`SLAP SHOT' LEGEND NOW HELPS CHARITY.

Byline: David Pollak San Jose Mercury News 

Jerry Houser can joke about it.

Sure, there's a difference between the welcome he'll get in San Jose this weekend and the one waiting for the likes of Matthew Perry and Jason Priestley, his Celebrity All-Star hockey teammates.

``Mine's a far less female crowd. They get the women,'' says the 44-year-old Los Angeles native. ``I get the older jocks. Or maybe their mothers.''

Houser and his better-known teammates from ``Friends'' and ``Beverly Hills 90210'' will be among the two dozen film and TV personalities adding some of the glitz to this weekend's NHL All-Star festivities when they skate in two intersquad, charity exhibitions.

Scan the roster and you'll find names more popular among the MTV set than the usual ESPN crowd that hangs out in San Jose Arena: Red Hot Chili Pepper drummer Chad Smith, ``Clueless'' star Rachel Blanchard.

But Houser's the one who holds a special honor among hockey fans. They don't care that he's been in films since his debut as a teenager in ``Summer of '42'' or that he wed Marcia Brady in the 1981 TV movie reviving the Brady Bunch. Nope, the hockey crowd only cares that, 20 years ago, Houser was defenseman Dave ``Killer'' Carlson in the movie ``Slap Shot.''

That alone is enough.

``Slap Shot'' is the foul-mouthed tale of a minor-league hockey team that finds redemption through thuggery. Serious hockey fans have seen it dozens of times. Beat writers covering the Sharks can quote its dialogue endlessly. Paul Newman got top billing, but the real stars of the film were the fictional Charlestown Chiefs, including Houser.

Today he still considers it a memorable role.

``Nobody comes up to me and says, `You know, that ``Barnaby Jones'' episode you were in changed my life,' '' said Houser. ``But with `Slap Shot,' the characters were so wonderfully defined that people still feel like they know them.''

Fans throw lines from the movie at him. Most frequently, it's the locker-room banter after his character undergoes a bloody transformation from nice guy to goon. ``Dave's a killer!'' shouts one supportive teammate. ``Dave's a mess,'' is someone else's more dubious - and accurate - assessment.

The fact that anyone with ``Slap Shot'' credentials is involved with an

NHL-affiliated event shows the league has more of a sense of humor today than when the film came out in 1977.

``A lot of people had a problem with the movie,'' says Houser, noting that ``Slap Shot'' was a product of the era when the Philadelphia Flyers reigned as the Broad Street Bullies. ``It hit too close to home.''

Since then, the NHL has worked to change its image.

``It's an interesting contrast with where the league is now,'' says Houser. ``It's still a tough sport, but the focus is more on finesse.''

Houser was among the founders of the Celebrity All-Star hockey team in 1978. For the first eight years, all games were fund-raisers for local charities in Southern California.

That changed in 1986 when ``MacGyver'' star Richard Dean Anderson and marketing executive Tony Loiacono forged a formal link with the NHL. Since then, the actors and off-camera personalities involved have gotten together an average of six times a season - including a December 1995 exhibition in the San Jose Arena - to play against teams of NHL alumni.

Sellout crowds have turned out in hockey hotbeds such as Boston and Chicago. All told, more than $4 million has been raised for charity.

The roster is in a constant state of flux. Actors drop out at the last minute when a new role comes up. A hot film means other commitments must take priority. Cuba Gooding Jr., for example, was scheduled to appear in San Jose before ``Jerry Maguire'' increased demands on his time. His status for the game is questionable.

Not surprisingly, fans of the actors track their hockey careers, as well. Followers of Chris Potter even established a Web site for the star of the syndicated TV series ``Kung Fu: The Legend Continues'' and ``Silk Stalkings.'' At www.caine.com/chockey1.html, you can find photos of Potter in action, as well as schedule information.

Gender is no obstacle for a spot with the Celebrity All-Stars. The team has two women in its current lineup, Blanchard and Brittany Murphy, and they aren't the first.

``We've been breaking the sex barrier for years,'' says team general manager Andy Abramson, noting that Cammi Granato - sister of Sharks forward Tony Granato - is among those who have played with the team.