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 rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two o ...

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, which led the Hanover, Massachusetts, native to average 6.73 penalty minutes 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 ** Alterna ...

'' (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 predetermine ...

, 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 New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

. 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 (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The ...

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 Steven "Big Mac" MacIntyre (born August 8, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger, who last played for the Carolina Thunderbirds in the FPHL, and is known as an enforcer. Playing career Amateur MacIntyre came to the Con ...

and John Scott. 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 b ...

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. ...

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. ...

) *2012, Hanover High School Hockey Hall of Fame inductee

Career statistics

External links

*
Davy Rothbart
Interviews 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