SEARCH
                 


Former NHLer, Slap Shot actor Steve Carlson announces serious diagnosis

PUBLICATION
TJ Tucker
October 27, 2021  (7:47)
SHARE THIS STORY

Some sad news for hockey fans as beloved former NHLer and member of the Hanson Brothers from the hockey movie Slap Shot has announced a cancer diagnosis. Steve Carlson, who played Steve Hanson, has revealed he has metastatic squamous cell carcinoma that has spread to his lymph nodes.

"Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) generally has a high survival rate," Carlson wrote on his GoFundMe page. "The 5-year survival is 99% when detected early. Once SCC has spread to the lymph nodes (In my case) and beyond, the survival rates are lower. Yet this cancer is still treatable with surgery and other therapies, even in its advanced stages."

The money raised through his page will go towards covering the cost of treatments in Pittsburgh and Altoona, Pennsylvania.

"I have been retired for 33 years, and unfortunately I did not play enough games while working in the NHL to qualify for a pension or benefits. I have been completely reliant upon Social Security benefits and attending social appearances," he wrote. "Put on the Foil. Share this with everyone. It's the only way it will work."

Steve Carlson, 66, is not the first member of the famed brothers to become ill. In November of 2020, the son of Jeff Carlson, who played Jeff Hanson, started a GoFundMe after his father was diagnosed with throat cancer. You can read more about that here.

Steve Carlson played 52 games in the NHL, all of them for the LA Kings during the 1979-80 season. He also played 173 games in the now defunct World Hockey Association (WHA), including 73 games with the Edmonton Oilers before the team made the jump to the NHL. He retired from professional hockey in 1986-87 as a member of the Baltimore Skipjacks of the AHL.

Source: kiro7