Slap Shot
Located in the US Rust Belt, Charlestown is home of the hapless Chiefs, a losing Federal League hockey team whose games are poorly attended. To make money, the team's unknown owner makes its manager, Joe McGrath, do cheesy publicity much to the players' chagrin. Rumors abound among the players that if the local mill closes, the team will fold. Just before the official announcement is made, the team's aging player/coach, Reggie Dunlop, does get wind that the mill is indeed closing and that this season will be the team's last. Beyond efforts to reconcile with his wife Francine, who loves Reggie but doesn't love his career, Reggie begins to focus on how to renew interest in the team for a possible sale as he knows if the team folds, his hockey career is over. Without telling anyone of his plan, he begins a rumor that the owner is negotiating a sale with a city in Florida. He also decides that "goon" hockey - most especially using the untapped talents of the recently acquired childlike but quietly menacing Hanson brothers - is the way to renew local interest. It works as the team begins to attract new fans, sell out games, sell out away games attended largely by their groupies, and win, which does fuel the rumor of a sale. The one team member who doesn't like this new style is Ned Braden, a college graduate who plays the game solely because he loves it. His hockey career is against the wishes of his tomboyish wife, Lily, who hates everything about Charlestown and being a hockey wife. Reggie's goal of winning the league championship and having the team sold takes a turn when he finally meets the team's owner and discovers the owner's motivations. Ned, with his own views of what is right and wrong in hockey, may come up with an unexpected way to achieve all their goals.
Despite its limited budget of $6.0M, Slap Shot became a solid performer, earning $28.0M worldwide—a 367% return. The film's unconventional structure engaged audiences, showing that strong storytelling can transcend budget limitations.
1 win & 3 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Slap Shot (1977) exhibits precise dramatic framework, characteristic of George Roy Hill's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 3 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.1, the film takes an unconventional approach to traditional narrative frameworks.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Reggie Dunlop
Ned Braden
Lily Braden
Joe McGrath
Steve Hanson
Jeff Hanson
Jack Hanson
Francine Dunlop
Main Cast & Characters
Reggie Dunlop
Played by Paul Newman
Player-coach of the struggling Charlestown Chiefs who uses goon tactics to boost attendance and save the team.
Ned Braden
Played by Michael Ontkean
Talented, educated player who resists the violent direction of the team and values skillful hockey.
Lily Braden
Played by Lindsay Crouse
Ned's free-spirited wife whose unconventional lifestyle strains their marriage.
Joe McGrath
Played by Strother Martin
The Chiefs' general manager who keeps the team's uncertain future from the players.
Steve Hanson
Played by Steve Carlson
One of the infamous Hanson Brothers, violent enforcers who bring chaos and excitement to the ice.
Jeff Hanson
Played by Jeff Carlson
One of the Hanson Brothers, known for crude behavior and relentless fighting on ice.
Jack Hanson
Played by David Hanson
The third Hanson Brother who completes the trio of enforcers transforming the team's fortunes.
Francine Dunlop
Played by Jennifer Warren
Reggie's estranged wife who works as a television anchor and represents the conventional life he's losing.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes The Charlestown Chiefs play to a nearly empty arena, losing another game. Reggie Dunlop, the aging player-coach, leads a struggling minor league hockey team in a dying mill town, his marriage failed and his career fading.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 15 minutes when Reggie learns from team manager Joe McGrath that the mill is closing and the team will be folded at season's end. The franchise has no future—everything the players have built is about to disappear.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 31 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Reggie makes the active choice to unleash the Hanson Brothers' violent style of play. In their first game, the brothers start a massive brawl, and rather than stopping it, Reggie commits to this new brutal approach. The Chiefs have crossed into goon hockey., moving from reaction to action.
At 62 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat The Chiefs clinch a playoff spot through their violent tactics—a false victory. The team is winning, attendance is booming, and Reggie's scheme seems to be working. But the victory is hollow: they've abandoned real hockey for a circus act, and the team's future remains uncertain., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 92 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Reggie discovers the truth: the team's owner is Anita McCambridge, who intends to fold the franchise for a tax write-off regardless of their success. Everything Reggie did—the violence, the manipulation, the lies—was for nothing. The dream of saving the team through winning dies., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 98 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Reggie decides to play the championship game with integrity—"old-time hockey"—regardless of the outcome. He tells the team they're going to play clean, real hockey. It's about reclaiming their dignity, not winning through brutality. They'll go down as hockey players, not goons., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Slap Shot's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping Slap Shot against these established plot points, we can identify how George Roy Hill utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Slap Shot within the comedy genre.
George Roy Hill's Structural Approach
Among the 5 George Roy Hill films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.1, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Slap Shot takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete George Roy Hill filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Bad Guys, Ella Enchanted and The Evening Star. For more George Roy Hill analyses, see The World According to Garp, The Sting and Funny Farm.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
The Charlestown Chiefs play to a nearly empty arena, losing another game. Reggie Dunlop, the aging player-coach, leads a struggling minor league hockey team in a dying mill town, his marriage failed and his career fading.
Theme
In the locker room, a player remarks that "old-time hockey" is dead and winning doesn't matter anymore—it's all about entertainment and survival. This establishes the film's exploration of authenticity versus spectacle, and whether the ends justify the means.
Worldbuilding
We meet the dysfunctional Chiefs roster, witness the team's losing ways, see the struggling blue-collar town of Charlestown, and observe Reggie's failed marriage with Francine. The players live paycheck to paycheck, uncertain about their futures.
Disruption
Reggie learns from team manager Joe McGrath that the mill is closing and the team will be folded at season's end. The franchise has no future—everything the players have built is about to disappear.
Resistance
Reggie debates how to save the team. He tries to discover who owns the franchise, spreads rumors about a Florida buyer to boost morale, and brings up the bizarre Hanson Brothers from the minors. He resists using violence initially but begins to see it as the only path to survival.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Reggie makes the active choice to unleash the Hanson Brothers' violent style of play. In their first game, the brothers start a massive brawl, and rather than stopping it, Reggie commits to this new brutal approach. The Chiefs have crossed into goon hockey.
Mirror World
Ned Braden, the team's most skilled player, refuses to participate in the violence, staying true to pure hockey. His wife Lily and his moral stance represent the conscience of the film—the thematic counterpoint asking whether winning this way is worth it.
Premise
The promise of the premise delivers: the Hanson Brothers' outrageous violence creates hilarious chaos. The Chiefs start winning, fans pack the arena, and the team becomes a sensation. Reggie manipulates everyone with rumors about the Florida sale while the goon hockey spectacle escalates.
Midpoint
The Chiefs clinch a playoff spot through their violent tactics—a false victory. The team is winning, attendance is booming, and Reggie's scheme seems to be working. But the victory is hollow: they've abandoned real hockey for a circus act, and the team's future remains uncertain.
Opposition
Opposing teams hire their own goons to match the Chiefs' violence. Ned Braden's marriage to Lily falls apart under the pressure. Reggie's lies about Florida begin unraveling. The violence escalates beyond entertainment into something ugly. Francine rejects Reggie's attempts at reconciliation.
Collapse
Reggie discovers the truth: the team's owner is Anita McCambridge, who intends to fold the franchise for a tax write-off regardless of their success. Everything Reggie did—the violence, the manipulation, the lies—was for nothing. The dream of saving the team through winning dies.
Crisis
Reggie processes the betrayal and futility of his efforts. The championship game against Syracuse looms, but what's the point? The team will fold no matter what. The players sense something is wrong as Reggie withdraws, questioning everything he's done.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Reggie decides to play the championship game with integrity—"old-time hockey"—regardless of the outcome. He tells the team they're going to play clean, real hockey. It's about reclaiming their dignity, not winning through brutality. They'll go down as hockey players, not goons.
Synthesis
The championship game becomes a moral battlefield. The Chiefs try to play clean but Syracuse's goons brutalize them. Just when all seems lost, Ned Braden makes his statement by stripping on the ice—mocking the spectacle the sport has become. The absurd protest wins the crowd and exposes the farce.
Transformation
Syracuse forfeits in disgust at the circus, giving the Chiefs the championship. Reggie and the team celebrate—not for winning through violence, but for reclaiming their souls. The victory is absurd and hollow in one sense, yet meaningful: they chose integrity over spectacle, even if the game itself became a joke.