I remember a scene where a player (the lead actor) gets mad and skates fast up to another player and rams the top of the stick into his stomach. The tape is played for the police and he is threatened with prosecution.
Does that sound familiar? That scene isn't in this movie, and I thought this was the one.
I think you're talking about "The Deadliest Season." Michael Moriarty stars in it. I think his name is Jerry Miller, nicknamed The Penalty Killer. Bad use of the term, bad movie made the same year as Slap Shot. Dr. Hook Tim McCracken is also in it...
shareI wrote a comment on that made-for-TV movie on IMDB. Saw it only once and I'm glad it's probably never been shown again.
shareIMHO, it's loosely based on an incident with Henry Boucha of the North Stars who got slashed in the head with a stick by Dave Forbes with the Bruins. It broke the bones around his eye socket and his vision never recovered. I was at this game in 1975, they were using shovels to get the blood off the ice and they actually brought out the Zamboni to resurface the rink in the middle of the period because the ice was so stained.
Forbes was charged with aggravated assault but the trial resulted in a hung jury.