First off let me say I'm a MASSIVE slasher film fan, and have seen every single one from the unholy trinity (Friday, Nightmare, and Halloween) and countless others starting when I was around 5 years old. Chalk that up to bad parenting or whatever, point is I LOVE the genre. While we were talking Halloween, Nightmare, and Friday specifically a friend of mine and I were talking about who we associate with the villains of the films. 

A Nightmare On Elm Street was obvious, being Robert Englund has been the only person to portray Freddy Krueger (and no, I do not count Jackie Earle Haley, or that extremely crappy Nightmare remake). But the other two have been portrayed by numerous people.

For Halloween it was quite obvious too, Nick Castle, who was in the original. I don't think anyone could name another actor of Michael Myers without looking it up, and his portayel of the character is perfect.

But for Friday the 13th it gets pretty interesting. We both said Kane Hodder, but why?... He was only Jason Voorhees in 7,8,9, and 10. You know (or maybe not) the one that had a girl with telekinesis, the one where he went to New York (for like 10 minutes of which the rest was on a boat), the demon slug body snatcher one, and the one where he went in space. The absolute worst ones. It made no sense.... 

So here's my question. Why is Kane Hodder the first one thought of when someone asks who played Jason Voorhees? It's been on my mind all yesterday at work and I can't come up with an answer.

Maybe because Jason got popular with those newer entries, unlike the other two?

Not according to Box Office Mojo, which places the newer films at the FAR bottom of the movies that have been seen. 

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=fridaythe13th.htm

I'm also a fan. I think F13is the best of the three though.

As for your question, his name is what stuck the most.

Oh defiitely. I don't think my friend and I are alone at all when we feel Jason has become synonomous with Kane, I'm just not entirely sure why. 

As far my favorite of the films, it is ever rotating. I'll go through phases of watching everything Halloween, then A Nightmare on Elm Street, then Friday the 13th. Whichever I said was my favorite, would only really be my favorite currently (which right now I'm on a Friday the 13th kick).

My mother took me to see American Werewolf in London when I was 9 years old she knew I could distinguish fantasy from reality even at that age not bad parenting. Robert Englund is synonymous with Freddy Krueger because he spoke in the movie Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees both wore masks and did not speak

Jason in Space was just the awesomest thing ever.

I don't know. When I think of Friday the 13th, the first four films are what come to mind. After that, it just got silly. As far as slasher films, I think I'd ranked them.

1.) Halloween

2.) Nightmare 

3.) Friday

4.) Everything else.

The Short answer is that Jason isn't even in Part 1 and 4 of the original movies.  Different actors potrayed him for Part 2 and another for Part 3.  I would attribute most of it to the internet.  There was no internet back when the first ones were made.  If you look up the actors that potrayed Jason, Kane Hodder did it the most times and did so in the internet age.  He is also easily the most "productive" as far as a career outside of Friday the 13th movies.