Sam and Beth opt for a little levity this episode, after 2 historic gold medal and thrilling performances by U.S. Women’s and Men’s Hockey in the Olympics. The playoff chase is also coming down to the wire in the NHL and PWHL.

Consider this episode our tribute to those winsome rapscallions- the kings and queens of municipal ice rinks, or frozen solid mill ponds, as well as their insanely devoted fan base.

No other duo has quite the unique talent of breaking the fourth wall without breaking it— taking us along for the ride on the inside, with a wink and a nod, to show us how things really are. This is Hill’s and Newman’s super power.

Nancy Dowd’s script is alive with the language of the locker room and the chirping of the ice. The film isn’t mired in the sentimentality of a bygone era of steel mills, union halls, and local minor league hockey. It lives and breathes, and is self-aware that the simplicity of that the microcosm, by 1977, was quickly slipping away. In subtle ways, Slap Shot is prophetic.

It’s a tale of Sisyphean struggle, and sometimes the only way out, is by using a little imagination.

Episode links:

“Slap Shot revisited with Dave Hanson” https://youtu.be/xA8G6omkAwI?si=n40YKWU53bEwGC3T

Author Says Her ‘Slap Shot’ , New York Times, Mar. 3, 1977. https://www.nytimes.com/1977/03/03/archives/author-says-her-slap-shot-talk-is-realistic.html?smid=url-share

Johnstown Hockey History https://youtu.be/EhxRR6mdtbs?si=l-4KXU9cTZ8M6nna