The plot: The movie focuses on a fictional team called the Charlestown Chiefs, who are members of the fictional Federal League. The team, a perennial loser and in financial trouble due to mill closings in the town, is due to be folded at season's end. Reggie Dunlop, the veteran player-coach by Newman, has no idea who the owner of the team is. The team acquires the Hanson Brothers, who are introduced by kicking a soda machine that takes their quarter. It is there that the hilarity ensues, as we find out that they also bring their toy cars along for the trip and wrap their fists with tin foil. And it wouldn't be the Hanson Brothers without the famous thick-rimmed glasses. But the Chiefs aren't just the Hansons and Dunlop; there are other interesting characters on the team as well, such as Ned Braden (goal scorer who refuses to drop the gloves), Denis Lemieux (flaky French Canadian goaltender, which sounds a lot like me, except for the French Canadian part), Dave "Killer" Carlson (scrapper who believes in New Age theories), and Morris Wanchuk (says the word "snatch" a lot). Eventually, the fortunes of the Chiefs take a turn for the better as they begin to employ "goon tactics" and the winning ways attract a crowd, good (if you're the Chiefs) and bad (towns like Hyannisport and Syracuse). A conflict arises when the Chiefs are about to fold after Charlestown's mill closes in all of this.
If a city like Detroit can look somewhere for inspiration, Slap Shot would be a great movie to look at. Comedy? This movie has it. Hockey? Absolutely. Quotes? There are quite a few to choose from. Ironically, the movie has had a far reaching effect on the sport, as there have been a few teams that have adopted the Chiefs moniker, and the real life team that the Charlestown Chiefs were based on was in the midst of its own troubles. That team recently folded and moved, though not to Florida.
The Hanson Brothers in action:
Hilarious scene from Slap Shot:
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