THUNDER BAY – In Thunder Bay, the story of Bill (Goldie) Goldthorpe has reached legendary status.
A fighter on and off the ice, he was shot and stabbed on separate occasions, and even spent time in jail as a teenager after brawling with a teacher in middle school.
Goldthorpe, who hails from Hornpayne, Ont., but played his minor hockey in Thunder Bay, was the inspiration behind the Slapshot character Ogie Ogilthorpe, who lost a chance to play the role after smashing a beer bottle and being charged with assault while the brother of the film’s star, Paul Newman, was visiting the set.
Put behind bars at least 18 times, Goldthorpe was as colourful a character as hockey had in the 1970s, racking up 1,132 penalty minutes in 193 career games, criss-crossing North America rinks in leagues as diverse as the old World Hockey Association – where he spent 33 games with Michigan, San Diego and Denver – the North American hockey League, the Southern Hockey League, the American Hockey League and even time with the Thunder Bay Twins senior squad in 1976-77.
Until now, no one had told his tale in book form.
But, after a chance radio encounter a few years ago, hockey historian Liam Maguire convinced Goldthorpe it was time to tell his story, his way, in The Real Ogie: The Life and Legend of Goldie Goldthorpe.
Maguire, who spent months lining up a publisher, is set to launch the book on April 6 at the Canadian Tire on Fort William Road, Goldthorpe at his side.
It was too compelling a story not to tell, Maguire said, reached by phone in Ottawa.
After spending a weekend with Goldthorpe and some of his buddies, including former Belleville Bulls coach Larry Mavety and NHL hall-of-famer Doug Gilmour, Maguire said he asked Goldthorpe why no one had ever written a book about his life.
“He said, ‘A couple guys kicked the tires, but never followed through,’” Maguire said. “So I said, ‘Would you give me the chance to follow through?’ And he said, ‘Sure.’”
Maguire, who grew up in the golden age of the goon, in the 1960s and 1970s, said he always had a soft spot for guys who weren’t afraid to drop the gloves and stand up for their teammates.
Goldthorpe, who was shot trying to save an ex-girlfriend at the hands of drug dealers and needed more than 300 stitches after trying to save another woman from being killed, has always put others first, on and off the ice.
It’s what endeared him to Maguire in the first place.
The author, who has written three hockey trivia books, said he quickly came to learn the myths and legends surrounding the now-65-year-old Goldthorpe were factual.
“The guy just doesn’t have the capacity to make this (stuff) up. In the course of doing the book, I interviewed a lot of other people and I got note from other people – teammates and coaches – and I went back and dug up articles ... written about him back in the ‘70s,” Maguire said.
“This stuff is all true. This isn’t just him saying it out of the blue. I’ve got documented proof.”
The Real Ogie, with a foreword by veteran sportscaster Bob Costas, is published by Burnstown Publishing House and sells for $30.
