of the game. Slap Shot Science is an under-the-hood, behind-the-scenes, action-packed romp through special moments in the game as seen from the perspective of science and explained in a way everyone can understand. Among the topics Haché discusses are the differences between real ice and synthetic ice, the perfect amount of sharpness for a skate, how goalies can make spectacular saves even though the puck is traveling 100 miles per hour, whether players are skating faster today than in years past, and how equipment prevents many serious injuries. Slap Shot Science shows us how statistics can predict future performance by players and teams and why they can also be misused in many ways. By the close of the book you’ll see hockey in a more sophisticated and scientific light, and the reasons things happen the way they do will be clearer than ever.

In 1959, The Royal Canadian Air Force released a series of booklets on hockey titled, Beginning Hockey, How to Play Better Hockey and Coach's Manual. They included skill development, instruction and drills for the player and coach. These booklets are being reprinted in their entirety for the first time in half a century. Go "old school" and read this book. Learn how hockey was played and taught in 1959. - Paul Langan