Goldie Goldthorpe facts for kids

Bill "Goldie" Goldthorpe (born June 20, 1953) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. He is famous for being the inspiration for a character named Ogie Ogilthorpe in the 1977 movie Slap Shot. Goldthorpe played as a left winger. He was known as a very tough player on the ice. People even called him one of the most intense players in hockey.

During his eight-year career, from 1973 to 1980 and again from 1983 to 1984, Goldthorpe played for many teams. He was part of ten minor league teams and four teams in the World Hockey Association. He spent a lot of time in the penalty box, getting 1,132 penalty minutes in just 194 professional games.

Bill Goldthorpe's Hockey Journey

Bill Goldthorpe was born in Hornepayne, Ontario. He started playing hockey when he was young in Thunder Bay, Ontario. His father worked 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.

Playing in Junior Leagues

From 1969 to 1973, Goldthorpe played junior hockey. He played for teams like the Port Arthur Marrs and the Thunder Bay Centennials. In his last season with the Centennials, he had 189 penalty minutes. This showed he was a very physical player.

Starting Professional Hockey

In 1973, Goldthorpe joined the Syracuse Blazers, a minor league team. He played 55 games that season. He scored 20 goals and had 46 points in total. He also had 285 penalty minutes. He played for the Blazers in the playoffs. He even got to play three playoff games for the Minnesota Fighting Saints in the WHA.

Throughout his career, Goldthorpe played for many minor league teams. He also played 36 games in the World Hockey Association. He was mostly used as a player who could stand up for his teammates. But he also showed he had good skills. For example, with the San Diego Hawks, he scored 13 goals and 28 points in 39 games. He also led that league with 267 penalty minutes.

Goldthorpe had tryouts with two famous NHL teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins. He played in some practice games for them. However, he never played a regular season game in the NHL.

Later Years and Life After Hockey

In 1980, Goldthorpe was injured in an incident that affected his health. He spent two years recovering. He returned to professional hockey in 1983 for one game with the Moncton Alpines. After that, he played senior hockey for the Riverview Trappers. This was his last season playing competitive ice hockey.

After his hockey career, Goldthorpe went back to school. He also became a bodybuilder. In 1985, he won the "Mr. New Brunswick" competition. Later, he moved back to San Diego. He became a foreman at a construction company. As of 2017, he was living in Vancouver, British Columbia, and still working for the same company. Goldthorpe also gives talks about his experiences.

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 movie was inspired by Bill Goldthorpe. This was especially true for his energetic personality and his curly hair.

Goldthorpe was known for always being ready for a challenge, both on and off the ice. He was once serving a jail sentence but was allowed to leave for practices and games. This is similar to a part of the fictional "Ogie" character.

On January 1, 2008, during a big outdoor NHL game called the Winter Classic in Buffalo, NBC showed a short video about the movie Slap Shot. It also mentioned Goldthorpe's connection to sports announcer Bob Costas. Costas used to do radio play-by-play for the Syracuse Blazers in 1973-74, which was Goldthorpe's team at the time.

In the 2013 TV movie Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story, an actor named Bryan Clark played a character who was clearly inspired by Goldthorpe.