Goldie Goldthorpe facts for kids

Bill "Goldie" Goldthorpe (born June 20, 1953) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. He is widely known as the inspiration for the character Ogie Ogilthorpe in the 1977 movie Slap Shot. Goldthorpe played as a left winger and was known for his tough, physical style of play. During his eight-year career (1973–1980, 1983–1984), Goldthorpe played for many teams, including ten minor league teams and four World Hockey Association (WHA) teams. He accumulated a lot of penalty minutes, showing his strong and determined playing style.

Hockey Journey: Bill Goldthorpe's Career

Early Life and Junior Hockey

Bill Goldthorpe was born in Hornepayne, Ontario. He started playing minor hockey in Thunder Bay, Ontario. His father worked as an engineer for the Canadian National Railway, and his mother was a nurse's aide. A famous hockey player, Leo Boivin, who is now in the Hockey Hall of Fame, was the best man at his parents' wedding.

Goldthorpe played junior hockey from 1969 to 1973 for teams like the Port Arthur Marrs, Thunder Bay Vulcans, and Thunder Bay Centennials. In his last season with the Centennials, he led the league in penalty minutes, showing his physical presence on the ice.

Stepping Up to Professional Hockey

In 1973, Goldthorpe signed with the Syracuse Blazers, a minor-league team. That season, he played 55 games, scoring 20 goals and earning 46 points. He also had 285 penalty minutes. He played for the Blazers in the playoffs and was even called up to the Minnesota Fighting Saints in the WHA for three playoff games.

Throughout his professional career, Goldthorpe played for many teams in the minor leagues. He also played a total of 36 games in the World Hockey Association. While he was mostly known for his physical play, he also showed good skill. For example, with the San Diego Hawks, Goldthorpe scored 13 goals and 28 points in 39 games. He also led that league with 267 penalty minutes. He had tryouts with two NHL teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins, and played in exhibition games, but he never played a regular-season NHL game.

Overcoming Challenges and Life After Hockey

Bill Goldthorpe faced a serious injury that kept him from playing for two years while he recovered. He returned to professional hockey in 1983 for one game with the Moncton Alpines. He then finished the season playing senior hockey with the Riverview Trappers. This was his last season playing competitive ice hockey.

His father, who had supported Goldthorpe during his recovery, passed away not long after. This sad event led Goldthorpe to return to school. Even though his hockey career was over, he stayed active and became a bodybuilder. He even won the "Mr. New Brunswick" competition in 1985. Later, Goldthorpe moved back to San Diego and became a foreman at a construction company. As of 2017, he was living in Vancouver, British Columbia, working for the same company. Goldthorpe also gives speeches about his experiences.

Bill Goldthorpe's Career Statistics

Bill Goldthorpe and Slap Shot

The comedy movie Slap Shot was made while Goldthorpe was still playing hockey. The character "Ogie" Ogilthorpe in the film was inspired by parts of Goldthorpe's personality, especially his energetic style and his frizzy, Harpo Marx-like haircut. However, the character was not meant to be exactly like him. Goldthorpe himself has mentioned that the movie producers thought about including him in the film, but he was not offered a role.

Goldthorpe was known for always being ready for a challenge, both on and off the ice. Like the fictional "Ogie," Goldthorpe was once allowed to leave a difficult situation to attend practices and games.

On January 1, 2008, during a break in the NHL's Winter Classic outdoor game in Buffalo, NBC aired a short segment about the movie Slap Shot. It also highlighted Goldthorpe's connection to sports announcer Bob Costas. Costas did radio play-by-play for the 1973-74 Syracuse Blazers, which was Goldie's team at that time.

In the 2013 TV movie Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story, actor Bryan Clark played a character who was clearly inspired by Goldthorpe. This character showed a similar intense and bold personality.