Doug "The Thug" Smith Right Wing Born Dec 27 1964 -- Hanover, MA
Height 6.02 -- Weight 210 -- Shoots R
Stats - Unavailable
Perhaps one of the most contraversial hockey players of recent history. Former professional hockey player Doug Smith has given NHLFC permission to discuss his career.
Doug Smith vs Greg Batters Thunderbirds vs Cherokee ECHL
THANK YOU DOUG SMITH!
You've provided us an extremely insightful review pertaining to some of your most personal memories. GREAT JOB!
Quote:
Childhood/Growing Up
Q: srehm1 Was it a love for hockey first or a love of fighting in hockey first which drew you towards playing hockey
A: Doug: Fighting all the way. I mean I watched hockey games like everyone else but for me as a “player” I was only there for one reason and that was to fight. I didn’t try and fool anybody and try and skate and pass and shoot, all I wanted to do is line up next to the other teams heavyweight and go !
Q: srehm1 Growing up in Mass. Who were the hockey players you looked up to? What other sports icons did you look up to
A: Doug: I liked and watched all sports growing up but boxing was my first love and I competed as an amateur for many years. At this time my only real favorite athlete was Marvelous Marvin Hagler. I worked out at the same gym he did and got to watch him a lot. He also lived in the same town as I did so I got to see him from time to time. As far as hockey players, pretty much any of the top fighters were my hero’s…no Wayne Gretzky style favorites here.
Q: srehm1 When did you first begin watching hockey fights seperately from hockey games themselves
A: Doug: I would say once I started to get the idea that this may be something I would like to try and pursue I started to really concentrate on all the fights and try and watch why someone would win or lose in that fight and then I would make a mental note of it.
Q: srehm1 What were the first hockey tapes you ever got your hands on
A: Doug: My friends were the ones who had the fight tapes, games from the 70’s and 80’s mostly. Man we would spend hours and hours watching the same dam tape over and over again it was crazy.
Q: srehm1 Did watching these tapes help inspire you to get involved in the game of hockey
A: Doug: Oh yes, I would get so psyched after watching a fight and never mind the fact that there’s 15 thousand fans at the game standing and screaming for you. I thought like most hockey fight fans “hey I can do that” and with my boxing background I thought I was half way there…boy was I wrong.
Q: srehm1 Was it your intent to be an enforcer once you began playing? Did you attempt to become a better skill player
A: Doug: I didn’t start skating until after high school so I knew right away I wasn’t going to be a goal scorer or a play maker. It was simple, learn to keep my balance long enough to throw some punches and hope for the best. Even as years went on I never tried to become a skilled player, although I did work on my skating every day. I didn’t give a shit about the actual game itself I just wanted to be the guy who sits on the bench all night then when someone on the other team acts up the coach would tap me on the shoulder and say “go take the right wing”.
Professional Career
Q: srehm1 Who were the known tough guys in the ECHL when you first arrived on the scene
A: Doug: There were only 5 teams in the ECHL when I arrived which used to be the Atlantic Coast Hockey League. Each team had at least 2 heavyweights and usually a middleweight or two. The league was actually pretty tough and I thought when I first got the call that I was going to be sent home in a body bag. If I remember correctly: Johnstown: Brock Kelly and Darren Servatius and Mike Marcinkiewicz. Erie : Grant Ottenbreit and Ron Aubrey and Darren Miciak Knoxville: Greg Batters and Alex Daviault. Virginia: Bill Whitfield and Greg Neish *Carolina ( My Team) Bill Huard and Michel Lanouette
Q: GreginPGBC What are the details of first ever hockey fight
A: Doug: My first real meaningful fight was in a summer league against Bill Whitfield. I had numerous fights before that but they were against clowns on a late Friday night rental hour. Whitfield was a known heavyweight who played pro. I was running around challenging anyone who would look at me and finally Whitfield and I squared off and basically he threw two or three punches and then ragged dolled me onto my ass….that’s when I realized I needed a lot of work or else I wouldn’t have any teeth left if I was to fight the top guys.
Q: GreginPGBC Who is your favorite hockey enforcer of all-time
A: Doug: I have numerous favorite fighters and all of them for different reasons. But a few of my all times are; Paul Stewart, Dwight Schoefield, Tim Hunter, Nick Fotiu, Bill Huard, Sean Coady and Jacques Mailhot.
Q: GreginPGBC What is your most memorable scrap; details
A: Doug: Actually because I had so few fights, and most of them were at the professional level they all seem to be memorable to me. But if I had to choose one I would say the night I squared off with Frank ‘the animal” Bialowas in my first official Professional game in the AHL. I know I played in the ECHL and that is considered Professional but this was “REALLY” professional. I was replacing the Moncton Hawks heavyweight Kevin McClelland who was suspended for two games and a scout from my area suggested my name to the head coach for a possible “weekend replacement”. Long story short, before the game McClelland said “ go for Vandenbussche or Gillingham but stay away from “the animal”. I asked why and he said “cause he’s the heavyweight champ and he just got sent down from Toronto where he just beat Tony Twist the other night, and he won’t be happy to be back down here”. Well I challenged him and he accepted and I got thumped pretty good…I was just happy I didn’t get knocked out or knocked down I was able to stand in there and go toe to toe.
Q: srehm1 What fellow teammates did you consider to be tough guys
A: Doug: Oh man I had some really tough teammates along the way…Bill Huard, Michel Lanouette, Sean Gagnon, Jacques Mailhot, Marc LaBelle, Kevin McClelland, Barry Potomski…I’m sure there were many more.
Q: srehm1 Did you ever become friends with Bill Huard while in Carolina? What were your thoughts on Huard as a player and teammate during your stint there
A: Doug: Huey and I were good friends as we still are to this day. He was a great teammate and would do anything to protect you. We got along great cause I would fight the guys who would want to make their name off him. Trust me, I’m not saying he wouldn’t fight I’m saying that every game there was another guy looking to take him off the ice because he could play well too. So when guys would challenge him and he didn’t want to go, I would go after that same guy my next shift….hey it got me a few fights anyways.
Q: srehm1 Do you recall a Johnstown Chiefs player names Brock Kelly? Can you tell us about him or any encounters you may have had with him
A: Doug: You know how people talk and reputations are made and when I first came into the league he was one of those players who had a rep for being really tough…So of course I want to challenge him, right? Brock was a really tall and skinny guy with eyes that looked like he squinted and needed glasses to see two feet in front of him. We had two or three fights and each one was the same, he was able to straighten me out with his long arms and throw bombs at my head. Only in the second fight was I able to land a couple of punches but he was just too tall and long and I could never get going before he would throw me to the ice. He didn’t lose too many in that league except when he fought Huard. Billy would pound him down to the ice with heavy punches and after two or three fights against each other I remember Kelly wouldn’t fight him anymore.
Q: srehm1 Did you have any run ins with Alex Daviault or Greg Batters
A: Doug: I was lucky enough to have a “run-in” with both of them my very first game of my career. I was called back to Carolina after being released from camp. They decided that not only was my skating a horror show, but there was another kid who had AHL experience and was willing to fight so I was sent packing. About a month into the season the kid they kept over me had been beaten up so many times he decided to go home. Some of the players who were from my area told the coach to bring me in for a second look, and the first game I had was against Knoxville and those two guys. My very first shift I fought Batters who I was told was a draft pick and a very good fighter who could throw with both hands. And Daviault was mostly a righty who would throw a million punches like a machine gun. Both fights for me went good and I actually broke Daviaults nose with a punch that sent him to the ice. In that first game I was an overnight hero to the hillbillies of Carolina.
Q: srehm1 Can you tell us about Thunderbird teammate Michel Lanouette
A: Doug: Lano was kind of a mystery man. He had a big reputation for being a badass from earlier in his career and he was now just playing on the “home town team”. He lived in that town and was married to a former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader (and she was a snack ! ) Anyway, he supposedly lost one of his eyes in a stick swinging fight years earlier but was a pretty good fighter. I only actually saw him fight twice that first season I was there in which he creamed Bill Whitfield with two punches and then had a long battle with Brock Kelly with both guys landing many shots to the head but he switched hands late in the fight and put Kelly down.
Q: srehm1 After various stints in the AHL and IHL, you went back to the ECHL. What was that like to go back and can you tell us the difference between the league from your first stop in Carolina to your second stop with Louisiana
A: Doug: Well as far as hockey goes it was very obvious that the league was successful as it had grown from 5 teams to over 20 teams. The caliber of hockey was really good too. The game was a lot faster than when I was last there and the players were very skilled which made the quality of the league really good. Today, if you’re a player who gets a shot down there its nothing to be ashamed of, I mean most players want to play in the AHL of course and get disappointed when they can only make it to the ECHL but believe me the hockey is good.
Q: srehm1 Were there any fighters that you were wary of - at any level? Any that you may have avoided if possible
A: Doug: How do I explain this..…I was wary of all my opponents but only out of respect. I learned very early in the fight game, back from the days of boxing and street fights, that you always take your opponent serious and respect the fact that he could beat you for whatever reason. I also learned that you can’t judge a book by its cover. You can’t look at a guy and say “he doesn’t look tough” or his size, height, weight or personal makeup isn’t impressive. I knew guys in the boxing world that looked like altar boys from St.Mary’s Church but they could kick the ever living shit out of you in ten seconds. So I was wary of my opponent in that manner. I wasn’t wary of guys just because they were taller or bigger cause I used to think that was just a bigger challenge for me and I also thought most of the time a big-big guy really couldn’t fight for real because he probably never had too. Most big-big guys usually scare off another guy with his appearance alone but if you actually get into it with him he usually tends to be a marshmellow. As far as avoiding a fighter, my record proves I only went against the best of the best and even though my wins vs. loses didn’t favor me, I still challenged the toughest guys on each team every chance I got….I mean why else were they paying me?
Q: GreginPGBC Craziest thing ever seen in a hockey game (as a participant or spectator)
A: Doug: I saw plenty and I could type here until next week with stories but 2 that stand out, as I was spectator to one and involved in another. Steve Plaskon was a teammate in Carolina and he was about 5’6” 200lbs of raging anger with Indian heritage in his blood. One night he speared a Knoxville guy in the gut breaking his stick in half and sending that guy to the locker room on a stretcher. Of course the ref didn’t see it and Plaskon was only given a 5 minute penalty and not kicked out of the game which he should have been. While in the box he gets yelling back and forth with Alex Daviault who was also in the box for a penalty he had earlier. Daviault decided to climb over the glass and thru the time keepers box and over into Plaskon’s box to fight…boy was that the wrong thing to do. Ever see those shark shows on Discovery Channel were they throw hunks of meat into the ocean to watch the sharks attack it? Well imagine Plaskon was the shark and Daviault was the hunk of meat. It was unbelievable to see which of course quickly turned into a bench clearing brawl cause his players wanted to try and save his ass so we left our bench to help our guy…..you get the picture. The second one involved me and Kerry Toporoski and Jim Kyte. I was called into Phoenix to play for the Roadrunners ( former IHL team). Phoenix only had one heavyweight in Barry Potomski and they were playing a weekend series against the Las Vegas Thunder who had guys like Toporoski, Kyte, Alex Hicks, Rhett Trombley,Chris McSorley, I mean they were loaded with legit heavyweight fighters. While on the bench, I had taken up residency at the very end, against the glass that divided each teams bench. The play had been blown dead and a small scrum started between two players on the ice and while I was standing up watching, all of a sudden I get a tap on the side of my helmet by Toporoski. He had reached around the glass and took his stick and tapped me on the helmet to get my attention at which point he said ” lets go out on the ice”. Being that this was the first time I had ever laid eyes on this guy I can tell you he was pretty intimidating. Not only was he a big kid but he had a huge head and his helmet could barely fit on top and it was one of those bowling bowl style helmets like Mike Foligno used to wear. Next thing I know he and I are throwing punches at each other from around the glass divider and all hell breaks loose. Now Jim Kyte comes over and he wants a piece of me as he reaches into the bench and tries to grab me….don’t ask me how I survived to tell this story today but somehow I was able to escape that game alive.
Q: Colt Seavers What NHL enforcer do you believe has a fighting style that resembles yours the closest
A: Doug: Unfortunately I don’t resemble any NHL fighters style, I sucked and I know it. If I resembled a NHL fighters style I too would be in the NHL. I just tried to keep my balance long enough to throw a few punches and prayed I connected with one before I fell to the ice.
Q: Colt Seavers If you could have one crack at fighting a NHL enforcer, who would it be?(more than one)
A: Doug: Well like my history shows, I would want to fight only the top heavyweight and if I took a beating at least I took on the best there was and I didn’t take the second or third best guy just to make my odds better for a win. I’m not suicidal or have a death wish but I feel if you take the best guy you gain more respect later, never mind it helps make you a better fighter when you go against someone who is better than you.
Personal
Q: srehm1 What tough guys did you look up to? Did you learn any tricks of the trade by watching tape? If so what did you learn
A: Doug: I looked up to guys like Paul Stewart and Sean Coady because they helped me personally and they played in the top leagues.Stew used to have a camp during the summer which was targeted to help the college players get ready for their pro training camps and how to defend themselves if need be. Stew knew I wasn’t a college player and I was someone like him and he would always take extra time with me and show me ways to tie guys up and different punching techniques. I always respected and admired him for helping me through my earliest years.
Q: srehm1 What kind of style did you have and can you possibly tell us of any technical move or hold that you favored when fighting
A: Doug: Like I stated previously, my style was to try and keep my balance long enough to land a shot or two. I always felt I had good hand speed and punching power in both hands from the years of boxing and if I could land one or two I could do some damage.
Q: srehm1 Did you have any particular training methods that helped you prepare for your role
A: Doug: Boxing in the gym was the fight training, and skating endless hours at ice rentals was my balance work.
Q: GreginPGBC Being a late bloomer as far as skating goes, was there any specific training you did to prepare for your goal
A: Doug: Obviously on ice is the best and most realistic way to go. I used to go around and around the face off circles doing my crossovers front and back for hours like a 9 year old kid but it was balance. I also did a lot of rollerblading on the streets during the summer for extra leg strength and balance. I bought a heavy bag and hung it up in my garage and used to punch it for hours while wearing my rollerblades thinking this was as close to the real thing as possible.
Q: GreginPGBC A good road trip story
A: Doug: I’m sorry to say but there are so many stories to tell I would be here forever typing…sorry I can’t even begin to tell one.
Q: GreginPGBC Someone you’d like to sit down and have a beer with (anyone in the world)
A: Doug: You know, not that I haven’t given all these questions some thought but this one I tried to spend some time thinking about and I decided; I’d like to sit back and have a beer with all the guys I fought during my hockey years. I think it would be awesome to see the guys as they are today, how they turned out and listen to their stories and their side of things especially when it came to me and what they thought about me always asking to fight them.
Q: 442nd You mentioned in discussion, you spent some time with Link Gaetz around the time Link was drafte. Can you elaborate? One could only imagine the two of you sharing the same ice. I believe that would be what could be called "A perfect storm"
A: Doug: Link was the complete package. I mean if you could mold a hockey player around someone he would be pretty close. He was huge, about 6’4” and 230lbs. Solid as a rock not an ounce of fat around his waist. He was an incredible athlete and could skate as well as anyone I ever saw. He had speed and power and he had a cannon for a shot…it just a shame his mental state and his way of life cost him his career. I remember we used to skate together early in the mornings (7am) at a rink just south of Boston. I knew the rink manager who used to let me out by myself hours before anyone would arrive to work on “my dream”. One day he showed up and asked me if he could come out with me. Obviously I didn’t know who he was but my first impression of him was like “WOW, who the hell is this monster”. So for two straight months he and I would skate together, Monday thu Friday and he was really a good guy. I told him my dreams of playing some day and he was a lot of help teaching me things that nobody else could. One thing I remember about his skating ability, we would do drills every day, skating, shooting and passing and at the end of the workout would be full ice sprints, from goal line to goal line. I would skate forwards and he would skate “backwards”, and from a dead stop we would race down the ice. Now I know I keep saying I sucked at skating and playing hockey but honestly I wasn’t all that bad I could get up and down the ice OK. Do you know that we probably had 100 races over the course of the summer and I never once beat him? He was the most powerful skater even going backwards…it was unreal. And his strength was like King Kong, he and I would wrestle each working on balance etc. and even though I was 6’2” 245lbs. I couldn’t move him to save my life.
Q: srehm1 Was there a memorable moment for you at any level that you can detail for us whether involving a fight or brawl or big game win etc
A: Doug: Honestly ever day, every game, every moment I had was memorable and I mean that. I can tell you that because I had no right making it to the places I did and playing on the teams that I did, and the fact that I played so few games in my career I can remember everything and its all good memories for me.
Q: srehm1 Did the role you played change the way people viewed you in Hanover
A: Doug: I’m not sure how people viewed me. Some people thought I was a big deal coming from a small town and being a “professional hockey player” and I’m sure others thought I was a hard-on and they could care less. But for the most part people were very good to me and I have had a good time with it all.
Q: srehm1 What did you do after hockey? What do you do today
A: Doug: I have been a police officer for almost 16 years in a town south of Boston and I’m married with one baby girl.
Q: srehm1 Do you like the current NHL or are you partial to the way the game was once played while you were growing up
A: Doug: I will always be partial to the old school style of hockey. I wasn’t a big fan of bench clearing brawls because they tend to carry on forever and get boring but the way fighting used to be and the way the teams used to have 2-3 fighters was great. You could look at the schedule and say “Saturday Night, Montreal is at Boston and Miller and Byers are going to fight Nilan and Kordic” and I would get psyched for that game and they never disappointed…
Q: srehm1 Are you still involved in hockey? If so, at what level?
A: Doug: I am very much involved in hockey today on all levels. Professionally, I have worked for the Boston Bruins for the past 8 years. I also coach my high school varsity hockey team where I have been the assistant head coach for the past 20 years. We have won three state titles in our division where all the games have been played at the Boston Garden. And finally, I have recently become involved in being a linesman in my area for Jr. Hockey and college level games which I never thought I would be. I guess I could say I have a “new dream” of doing the lines in the same leagues were I played someday.
*Thank you to all the members who participated in this interview I truly appreciate your questions and hope to someday meet you all.
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