FAQ

Doug Smith is not Jewish. The folks who wrote the GOON screenplay were Jewish. I believe they thought the idea of Doug wanting to be a hockey enforcer would create more tension/upheaval in a traditional Jewish family.

The film is inspired by the book, Goon: The True Story of an Unlikely Journey Into a Minor Hockey League, about Doug Smith, a late bloomer, who didn't start playing hockey until age 19 and came equipped with the unlikely skill of an amateur boxer.