Writing on the Rolling Stone web site, David Epstein makes the case that director George Roy Hill's 1977 hockey comedy "Slap Shot" starring Paul Newman is the best sports movie of the decade. That certainly wasn't the opinion among critics or the public when it initially opened. The film's advocacy of violence in sports was derided by many who found it distasteful. Influential film critic Rex Reed denounced the characters as "Droogs on ice", a reference to the violent bands of young predators depicted in "A Clockwork Orange". However, like many films that were initially disparaged, "Slap Shot" grew in stature over the years and developed a cult of devoted fans.(Lee Pfeiffer)