When Michael Scott’s math teacher told him he was going to flunk out, the next day he scored more goals than anyone in the history of the hockey team. It turns out that Steve Carell and his iconic character Michael Scott from NBC hit show “The Office” weren’t that different from one another in some respects.
Carell actually played hockey in college. He was the goaltender for Denison University, a liberal arts college in Ohio, but unlike his character, he wasn’t flunking out — he was planning to apply to law school.
What is Steve Carell’s hockey history?
Denison coach Seth Patton told The Athletic he would do agility drills on handball courts and “called the freshman ‘the backbone of the defense’ in his end-of-season summary.”
Throughout his college hockey career, Carell made 305 saves across 29 periods, The Athletic reported.
Carell grew up in hockey-passionate Boston, Massachusetts, and started playing hockey around 8 years old, according to an interview with ESPN. Carell credits the Boston Bruins’ successful seasons in the early 1970s of inspiring him to try hockey.
When asked if he considered playing professionally, Carell said:
“I was a goalie. At a certain point, you either have to commit to that as a potential career or let it become a fun hobby.
That happened in high school. I had to think about whether I was going to a Division I college hockey program and fight for a job of a goaltender or do something else.
Instead, I went to a Division III school (Denison University in Ohio) and played throughout college. It was for fun and not advancing myself.”
How did Steve Carell use his hockey skills during his career?
He did put his hockey skills to use during his time on “The Office” — showcasing them in two episodes — “Michael’s Birthday” and “Threat Level Midnight.”
His passion for hockey was an important aspect for Carell’s character, mentioning it in multiple episodes, and adding character depth and authenticity.
While he never went pro in hockey, his hockey legacy will likely last much longer than his 1981 to 1984 college stint.
In 2014, he told CNN that he still plays hockey as a hobby.
“I am the LeBron James of rec league hockey,” he told CNN.