Guido Tenesi, a former professional hockey player and actor in the 1977 sports cult classic Slap Shot, has passed away.
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The Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League announced Tenesi’s death on social media on Thursday.
“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 wrote. “Our hearts are with his family, friends, and teammates.”
The cause of death has not been announced. Tenesi was 71.
According to The New York Post, Tenesi, a defenseman, was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the fifth round of the 1973 NHL Draft. He spent two years with their minor-league affiliate, Hershey. He also played in various pro hockey leagues for seven more seasons.
Guido Tenesi Called Starring in ‘Slap Shot’ with Paul Newman ‘Neat’
His time with the Johnstown Jets, where he helped the team win the North American Hockey League championship in 1974-75, earned him a role in Slap Shot alongside Paul Newman.
“I played on the same team as Ned Dowd, Dave Hanson, and the Carlsons. Ned would walk around with a tape recorder, taking notes on everything that happened on one of our road trips,” Tenesi recalled to 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.”
Nancy Dowd was writing a hockey movie, and Ned was set to play Ogie Ogilthorpe, an opponent of the Chiefs. Slap Shot is about the struggling minor league hockey team, the Charlestown Chiefs. Of course, they’re led by player-coach Reggie Dunlop, played by Paul Newman.
“It was neat, being in a movie,” Tenesi told the outlet. “How they made it is what was so interesting to me.”
Steve Carlson, who played Steve Hanson, the youngest of the famous fighting trio in the film, expressed his sadness over Tenesi’s passing.
“RIP Guido Tenesi, ‘Pretty boy’, ‘ Good guy gone too soon,” Carlson wrote on X.
“On behalf of myself and Vicki, we send our heartfelt condolences,” he added. “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 a teammate.”
Tenesi became a champion with the Jets, winning the 1975 Lockhart Cup. In 1979, he was awarded the IHL’s Governor Trophy as the league’s best defenseman.
Meanwhile, Slap Shot was Tenesi’s only acting role. After retiring from hockey in 1987, he worked as a swimming pool technician in Toronto.