David Hanson

David J. Hanson (born April 12, 1954) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He played 33 games in the National Hockey League between 1978 and 1980, and 103 games in the World Hockey Association between 1977 and 1979.

Biography Hanson was born in Cumberland, Wisconsin, and grew up in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where he eventually starred in football, baseball and hockey at Humboldt Senior High School.

Hanson continued playing hockey for the St. Paul Vulcans and for Herb Brooks's University of Minnesota college team. Hanson played four seasons for the Detroit Red Wings and Minnesota North Stars of the National Hockey League, and the New England Whalers, Minnesota Fighting Saints and Birmingham Bulls of the World Hockey Association. In a playoff game for the Bulls, he accidentally knocked off the hairpiece of Bobby Hull, who had to take a moment in the dressing room to get a helmet.

He was originally cast as "Dave 'Killer' Carlson" in the 1977 film Slap Shot, but when Jack Carlson was unable to perform because his team was in the playoffs, Hanson was recast as "Jack Hanson", one of the Hanson Brothers. Professional actor Jerry Houser was then cast as "Killer", the character based on Dave Hanson. Hanson appeared in several other films, and won a "DVD Premiere Award", along with fellow Hanson Brothers Steve and Jeff Carlson (brothers of Jack Carlson), for his part in the 2002 sequel Slap Shot 2: Breaking the Ice.

In 1977, Hanson married Sue Kaschalk, a coal miner's daughter from Nanty Glo, Pennsylvania. He has two daughters and one son, Christian, a center whose professional career included time with the Toronto Maple Leafs, AHL teams and the Norwegian champion Stavanger Oilers.

From 1984 to 1991, Hanson served as the general manager of the Gore Mountain Ski Area in the Adirondack Mountains and worked under Ned Harkness, who had been the general manager of the Adirondack Red Wings when Hanson played for the AHL team. After that, a recommendation from Harkness led to his appointment as the general manager of the Capital District Islanders, an AHL franchise in Upstate New York. In 1993, he organized a reunion of the Hanson Brothers before one of the team's home games that sold out the arena and also drew national attention. Hanson was fired from the position prior to the start of the 1993–94 season, after the team had relocated within the Capital District and became the Albany River Rats.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1973–74 St. Paul Vulcans MidJHL 56 9 13 22 220 — — — — — 1973–74 Marquette Iron Rangers USHL — — — — — — — — — — 1974–75 Johnstown Jets NAHL 72 10 24 34 249 — — — — — 1975–76 Johnstown Jets NAHL 66 8 21 29 311 9 0 3 3 54 1976–77 Johnstown Jets NAHL 6 0 3 3 27 — — — — — 1976–77 Hampton Gulls SHL 28 5 7 12 188 — — — — — 1976–77 Rhode Island Reds AHL 27 2 10 12 98 — — — — — 1976–77 Minnesota Fighting Saints WHA 7 0 2 2 35 — — — — — 1976–77 New England Whalers WHA 1 0 0 0 9 1 0 0 0 0 1977–78 Kansas City Red Wings CHL 15 0 0 0 41 — — — — — 1977–78 Hampton Gulls AHL 5 0 3 3 8 — — — — — 1977–78 Birmingham Bulls WHA 42 7 16 23 241 5 0 1 1 48 1978–79 Birmingham Bulls WHA 53 6 22 28 212 — — — — — 1978–79 Detroit Red Wings NHL 11 0 0 0 26 — — — — — 1979–80 Oklahoma City Stars CHL 6 0 0 0 12 — — — — — 1979–80 Birmingham Bulls CHL 33 4 6 10 174 — — — — — 1979–80 Minnesota North Stars NHL 22 1 1 2 39 — — — — — 1980–81 Adirondack Red Wings AHL 77 11 21 32 267 18 1 4 5 30 1981–82 Adirondack Red Wings AHL 75 11 23 34 206 5 1 3 4 23 1982–83 Indianapolis Checkers CHL 80 18 21 39 285 5 1 3 4 2 1983–84 Indianapolis Checkers CHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 1983–84 Toledo Goaldiggers IHL 68 11 26 37 120 9 1 3 4 33 WHA totals 103 13 40 53 497 6 0 1 1 48 NHL totals 33 1 1 2 65 — — — — —