Hansen was born and raised in Rødovre, Denmark, a suburb of Copenhagen. His father, Bent Hansen, was a carpenter and a member of the Danish national hockey team. Guided by his father, Hansen began skating at the age of two, but did not begin playing hockey until age 11. Growing up, hockey attracted a low-profile in Denmark (football is the country's national sport). At the time, no Dane had ever played in the NHL. Hansen has recalled neither he nor any of his peers ever having any realistic aspiration to make the NHL, describing "Everyone grew up wanting to play in Sweden, or Germany, or Finland" instead.
