Doak's hockey fire was stoked through his participation in Goderich's renowned Young Canada Peewee Hockey Tournament. But to move to higher ranks, he had to leave the shores of Lake Huron to play his junior hockey with the Hamilton Red Wings of the OHA.
By 1965, Doak saw his first NHL action with the Detroit Red Wings. But after only four games, he was dispatched to the minors and then on to the Boston Bruins for three seasons of injury-riddled experience, culminating in a Stanley Cup victory in the company of Orr and Esposito.
Doak's biggest career break came when he was claimed by the expansion Vancouver Canucks in 1970. Plenty of ice time coupled with fewer injuries allowed him to excel as a textbook, stay-at-home blueliner who tattooed impressions of his shoulders and elbows onto any opponents who came within range.
After two seasons with the Canucks, Doak made pit stops in Detroit and New York before returning to Boston to round out his on-ice career in 1980.
Doak then went behind the Bruins' bench as an assistant to head coach Gerry Cheevers for five additional seasons. He also coached for two years at the University of Massachusetts in Boston.
