Fighting is an established tradition in North American ice hockey, with a long history that involves many levels of amateur and professional play and includes some notable individual fights. Fights may be fought by enforcers, or "goons" —players whose role is to fight and intimidate—on a given team, and are governed by a system of unwritten rules that players, coaches, officials, and the media refer to as "the code". Some fights are spontaneous, while others are premeditated by the participants. While officials tolerate fighting during hockey games, they impose a variety of penalties on players who engage in fights.
David James "Tiger" Williams is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from the 1974–75 NHL season to the 1987–88 NHL season. He notably played in the 1981 NHL All-Star Game and the 1982 Stanley Cup Finals. He is the NHL's career leader in penalty minutes.
Slap Shot is a 1977 American sports comedy film directed by George Roy Hill, written by Nancy Dowd and starring Paul Newman and Michael Ontkean. It depicts a minor league ice hockey team that resorts to violent play to gain popularity in a declining factory town.
David William Schultz is a Canadian businessman and former professional ice hockey coach and player. As a player, he was a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Robert Alan Probert was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward. Probert played for the National Hockey League's Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks. While a successful player by some measures, including being voted to the 1987–88 Campbell Conference all-star team, Probert was best known for his activities as a fighter and enforcer, as well as being one half of the "Bruise Brothers" with then-Red Wing teammate Joey Kocur, during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Probert was also known for his off-ice antics and legal problems.
Enforcer is an unofficial role in ice hockey. The term is sometimes used synonymously with "fighter", "tough guy", or "goon". An enforcer's job is to deter and respond to dirty or violent play by the opposition. When such play occurs, the enforcer is expected to respond aggressively, by fighting or checking the offender. Enforcers are expected to react particularly harshly to violence against star players or goalies.
The Carolina Thunderbirds were a professional ice hockey team located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. The Thunderbirds played their home games at the old Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum before the arena was demolished in 1989. The team played in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League from 1981 to 1987, the All-American Hockey League during 1987–88 and finally moved into the newly created East Coast Hockey League in 1988.
Brian McGrattan is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current member of the Calgary Flames player development staff. McGrattan was a fourth-round selection of the Los Angeles Kings at the 1999 NHL Entry Draft but never signed with the team. He signed with the Ottawa Senators organization in 2002 and made his NHL debut with the team three years later. McGrattan has also played in the NHL with the Phoenix Coyotes, Nashville Predators and Calgary Flames. As a career journeyman, he was also a member of five American Hockey League (AHL) teams, and ended his career in 2017 in England as a member of the Nottingham Panthers of the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL).
Melvin Angelstad is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played two games in the National Hockey League with the Washington Capitals during the 2003–04 NHL season to become the first player to wear #69 in a regular season game. Andrew Desjardins later joined him in this distinction, who donned the number while skating for the San Jose Sharks.
Tom Sestito is an American former professional ice hockey forward. He most recently played with the Toronto Marlies in the American Hockey League (AHL). He has previously played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Vancouver Canucks in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Steven Edward Carlson is an American former professional ice hockey forward and a former minor league hockey coach. He played in the World Hockey Association from 1975 to 1979 and the National Hockey League during the 1979–80 season. He also appeared in the movie Slap Shot as one of the three Hanson Brothers.
The Hanson Brothers are fictional characters in the 1977 movie Slap Shot. The characters are based on the Carlson brothers, who were actual hockey players.
David J. Hanson is an American former professional ice hockey player. He played 33 games in the National Hockey League between 1978 and 1980, and 103 games in the World Hockey Association between 1977 and 1979.
Bill "Goldie" Goldthorpe is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player. He is best known as the inspiration for Ogie Ogilthorpe in the 1977 film Slap Shot. Goldthorpe, a left winger, was a notorious hockey enforcer, a man once dubbed the "wildest, meanest, most unpredictable player in hockey." In his checkered eight-year career, Goldthorpe played for ten minor league teams and four World Hockey Association squads; along the way, he racked up 1,132 penalty minutes in just 194 professional games.
Steven "Big Mac" MacIntyre is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger, who last played for the Carolina Thunderbirds in the FPHL, and is known as an enforcer.
The Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) is a professional ice hockey independent minor league with teams in the Midwestern, Southern, and Northeastern United States. The FPHL began operations in November 2010 as the Federal Hockey League. Don Kirnan is the league's commissioner. The league also occasionally branded itself as the Federal Professional Hockey League from 2015 to 2018 until it began using the name Federal Prospects Hockey League and completing the rebrand in 2019.
Goon is a 2011 Canadian sports comedy film directed by Michael Dowse, written by Jay Baruchel and Evan Goldberg, and starring Seann William Scott, Liev Schreiber, Jay Baruchel, Alison Pill, Marc-André Grondin, Kim Coates and Eugene Levy. The film concerns the exceedingly nice but somewhat dimwitted Doug Glatt (Scott), who unexpectedly finds personal and professional fulfillment after becoming the enforcer for a minor league ice hockey team.
Goon: Last of the Enforcers is a 2017 Canadian sports comedy film directed by Jay Baruchel in his directorial debut and written by Baruchel and Jesse Chabot. A sequel to Goon (2011), the film stars Seann William Scott, Baruchel, Liev Schreiber, Alison Pill, Elisha Cuthbert, Wyatt Russell, Marc-André Grondin and Kim Coates.
No Trace Camping is a Canadian–American independent feature film and television financier and production company based in Toronto and Los Angeles. Its principals are Jesse Shapira, David Gross and Jeff Arkuss. Founded in 2008, the company produced the films Goon, The F Word and Room, as well as Goon: Last of the Enforcers.
The Elmira Enforcers were a minor professional ice hockey team located in Elmira, New York, and a member of the Federal Prospects Hockey League. Their home games were played at First Arena. The team folded in 2021 after an arena contract dispute after three seasons. The team never had missed the playoffs in their 3 seasons.
