Early career Douglas started his career with the
Kitchener Canucks in the
Ontario Hockey Association. He spent two seasons with the Canucks and eight seasons in the
American Hockey League and the
Western Hockey League with the
Springfield Indians,
Winnipeg Warriors and the
Vancouver Canucks. In Springfield, Douglas came under the tutelage of Hall of Famer
Eddie Shore, the then owner of the Indians. There, Douglas learned Shore's tough defensive style of play which contributed to the Indians three consecutive
Calder Cup championships from 1960 to 1962.
Later years In
1962–63, Douglas made his first trip to the
National Hockey League. He played with the
Toronto Maple Leafs and continued his aggressive style of play during his rookie season in the NHL. In 70 games, Douglas recorded 22 points and 105
PIM. The Leafs, that year, made it to the
Stanley Cup Final, where they played the
Detroit Red Wings. Toronto defeated the Red Wings in five games, giving Douglas a Stanley Cup in his first season in the NHL. Douglas was also awarded the
Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year in the NHL, making him the first
defenceman to do so. The
following season, Douglas split his time between the Leafs and the
Rochester Americans of the AHL. He played 41 games with the Leafs and 27 games with the Americans that season. In his 41 games with the Leafs, he recorded only one point. Douglas remained with the Leafs organization through the
1966–67 but was not a member of the 1964 and 1967 Stanley Cup teams, as he was assigned to Rochester of the AHL for the playoffs in those two years. In the 1967 expansion draft, Douglas was claimed by the
California Seals in the
1967 NHL Expansion Draft. The California Seals changed their name before the start of the 1967-68 season to the
Oakland Seals. Douglas played 40 games with the Seals before being traded to the
Detroit Red Wings. Douglas played the remainder of the season and the
1968–69 season with the Red Wings. He was sent down to the AHL again the following year with the Rochester Americans. Douglas stayed in the AHL for the next three seasons, making the Calder Cup Finals with the
Baltimore Clippers in
1971–72. In
1972–73 Douglas joined the
New York Raiders in the
World Hockey Association. Douglas played one season with the Raiders before returning to the minor leagues once again. He played three more seasons before retiring. Douglas died of cancer in 2009 at the age of 73. == Awards and achievements ==