legends home
| 1986 - 2007 |
The hockey summer of 1986 was all about the arrival of NHL legend Garry Unger, a major signing coup for Peterborough hockey. Unger’s arrival was pure Hollywood with press nights, fans at Heathrow, newspaper headlines and more. Not surprisingly, very few fans had noticed the back door arrival of 22 year old Ontario native Doug McEwen. McEwen’s debut was against the Oxford City Stars on 31st August 1986 and by season’s end he had not only contributed a 100 goal return to Pirates championship winning campaign but had more than eclipsed his more illustrious linemates. Despite having to play in an unfamiliar defensive role, his silky skills totally redefined the art of rushing D with his coast-to-coast breakouts making him an instant fans favourite and resulting in him sweeping the boards at the end of season awards night.
To the delight of Peterborough fans, “God” as the adoring Cardiff fans had christened him, came home to the Pirates in 1999 where he not only performed his traditional miracles on the ice but teamed up with Randy Smith to perform miracles off the ice too, steering Pirates through yet another knife-edge financial crisis. After a brief late season run of appearances in Hull, the famous #7 shirt was back in Peterborough for the start of a new era in Peterborough hockey, the 2002 birth of the Phantoms. A championship and cup winning first season launched another successful contribution to Peterborough hockey which saw a successful run as player-coach bring to a close Doug’s Peterborough and UK hockey career at the end of the 2006/2007 season. All over the UK, you will find hockey legends but what sets Doug McEwen apart is that his legend is not local, it is national. Wherever he has played, he has become an immediate favourite and his name is spoken with deserved reverence by fans in every rink in the country. His famous #7 shirt is an iconic symbol in UK hockey and Peterborough hockey fans have been truly blessed to have been able to call him one of their own and to have witnessed his talents across three decades of hockey.
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#7 Doug McEwen 1986 - 2007 
Remarkably, Doug was released by Pirates at the end of the season as it was feared his expansive defensive play would not be suited to the top league in which Pirates would now be playing. It was a decision that came back to haunt Pirates for many years to follow. After a season and a half with Lee Valley Lions, he hooked up with former Pirates Lawless and Hope at the Cardiff Devils where he not only won silverware a plenty but broke records at club and league level, not to mention starring for the Great Britain national side at World Championship level.