Hockey Standout from Moon Joins Johnstown Tomahawks

Jon Kostial enjoys the opportunity to play in the highly competitive North American Hockey League.

Fans of “Slap Shot” know that a good portion of the legendary hockey comedy was filmed not too far away, in the Cambria County community of Johnstown. The appearance of the city – tucked into a valley at the confluence of the Conemaugh, Little Conemaugh and Stonycreek rivers – hasn’t changed all that much since the mid-1970s. Its residents still sport the same type of blue-collar work ethic that was prevalent when Paul Newman, Strother Martin and other Holywood types converged on the town for its biggest dose of publicity since the Great Flood of 1889. Moon Township resident Jon Kostial still was a long way from being born when “Slap Shot” hit the silver screen, but he certainly is familiar with its legacy. And that’s one of the reasons …

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Instagram Photo Leads Police to "Sheep Shot' Homage to Hanson Brother

Someone used the Instagram photo-sharing site to post a photo of the missing statue inspired by the filmed-in-Pennsylvania hockey movie 'Slap Shot.' Our sister Patch in Michigan explains how police located it.

A fiberglass hockey-playing sheep modeled after one of Slap Shot's beloved Hanson Brothers, stolen two months ago from a public art display in downtown Rochester, MI, has been found. The sheep is missing his ears, one black skate and his wire-rimmed glasses — in a nod to Steve Hanson, the brawling hockey-playing character from the 1977 movie filmed in Johnstown, PA and inspired by the Johnstown Jets hockey team. The Steve Hanson character, played in Slap Shot by real-life former player Steve Carlson, was one of three dim-witted on-ice teammates of the late star Paul Newman. Another of those Hanson Brothers — a former professional hockey player named Dave Hanson in real life as well as on the screen — now is executive director of Robert …

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Around the Rivers

Esmark CEO Spearheads Effort to Relocate Hockey Team to 'Slap Shot' Town

James Bouchard, chairman of Esmark, is leading a group of investors to bring a minor league hockey team from Alaska to Johnstown.

Esmark CEO James Bouchard is leading the charge on a deal to bring an Alaskan minor league hockey team to the Western Pennsylvania city that inspired the cult movie hit Slap Shot, according to the Associated Press. Bouchard, chief executive and chairman of Sewickley-based Esmark Inc., is heading the deal that would relocate the North American Hockey League's Alaska Avalanche to Johnstown, about 60 miles east of Pittsburgh. Bouchard's group of investors, Johnstown Sports Partners LLC, are scheduled to announce the deal later today at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena, where the junior league franchise team will play, the AP reports. Bouchard told the AP he's "excited about bringing a new brand of junior hockey to the region that …

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'Slap Shot' Stars Take to the Ice at RMU

Cast members from the 1977 movie will appear Saturday at the Island Sports Center.

The original Hanson Brothers from the 1977 Paul Newman film Slap Shot will hit the ice Saturday at the Island Sports Center for a charity hockey tournament.  Dave Hanson and brothers Steve and Jeff Carlson, who played the violence-prone Hanson brothers trio in the hockey cult classic, will sport their signature dark-rimmed glasses and Chiefs jerseys, appearing in character at the game.  Hanson, who played professional hockey from 1974 to 1984 with the Detroit Red Wings and the defunct Minnesota North Stars (now the Dallas Stars) organizations, now serves as the executive director of Robert Morris University's Island Sports Center on Neville Island.  The puck drops at 7 p.m. Saturday at the ice arena and the film's stars will appear for an …

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