JOHNSTOWN, Pa. -- Reggie Dunlop loved the Aces.

Dunlop, the iconic character played by Paul Newman in "Slap Shot," was the player/coach of the fictitious minor league hockey team, the Charlestown Chiefs. He frequented the Aces bar in the film, so it was only fitting that the 40th anniversary dinner to celebrate the movie was held in the large banquet hall of the real Aces last Saturday night.

It was also the perfect setting to talk hockey with the legendary Hanson brothers, played by Steve and Jeff Carlson, along with Dave Hanson. It was also a chance to ask these iconic hockey figures about how the game has changed over the past four decades. ESPN.com chatted with Steve Carlson and Hanson about whether fighting still has a place in today's NHL, playing for love rather than money, and why hockey is still the greatest game in the world.

ESPN.com: The game has changed so much since "Slap Shot" was made. What do you think of today's NHL?

Carlson: I have trouble watching it because they do the 2-3 trap, and teams that can't play are just boring. You have a Wednesday rivalry game between Pittsburgh and Washington, and you get only three penalties? Come on. Is the NHL known as the National Hockey League -- or is it the No-Hit League? I don't watch it that often. I didn't watch the All-Star Game. I wait for the playoffs.

Hanson: Well, to be honest with you, it's got good stuff and stuff that I don't care much for. It's just a sign of the times. The one thing "Slap Shot" did was it showed characters of the game and stuff that you just can't do nowadays, more than anything because of social media and the big dollars. But when you play in the minors, you're not really playing for the money, obviously. You're playing for love of the game. When you get to the big leagues, signing the big paychecks influences how you do things. The athletes are bigger, stronger, faster -- and they shoot harder. I can't say they check any harder, or certainly don't check as often, and they don't fight as often, either. It's those aspects of the game that I think are missing. It's still the greatest game in the world.

ESPN.com: Your characters are known for the fisticuffs, but fighting is on the decline in pro hockey. What do you think about that?

Carlson: It takes away from the game because if you have that enforcer rule, the instigator rule -- when someone takes a run at [Sidney] Crosby, or someone takes a run at [Alex] Ovechkin, or someone takes a run at [Connor] McDavid, or [Auston] Matthews, there's no fear that there's going to be a consequence for it. When I was playing with [Wayne] Gretzky in Edmonton, there was a rule: You touch Gretzky, [then] you have to take care of Dave Semenko, and no one wants to take care of Semenko. That's why I think the instigator rule needs to be thrown out. They're not there to see me play. They're there to watch the great ones play -- the Crosbys, the Ovechkins, the McDavids. So, if there's an enforcer there to say, 'You touch my boy, you have to deal with me' ... that's what I like.

"Is the NHL known as the National Hockey League -- or is it the no-hit league?" says Steve Carlson, center, of today's game. Jared Wickerham/NHLI via Getty Images

Hanson: It was an aspect of the game that was entertaining, but the way the game has gone, they don't need it anymore. The kids growing up and playing the game are a different breed and the talent's a little different. You have the European influence here now, so it's faster. There's speed and agility out there. The physical and fighting aspects of the game doesn't really have a place anymore.

ESPN.com: Concussions are no laughing matter and the league is trying to protect today's players with the new protocol. What do you guys think of that?

Hanson: As much as they're looking into it, which is a great thing, it's still a big mystery. I don't think they've figured it out yet, but it's good that they are looking at it as a major concern in the game. Back in our day, you got your bell rung, they would pull you off and you would just sit there on the bench until your head cleared up and then you're back out again. I don't know if it's because of concussions I've had, but at my age there are things that I forget, and that's concerning. But it's great that they're looking at [concussions], and hopefully it's something that they're really able to figure out at some point.

Carlson: They have to go to the manufacturers of the equipment. See, we used equipment with the soft padding in the elbow pads and shoulder pads. Our equipment was used to protect us from injuries. They use their equipment now for weapons. And, you know what? There are so many head shots out there and there's no respect for players. They come out of college, or juniors, and they're wearing full cages or a half shield. There's no fear of getting cut. There's no fear of getting hurt.

Now they turn pro and here come the head shots, so we have to address whether or not you make everyone wear a shield in the National Hockey League, and you take away their character. The one thing we really have to look at is the characters of hockey -- the Phil Espositos, the Bobby Orrs, the Guy Lafleurs, the Ken Drydens and Bobby Clarkes -- these are characters. There are no characters in the game no more because they took that all out of it, and that's where it's not fun no more. It's all robots going up and down the ice.

Another thing I look at is every rink is the same. You went into the old Boston Garden and you think Stan Jonathan, Terry O'Reilly and Mike Milbury could play on a big, Olympic-size rink? No. Their arena was built for that style of game. [In those days] the Montreal Canadiens come in to play the Boston Bruins and the rink is so small, so now the Bruins can catch them. When they played in Montreal, [Boston] couldn't catch them. It was the character of the rinks. You played in Montreal Forum, you're down 2-0 even before the game starts because of the history of the building. The same for Maple Leaf Gardens and Madison Square Garden. There's no history no more because all the arenas are the same.

ESPN.com: What do you think about the job commissioner Gary Bettman is doing?

Carlson: Gary Bettman has made this game a great game. I know a lot of people don't like him. No one likes any commissioner because they think they're getting screwed. I'm a little hesitant about [having an expansion team in] Vegas, because I think the NHL should have gone to Quebec first and gotten the rivalries between Montreal and Quebec, and between Quebec and Toronto, going. Vegas? It's going to be different.

ESPN.com: One last question: Who's your pick to win the Stanley Cup this season?

Hanson: Well, it's always difficult for a team to repeat, but I can't count out Pittsburgh because they've got Crosby and [Evgeni] Malkin and [Kris] Letang, and [goalie Matt] Murray is young. And they've won a Cup. So I think they have the opportunity to win again, but if Washington doesn't choke maybe this time the Capitals get through because they have a heck of a team. Then we've got to go back to our buddy Bruce Boudreau [who was an extra in "Slap Shot"] and hoping he finally pulls one through [with the Minnesota Wild].

Carlson: Watch out for Washington, but also watch out for Minnesota. Watch out for Minnesota because they've got a good hockey club. Boudreau is out to prove a point. He couldn't win in Washington. He couldn't win in Anaheim, but he's going to prove a point in Minnesota. You can't forget about the Penguins because they're not going to trade [Marc-Andre] Fleury. You know what's going to happen? The same thing that happened last year. Fleury got hurt and Murray came in and won the Cup. Murray's going to stumble and Fleury's going to come in and win the Cup. Watch out for that.