The Man. The Foil. The Legend.

When you hear the name Dave Hanson, reading probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.

Hanson is best known for is memorable portrayal of “Jack Hanson,” one of the fight-starting, thick-glasses-wearing Hanson Brothers in the 1977 movie, “Slap Shot,” starring Paul Newman.

But as it turns out, he’s just as handy with a pen as he is with a hockey stick.

Hanson, general manager of the RMU Island Sports Center, will be appearing at Bridgewater BookFest on Saturday, Sept. 12, from 9 a.m to 3 p.m., in Bridgewater, Pa, where he will be selling and signing his autobiography, Slap Shot Original: The Man. The Foil. The Legend. Proceeds from the sales of the book will go to the Association of the Hole In The Wall Camps, which Newman founded in 1988.

Hanson was a defenseman for the St. Paul Vulcans and for the University of Minnesota, whose coach was the legendary Herb Brooks. After that, he played 10 seasons of professional hockey with the Detroit Red Wings and Minnesota North Stars of the NHL, and the New England Whalers, Minnesota Fighting Saints, and Birmingham Bulls of the WHA.

Also at Bridgewater BookFest, Nicole Bazner ’09, a graduate of RMU’s Elementary Education program, will be heading up the BookFest Children’s Tent. Bazner, who now works in the Canon Mac School District as a 2^nd grade teacher, was a student in Assistant Professor Michele N. Hipsky’s Special Needs and Assessment classes. At BookFest, she will be organizing and coordinating book readings, crafts, and other fun activities for the little ones.

Be sure to come to Bridgewater BookFest next Saturday to say hello to Nicole and get a signed copy of Dave’s new book. Just don’t get him angry. He may check you into the boards.

Ha! Just kidding! That was just in the movies.

(Seriously, don’t make him mad.)

--Valentine J. Brkich

Robert Morris is a Yinzer!

Robert Morris University’s official colors may be blue and white, but recently we’ve been basking in the Black & Gold of Pittsburgh!

Yes, sir, it sure is a great time to be here in the Steel City, or should I say, the City of Champions. Things couldn’t be more exciting in Pittsburgh right now, and RMU is so glad to be a part of it.

• On June 12, the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 2-1 in the 7th game of the Stanley Cup Finals. This was great news not only for Pittsburgh in general but also for a big hockey school like RMU, whose men’s hockey and women’s hockey programs have also experienced a lot of growth and success in recent years.

• Back in February, the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 in a thrilling Super Bowl XVIII, which like the Stanley Cup, came down to the final seconds. RMU even had connections working on the field for both sides during the big game.

• And the Pittsburgh Pirates…er…um…did I mention the Penguins won the Stanley Cup! (Keep pluggin' away, Buccos!)

And Pittsburgh isn’t just getting recognized for its sports teams either.

• In late May, the White House announced that Pittsburgh would be hosting the next G20 economic summit this September 24-25 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, which, by the way, is the only other conference facility in the city larger than our own Sewall Center here at RMU.

• In June, The Economist magazine named Pittsburgh the most liveable city in the U.S., and ranked us 29th in the world! This is another honor for the city, which was named America’s “Most Livable City” in 2007 in the 25th anniversary edition of Rand McNally's “Places Rated Almanac.”

• And just this week Pittsburgh was listed 18th on the Brookings Institution listing on the strength of local economies.

Here at RMU, however, we don’t need anyone to tell us how great Pittsburgh is (although it is nice). We’ve always known what a vibrant, cultured, friendly city this is, and our students are lucky to be located in such an up-and-coming region.

I wonder what our namesake Robert Morris would think of all this? You might think a guy like him—Founding Father, powdered wig, stockings, etc.— would be a little stuffy and not get caught up in all the excitment. I disagree. I bet he’d be swelling with Pittsburgh pride and eating a Primanti Bros. sandwich (capicola, cheese, and egg) while screaming “Let’s go Pens!” from the top of Mt. Washington (or, as they say in Pittsburghese, “Mt. WARSH-ington").

After all, that's just the kind of guy he was.

The girls and boys of winter

We've added a new web site to our list of links, RMU Centre Ice, which is devoted to Colonials hockey. Which reminds us...WTAE-TV's Guy Junker had great things to say about the Colonials women's hockey team during his sportscast last night from Tampa. (Site of Super Bowl XLIII.) After a profile of WTAE's high school student athlete of the week -- a female goalie on a boy's hockey team -- Junker put in a plug for the Colonials should the young lady decide to pursue her dream of playing at the collegiate level.

Thanks, Guy. Tell Stan we said hi.

It's a hockey night in Johnstown...

...and an RMU night as well:

College connection: Robert Morris University had a strong presence on Saturday night.

Chiefs forwards Joey Olson and Joel Gasper each played at Robert Morris.

Wheeling’s Sean Berkstresser also played at Robert Morris last season. (link)