Marquette Iron Rangers were a semi-pro senior ice hockey

Senior ice hockey

Senior hockey refers to amateur or semi-professional ice hockey competition for players too old to play junior ice hockey. The top senior amateur teams in Canadian leagues compete annually for the Allan Cup....

 team from Marquette, Michigan

Marquette, Michigan

Marquette is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Marquette County. The population was 21,355 at the 2010 census, making it the most populated city of the Upper Peninsula. Marquette is a major port on Lake Superior, primarily for shipping iron ore and is the home of Northern...

 that played in the United States Hockey League from 1964-1976 where they were five-time champions (three league and two playoffs). The team played the majority of their home games at The Palestra

Palestra

The Palestra, also known as the Cathedral of College Basketball, is a historic arena and the home gym of the University of Pennsylvania Quakers men's and women's basketball teams, volleyball teams, wrestling team, and Philadelphia Big 5 basketball. Located at 215 South 33rd St...

.

The Marquette Iron Rangers made ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 history when they signed the female goalie

Goaltender

In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...

 phenomenon, Karen Koch

Karen Koch

Karen Koch [pronounced "Cook"] was an American ice hockey goaltender for the Marquette Iron Rangers during the 1969-70 season. She signed a contract for $40 per game which made her the first professional female hockey player in North America...

, to a professional contract in 1969. By doing so, Koch became the first woman to play professional hockey in North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

, if not the world. The 1973-1994 team featured the Carlson Brothers. Jack Carlson

Jack Carlson

Jack Carlson is a retired American ice hockey forward.Carlson played in the World Hockey Association with the Minnesota Fighting Saints, Edmonton Oilers and New England Whalers, and in the National Hockey League for the Minnesota North Stars and St. Louis Blues...

 went onto play in the NHL and WHA, while his brothers Steve Carlson

Steve Carlson

Steven Edward Carlson is a retired American ice hockey forward and a former minor league hockey coach.Carlson was born in Virginia, Minnesota. He appeared in the movie Slap Shot as one of the Hanson Brothers...

 and Jeff Carlson

Jeff Carlson

Jeff Carlson is a retired American ice hockey forward. Carlson is best known for his role in the movie Slap Shot as one of the Hanson Brothers. Carlson also played in the World Hockey Association with the Minnesota Fighting Saints. Carlson is now an electrician in Muskegon, Michigan.-Regular...

 became famous for starring as the Hanson Brothers

Hanson Brothers

The Hanson Brothers are fictional characters in the 1977 movie Slap Shot. The characters are based on three brothers who were actual hockey players; two of them starred in the film.The movie, which stars Paul Newman, was written by Nancy Dowd...

 in the movie Slap Shot. Steve also played in the NHL and WHA while Jeff played in the WHA.