Latest news with #Slapshot
New York Post
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
‘Slap Shot' actor, hockey player Guido Tenesi dead at 71: ‘You're forever a Chief'
Former professional hockey player Guido Tenesi, who starred in the 1977 sports classic 'Slap Shot,' died at 71 years old. 'We're saddened to learn of the passing of Guido Tenesi, a member of our roster during the 1974 Calder Cup championship, and was known to many more for his role as Billy Charlebois in the classic hockey film 'Slapshot,' the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League posted Thursday. 'Our hearts are with his family, friends, and teammates.' A cause of death was not announced. Advertisement 3 Guido Tenesi played Billy Charlebois in the 1977 sports movie 'Slap Shot.' Guido Tenesi/IMDB Tenesi, a defenseman, was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the fifth round of the NHL Draft in 1973 and played for minor-league affiliate Hershey for two years. He played across several pro hockey leagues over the next seven seasons. Advertisement It was his time on the Johnstown Jets, where he helped lead the team to the North American Hockey League championship in 1974-75, that landed him a role in the Paul Newman comedy. 'I played on the same team as Ned Dowd, Dave Hanson, and the Carlsons. Ned would walk around with a tape recorder, and taking notes on everything that happened on one of our road trips,' Tenesi told the Utica Observer-Dispatch in 2016. 'If someone tripped on the ice, or if a player broke their stick and threw it over the glass, Ned recorded it.' 3 Actors from Slapshot Guido Tenesi and Jean Tetreault attend the Sports Card Expo at the International Centre on November 12, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Getty Images Dowd's sister Nancy was writing a hockey movie and Ned would play Chiefs' opponent Ogie Ogilthorpe. Advertisement 'It was neat, being in a movie,' Tenesi said. 'How they made it, is what was so interesting to me.' Slap Shot tells the tale of a failing minor league hockey team, the Charlestown Chiefs, who are led by player and coach Reggie Dunlop, played by Newman. In 2020, Tenesi recalled his time filming the movie as the 'good old days' and 'a time to remember,' sharing a photo alongside Newman, who died in 2008. Steve Carlson, who played Steve Hanson — the youngest sibling of the beloved fighting trio in the film — mourned Tenesi as a 'good guy gone too soon.' Advertisement 'RIP Guido Tenesi 'Pretty boy' Good guy gone too soon,' Carlson posted. 'On behalf of myself and Vicki We send our heartfelt condolences. He always had HONOR and Class. Prayers for comfort to the entire family and my fellow teammates and co actors who experience yet another loss of the teammate.' Tenesi won the 1975 Lockhart Cup as a champion with the Jets and in 1979 was the IHL's Governor Trophy winner, awarded to the league's top defenseman. 3 Michael Ontkean, Paul Newman and Guido Tenesi in 'Slap Shot.' Guido Tenesi / Facebook The cult classic hockey film served as Tenesi's lone acting credit. After he retired from hockey in 1987, he worked as a swimming pool technician in Toronto. 'He never chased fame. He never needed to. For those who knew, Guido Tenesi was the real deal — an unfiltered, unforgettable part of hockey lore,' Carlson said, adding, 'Whether you remember him for his on-ice grit, his international pride, or his silver-screen cool in Slap Shot, Guido Tenesi stood for something rare: authenticity. He brought truth to the game, truth to the screen, and truth to what it meant to live as a player, not a character. 'Rest easy, #5 — you're forever a Chief.' Advertisement Jeff Carlson, who played Jeff Hanson, also paid tribute on Facebook. 'Very sad to say that we have lost another brother, castmate, friend and great family man as Guido Tenesi has passed away. We send prayers out to his loving wife Leslie and there whole family. Guido was a great hockey player but a even better person. I along with so many others will miss our great friend. R.I.P Guido we will never forget you.'
DW
06-06-2025
- Sport
- DW
German hockey hails Sturm appointment as Boston Bruins coach – DW – 06/06/2025
Marco Sturm coached Germany to a silver medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Now former fellow players and officials back home will be closely followng his progress as Germany's first NHL coach. Marco Sturm has reached his stated goal — becoming head coach of a team in the National Hockey League. It's not just another team in the NHL either; the Bruins are an Original Six team and the winner of six Stanley Cups, the last having come in 2011. 'Preparation and passion' "Marco impressed us at every step with his preparation, clarity, and passion," Bruins GM Don Sweeney said in a statement. "His path — playing for multiple NHL teams, coaching internationally, and leading at both the AHL 8 [American Hockey League] and NHL levels — has shaped a well-rounded coach who's earned this opportunity." The 46-year-old Sturm said he was "incredibly honored" to be named the 30th head coach in the Bruins' more than a century of history. "Boston has always held a special place in my heart, and I know how much this team means to the city and to our fans. I've felt that passion as a player, and I can't wait to be behind the bench and feel it again," Sturm said. "I'm excited to get to work and do everything I can to help this team succeed." Reaction from German hockey community Several former German stars reacted with delight to the news of Sturm's appointment. Many of them, including fellow former Boston Bruins player, Dennis Seidenberg pointed to the fact that Sturm had paid his dues as a coach. They see his move from assistant with the LA Kings to head coach at their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign as key. "Marco has worked hard to develop as a coach and hasn't shied away from the step to Los Angeles' farm team," Seidenberg told "He's learned a lot there in recent years, but also as an assistant coach with the Kings before that… I can only congratulate the Bruins on making the right choice with Marco as their new head coach." Former Washington Capitals forward Stefan Ustorf noted that not many coaches are willing to take that "step backwards" to fully prepare themselves for the NHL. "He's very good at assessing himself and knows what he needs to develop further. He's done that," Ustorf told the latest edition of the "Slapshot" podcast. "He's ready." 'Great influence on German hockey' Christian Künast was Sturm's assistant when he led Germany to a stunning silver medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. As sporting director of the German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB), Künast credits Sturm with shaking the national team out of its doldrums when he took over as head coach in 2015. "During his time as national coach, Marco had a great influence on the development of German ice hockey. Marco is largely responsible for the change in the attitude of the German national team toward a team that believes in itself," Künast told Sturm did indeed bring in a breath of fresh air, when he took over Germany, remotivating players who had seemed to be reluctant to turn up under a couple of his predecessors. Prior to the 2015 Worlds, then-coach Pat Cortina had 22 players refuse his invitation, albeit some due to injury. Sturm led Germany to the quarterfinals of his first World Championship as a coach in 2016 — for the first time in five years. Two years later came that Olympic silver medal. "That (Sturm's influence) was the foundation for our shared silver medal success in 2018 and has continued even after his tenure," Künast continued. "We wish Marco much success with the Bruins." Christian Künast (left) was Marco Sturm's (right) assistant when Germany won Olympic silver in 2018 Image: Peter Kneffel/dpa/picture-alliance There's a parallel between Sturm's taking over Germany in 2015 and now his first NHL team 10 years later – as the Bruins are coming off a campaign in which they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016. 'Transitions are my strength' On the positive side, the fact that they have nine first or second-round picks in the NHL Entry Draft over the next three years, means a big part of Sturm's job promises to be developing talented youngsters. "I love working with young players, and if you look closely at my resume, transitions are my strength," Sturm told the SID news agency last month. "That was the case with the (German) national team and also in my work as a coach for the (Los Angeles) Kings' farm team," he added, referring to the Reign, where he spent the past three seasons as head coach in the development league. Strictly speaking, Sturm is not the first German to coach an NHL team. That was Canadian-born Ralph Krueger, who coached both the Edmonton Oilers and the Buffalo Sabres. However, Sturm is the first German-born coach who learned the game in the country. Marco Sturm spent five seasons as a player in Boston Image: picture-alliance/Icon SMI/M. Tureski From DEL rookie to solid NHL career Sturm spent his first two professional seasons as a player with Landshut, then with Germany's top flight, the DEL, before joining the San Jose Sharks in 1997 — a year after they had made him the 21st overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft. The centerman would go on to play more than 1,000 games (including playoffs) in the NHL — including five years in Boston — before wrapping up his career in the DEL in 2013 and moving on to coach the national team two years later. Now, getting the Bruins back into the playoffs will be his first order of business, but that won't cut it in the long term. "The expectations in Boston have always been clear." Bruins President Cam Neely said recently. "It's about winning championships." Edited by Matt Pearson. This story was originally published on June 5, 2025. It was updated with reactions from the German hockey community on June 6.
Belfast Telegraph
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Belfast Giants to learn Champions League opposition: ‘They're not going to walk all over us'
Long gone are the days where, after their first ever game in the competition six years ago, they were compared to the movie 'Slapshot' after stunning Czech side Bili Tygri Liberec. After winning three games two years ago and missing out on the Play-Offs by a point, the Giants are now competitive on the continent. Nobody expects them to win the CHL, that is asking a little bit much of the Elite League champions, but things have now progressed to the point where at Wednesday's pool stage draw in Stockholm they will be looking for winnable ties as opposed to just experiences. And not only that but, as head of hockey operations Steve Thornton outlines, the Giants themselves have become something of a plum draw for Europe's elite. "It's a different experience. They're not going to come in and walk all over us like possibly it was in the early days now. It's quite competitive," says Thornton. "We're playing against a big bunch of teams but we're holding our own, I think. I think there'll be a lot of teams at that draw that are hoping to get us for that kind of experience. And that's actually quite exciting. "I've been fortunate to be able to go to three or four draws now, where you're in the room mingling, and the number of people that are representing teams across here to come up to you with their fingers crossed to get you, because they want that experience, is incredible. "That says a lot about the reputation that we've built up over the last couple of decades for hockey in a country that just didn't have it before. So it's exciting. I've enjoyed it as well, I'm very proud of that." Six different teams from Europe's elite leagues - Austria, Czechia, Finland, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland - await the Giants when the group stage starts in August, three games played on the road and three at the SSE Arena. Although any team they face will be top quality opposition, of particular note are potential reunions with the likes of Swedish champions Luleå, Finnish side Lukko and Austrian heavyweights Salzburg, while Giants fans may hope for a match-up with German outfit Ingolstadt, who have former Belfast defenceman Sam Ruopp on their roster. Although they will be underdogs against just about every other team in the competition, that doesn't mean it's not worth the Giants' time being involved. "When we find out what our road trips are, we do what we can to pull as much out of it as possible," explains Thornton. "If there's something around there that allows us to see what is the best in current practise, being able to compare ourselves, seeing the experiences of some of these European venues, how they recruit, what they do in the locker rooms, things like that. We have no shame, really, in stealing ideas. "We don't want to reinvent the wheel, we just want to do what we can all the time to give ourselves the best chance to win. Sometimes it's those small little one per cents, little things you steal, that make the big difference in the end." The Giants are back in the CHL off the back of another superb season that saw them win a League and Challenge Cup double, taking their haul to ten trophies in the last seven years. "It was certainly stressful," grins Thornton. "But it says a lot about the quality of the League right now. There's quite a few teams that are going to be in the mix year upon year now, and everybody was beating everybody for a good portion of the season, and I think that says that hockey is healthy in the UK. "Any time you win, it makes the summer that much better. So I think, reflecting back on last year after about a month of getting your weekends back, it feels much more like we won a double rather than we lost a triple. And I think that's a good feeling, because it's not easy to win." The Giants were taken down to the final period of the final game by a combined comeback from the Sheffield Steelers and Nottingham Panthers in order to win the League title, a 4-3 overtime success in Nottingham clinching the crown, and that mental load resulted in their Grand Slam bid ending with a shut-out loss to the Cardiff Devils in the Play-Off Semi-Finals. But as much as that stung, Thornton sees it as a positive that the fans were initially upset by the way the season ended, rather than focusing on the rest of the campaign. "We sweated everything possible out of that it was crawling to the line almost to get it was so close to winning nothing. And then the fact that we won two, you look at that as incredible success," he continues. "We're just so fortunate that we've had a good run of five or six years with trophies in the bank. And I'm kind of proud of the fact that there are a lot of people that judge us by winning the wouldn't have said that seven or eight years ago. "So anytime you win something, it's a good season. And it just makes it a lot easier in terms of building a team for the next year, keeping that culture.
