Doug Smith (born December 27, 1964) is an American retired minor-league
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
player who co-authored a biography about his time spent playing professional hockey, ''Goon: The True Story of an Unlikely Journey into Minor League Hockey'', with Adam Frattasio. Smith's role on the teams he played for was that of the
enforcer
Enforcer or enforcers may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Comics
* Enforcer (comics), a Marvel Comics character
* Enforcers (comics), a Marvel Comics team
* New Enforcers, another Marvel Comics team
Film and television
* ''The Enforcer ...
, which led the Hanover, Massachusetts, native to average 6.73
penalty minutes
A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for an infringement of the rules. Most penalties are enforced by sending the offending player to a penalty box for a set number of minutes. During the penalty the player may not participate in play. Penaltie ...
per game over his 60-game career.
Smith's book was later adapted into the comedy film ''
Goon
Goon may refer to:
Slang
* Humans:
** People noted for brutality, or otherwise as targets of contempt:
*** A guard in a prisoner of war camp (British World War II usage)
*** An enforcer (ice hockey)
*** A hired thug, in a goon squad
** Alter ...
'' (2011), starring
Seann William Scott
Seann William Scott (born October 3, 1976) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Steve Stifler in the '' American Pie'' franchise, and also for his role as Doug Glatt in both '' Goon'' and '' Goon: Last of the Enforcers''. He has al ...
in the role based on Smith. A sequel followed, entitled ''
Goon: Last of the Enforcers'' (2017).
Biography
Smith's athletic career started with
boxing
Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...
, which culminated in a split-decision loss in the Massachusetts heavyweight Golden Gloves final in 1984. While training at the Hanover Police Boys' Club, his friend, Adam Frattasio, encouraged him to try hockey fighting. He first laced up skates at the age of 19, played in amateur leagues at 21, and made his first minor-league hockey team at 24 when he won a championship with the Carolina Thunderbirds of the first-year
East Coast Hockey League
The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL).
The E ...
during the 1988–89 season. Smith went on to play for six other teams in three leagues, his most productive tour being with the
Miramichi Gagnon Packers of the
New Brunswick Senior Hockey League. Smith received additional invitations to continue playing in the States, particularly to finish out seasons for teams in various lower minor-leagues, but his new job as a police officer in Massachusetts limited his opportunities to participate in sporadic games with the intention of fighting the opponent's toughest player(s).
After retiring from hockey, Smith has worked as a coach within the
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...
organization, showing their players how to defend themselves. He enjoyed a 20-year stint as an assistant coach for the three-time state-champion
Hanover High School hockey team, and has logged significant time as an on-ice official, including two years patrolling the ice in the professional Federal Hockey League. He continues to work as an on-ice hockey-fight trainer, working with such NHL heavyweights as
Steve MacIntyre and
John Scott John Scott may refer to:
Academics
* John Scott (1639–1695), English clergyman and devotional writer
* John Witherspoon Scott (1800–1892), American minister, college president, and father of First Lady Caroline Harrison
* John Work Scott (180 ...
.
Additionally, Smith is a
police officer
A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...
, currently with the
Hanson
Hanson or Hansson may refer to:
People
* Hanson (surname)
* Hansson (surname)
* Hanson (wrestler), ringname of an American professional wrestler
Musical groups
* Hanson (band), an American pop rock band
* Hanson (UK band), an English rock ...
police department since 1999. Smith is married and helps care for his two young daughters with his wife, Sharon.
Awards and accomplishments
*1988-89,
Riley Cup
The Patrick J. Kelly Cup goes to the playoff champion of the ECHL. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997. Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup, named after former American Hockey League president Jack Riley. Th ...
Champion (
Carolina Thunderbirds
The Carolina Thunderbirds were a professional ice hockey team located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. The Thunderbirds played their home games at the old Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum before the arena was demolished in 1989. T ...
)
*2012, Hanover High School Hockey Hall of Fame inductee
Career statistics
External links
*
Davy RothbartInterviews Doug Smith for
Grantland
''Grantland'' was a sports and pop-culture blog owned and operated by ESPN. The blog was started in 2011 by veteran writer and sports journalist Bill Simmons, who remained as editor-in-chief until May 2015. ''Grantland'' was named after famed ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Doug
1964 births
American men's ice hockey left wingers
Carolina Thunderbirds players
Ice hockey players from Massachusetts
Johnstown Chiefs players
Living people
Louisiana IceGators (ECHL) players
Moncton Hawks players
People from Hanover, Massachusetts
Phoenix Roadrunners (IHL) players
Springfield Falcons players
Sportspeople from Plymouth County, Massachusetts