He was the inspiration for the character Ogie Ogilthorpe in
the movie ‘Slapshot’ and he was every bit as fearsome in real life as he was in
the movie. Yet, the side of Bill Goldthorpe that wasn’t represented in the 1977
cult classic was his scoring ability.
Goldthorpe played in the North American Hockey League sporadically
from 1973-74 to 1975-76. His only season that came close to be considered full
was 1973-74 with the Syracuse Blazers. In 55 games, Bill sat 285 minutes in the
penalty box, a 5.2 PIM per game average. However, he also scored 20 and
assisted on 26 more for 46 points. He also appeared in three playoff games in
the World Hockey Association with the Minnesota Fighting Saints.
The Blazers finished first overall, winning 54 of 74 regular
season games and totalling 112 points, 19 better than the second place Maine
Nordiques. Despite playing just 55 games, Goldthorpe had the fourth highest
penalty minute total in the NAHL that season. Nick Fotiu of Cape Cod led with
371 while Bill’s Syracuse teammates Dave Ferguson and Gary Sittler finished
2-3.
That year, the NAHL had a round robin in the opening round
of the playoffs with the top five teams playing each other twice in order for
one team to be eliminated. Syracuse lost just one game to advance to the
semi-finals. They took out the Johnstown Jets 4-1 to reach the finals against
the Long Island Cougars. The Blazers easily swept Long Island, outscoring their
opponents 27-5 over the four games. Goldthorpe accumulated 50 PIM over 15
playoff games but also scored five and assisted on eight for 13 points.
1974-75 was a bit of a dud for Goldie, playing just two
games for the Blazers, his last two with the club. He also appeared in seven
WHA games with the Michigan Stags franchise.
Goldthorpe found himself with the Binghamton Dusters for a
portion of the 1975-76 nahl
season. He started the season with a single game as a member of the Erie
Blades. He had no points and earned 22 minutes in the box. With Binghamton,
Bill went to the sin bin at an 8.2 PIM per game pace. In 19 games with the
Dusters, he sat 156 minutes. However, he also went at nearly a point per game
pace with 17. He also played 26 games in the WHA, 12 with the Ottawa Civics
franchise and 14 with the San Diego Mariners.
His days in the NAHL and WHA had drawn to an end after
1975-76. Goldthorpe had two more seasons in minor pro hockey that would make
Ogie Ogilthorpe proud. In 1976-77, playing for the Richmond Wildcats of the
Southern Hockey League, Goldthorpe played 25 games and sat 169 minutes. In
usual Goldthorpe fashion, he also scored six and assisted on 12 for 18 points.
1978-79 was Goldie’s last real hurrah. He played 39 games
for the San Diego Hawks of the PHL and sat 267 minutes in the box. He hadn’t
much lost his offensive touch with 13 goals and 15 assists for 28 points.
A documentary on Goldthorpe’s life was apparently filmed in
early 2012 with the title ‘Ogilthorpe’. The short film got a lot of press
before being released but we can’t seem to find much info on it now. There were
two websites (www.ogilthorpethemovie.com
and www.goldiegoldthorpe.com) but
neither are currently operational.
