"Slap Shot" is on the list of the greatest sports movies of most ever fans and the Hanson Brothers are the most iconic characters. The infamous Hanson Brothers are coming to Rhode Island to play "old time” and help a family that is being devastated by Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
The fundraiser is titled, "Artie and the Hanson Brothers Battle ALS!” and its goal is to raise funds for Artie Saran and his young family to defray the costs of battling the brutal disease.
ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. It leads to total paralysis and ultimately death.
GoLocal talked to Steve Carlson, aka Steve Hanson, who along with his infamous movie line mates/brothers will be traveling to Rhode Island to play in a community effort to support a family impacted by ALS.
“We are more than happy to come to Rhode Island to help Artie and his family — we understand what they are going through,” said Carlson in an interview with GoLocal.
SEE SCENE FROM SLAP SHOT BELOW
In addition to the Hanson Brothers, Bill Bennett, Dave Capuano, Howie Rosenblatt, and Billy Tibbetts are just some of the hockey stars playing at Boss Arena on Sunday, November 20, 2016.
Unending effort to help
For the fictional Hanson Brothers, their efforts to support community causes are almost unending. According to Carlson, they have helped raise over $27 million during the past 25 years.
"There are many back stories here as well. The RI Saints hockey club has great ties to Artie —everyone wants to help,”said Andy Caicone who is one of the organizers of the fundraiser.
The genesis of the fundraiser
"As Artie got older and played he blossomed into a great player who had a great career at LaSalle and then in juniors and for The Wichita Thunder of the CHL,” said Caicone. "Fast forward to this year and I was in the ice rink watching a game and a friend came up to me and said, 'hey too bad about Artie,' and I had no idea (about him being sick with ALS)."
For Carlson and the other Hanson Brothers this brotherhood of hockey is their de facto calling. “We spend 25 to 30 weekends a year supporting great causes. We spend a lot of time stuck in airports in snow delays, but what we are doing is special,” said Carlson.
For those who love the Hanson Brothers' characters in the movie, few might be surprised to know that Carlson was a very strong WHA and NHL player. He roomed with Wayne Gretsky when The Great One was a rookie in the WHA playing for Indianapolis.
Carlson is one of two pro players to play with both Gretsky and Gordie Howe.
"I called my friends who played with me in college and those who played in the NHL and they agreed immediately to help . His (Artie's) favorite movie is Slap Shot so I thought it would be cool to see if the Hansons would come and they didn't bat an eyelash so things went from there,” said Andy Caicone.
Sponsors of the event include, Thirsty beaver, G Media, The Hotel Dolce Villa, Lucky's Pub, and GoLocalProv.com.
Glory Road, released in 2006, is the true story of the 1966 Texas Western men's basketball team (now called UTEP) and their head coach Don Haskins, played by Josh Lucas.
Haskins decided to build a team based on talent and not race which causes problems for the team throughout the movie and their season.
The Miners would get to the National Championship game where they would take on Kentucky. Haskins would start and only play African American players in that game.
The game and the team are as historically significant in college basketball as any other game ever played by anyone as it started to knock down some of the barriers.
The movie won an ESPY award for Best Sports Movie.
The movie was released in 1988 and stars Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon. Costner plays the character of "Crash" Davis, a veteran catcher brought in to teach rookie pitcher Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh, played by Tim Robbins, about the game and the preparation needed.
Released in 1984, The Natural starring Robert Redford is about a baseball phenom Roy Hobbs who is shot in the abdomen on the way to a tryout with the Chicago Cubs.
Hobbs then returns to baseball after 16 years and becomes a star, though not without others being angry.
Released in 1996, Happy Gilmore stars Adam Sandler and is the story of a hockey player turned golfer, however he is not your average golfer.
The hilarious film features a fight with Bob Barker, a tee shot with a running start that just about everyone at any driving range across the country tries and much more that will keep you laughing and cheering.
Remember the Titans, released in 2000 and starring Denzel Washington is based on a true story of the integration of a high school football team in Virginia set in 1971.
The players battle adversity on their way to becoming a real, close knit football team despite the color of their skin.
Hoosiers, released in 1986, is the story of redemption of a coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) who has a questionable past but is given a second chance by a small town Indiana high school basketball team.
The story is based on the Milan High School team that won the 1954 state championship.
Hoosiers was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry but he Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
Major League starring Charlie Sheen is the story of the Cleveland Indians and new owner Rachel Phelps who gets a good deal to move the team to Miami. However, before moving the team, she needs to get out of the lease with the city of Cleveland, which means ticket sales have to be really bad.
So she goes on to bring in some of the worst baseball players that are available in order for the team to lose. However, her evil tactics bring the team together and turn them into potential winners.
The film stars Kevin Costner who plays an Iowa farmer working in his corn field when he hears a mysterious voice saying "If you build it, he will come."
After a journey to figure out what exactly needs to be built, Costner's character Ray destroys all his crops to build a baseball field. Shortly after it's build, baseball players, including "Shoeless" Joe Jackson begin emerging from the crops to play baseball.
Field of Dreams was nominated for three Academy Awards including Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture.
Released in 1977, Slap Shot is one of the funniest sports movies that you will ever see while acknowledging the craziness of old time hockey.
The movie is the story of a minor league hockey team, led by the Hanson Brothers and coached by Reggie Dunlop (Paul Newman) who resorts to violent play in order to gain popularity.
Released in 1993, Rudy is the story of Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger who dreamed of playing football at the University of Notre Dame but had significant obstacles, namely grades and money to go to the school.
After attending Holy Cross College to improve his grades, Rudy gets into Notre Dame in the final semester of his transfer eligibility.
The battle would then become to get on the field for the Irish.
The movie was the first that Notre Dame administration allowed to be shot on campus since the Knute Rockne, All American in 1940.
Rocky, released in 1976, starring Sylvester Stallone tells the story of a young boxer who goes from rags to riches by starting out as a small time club fighter before going on to get a shot at the world heavyweight championship.
In 2006, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or anesthetically significant."
The film was made on a budget of a little over $1 million and it was shot in 28 days while turning Sylvester Stallone into a superstar.
Released in 2004, "Miracle" starring Kurt Russell is the story of the 1980 United States Olympic Hockey team that won a gold medal after defeating the Soviet Union in a game known as "The Miracle on Ice."
The movie shows the drama and the hard work that led to a group of college kids pulling off arguably the greatest upset in sports history, defeating the Soviets, a hockey super power.
Interesting and fun facts about the movie include they did not have Al Michaels redo his famous call "DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES?... YES" Instead they used the actual call of the game and made sure the hockey matched up.
Another interesting fact is they did not cast actors and teach them to play hockey. They cast hockey players and taught them to act.
