If you love Slap Shot, you love Ogie Ogilthorpe. If you love Ogie Ogilthorpe, you love Goldie Goldthorpe. It’s as simple as that.
Bill ”Goldie” Goldthorpe was the inspiration for Ogie Ogilthorpe in the cult movie, and everyone who watched it will forever remember the iconic character. In the movie, Ogilthorpe is such a goon that some players thought he was banned for life. They said that he, for the sake of the game, should be thrown in San Quentin. He was a complete goon in the movie, but to be fair, the real-life version was probably even worse.
Goldie had a signature bleached blond afro, which made him stand out from the rest of the players. But it wasn’t just the hair that was unique about him. More than once, he’s been dubbed the wildest, meanest, most unpredictable player in hockey.
Goldie Goldthorpe played for ten minor league teams and four WHA teams, and during those years, he was recorded for 1,132 penalty minutes. What’s even more crazy? He got it in just 194 played.
Goldthorpe was a wild person outside the rink as well. According to The Hockey Writers, he was arrested about 50 times and jailed ”easy 30 times”. He did stuff on the ice that few would even have nightmares about, and he didn’t care who he came up against.
One of hockey’s most unforgettable photographs is of Goldie, with a referee on his side, screaming at someone. It perfectly represents how goons were, and it’s just such a great photo. But it gets even better if you know the origin story behind it.
As it turns out, the man that Goldie was screaming at was non-other than the great Gordie Howe.
”He’s actually yelling at Gordie Howe in that photo,” author Liam Maguire said.
Howe played in the WHA at the time of the photo. So did his two sons, Mark and Marty. All three Howes played with the Houston Aeros, and they got in some trouble with Goldie Goldthorpe.
“He’s telling Gordie Howe that he just kicked the s— out of his two kids and that he was coming for him next.”
A legendary photo just got even more iconic. What a story!
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