Doug Harvey played minor league hockey in Oxford Park, Notre Dame de Grace in his native Montreal, Quebec, Canada, then began his professional career with the Montreal Royals of the Quebec Senior Hockey League where he played from 1945 to 1947, helping them win the Allan Cup. He then played one season with the Buffalo Bisons of the American Hockey League. He made the jump to the Montreal Canadiens of the NHL in the 1947–48 NHL season and remained with the team until 1961. Under coach Dick Irvin, Harvey was named to the All-Star team 11 consecutive times, beginning in the 1951–52 NHL season. He won his first of seven James Norris Memorial Trophies in 1955, as the league’s best defenceman. In an era when the defenceman’s role did not include scoring points, Harvey used his skating speed and passing ability to become a factor in making the Canadiens a high-scoring team. Doug Harvey earned six Stanley Cups, all with Montreal. In 1954, however, he scored a Cup-losing own-goal when he tipped the puck with his glove, after a deflected shot by Tony Leswick of the Detroit Red Wings and past goalie Gerry McNeil. McNeil was so crushed by the goal, he retired to coach junior hockey the next season, but returned to the Habs in 1956.

Doug Harvey became an outspoken critic of the hockey establishment who “owned” players for life. In Harvey’s day, players were paid a pittance compared to the millions being earned by the team owners. A superstar such as Harvey, who today would be paid millions, was earning less than $30,000 a season ($274,634 in 2008 dollars) at the peak of his career while playing every game in front of sell-out crowds. Harvey was one of the first to help organize the players association which so infuriated the Canadiens’ owners that in 1961 they traded him to the then lowly New York Rangers. One of the individuals secretly blacklisted by the league owners, Doug Harvey responded by winning still another Norris Trophy as a Ranger. He remained with New York until 1963, and then played for several minor league teams before finishing his NHL career in 1969 with the St. Louis Blues. Harvey served as player-coach during his first season in New York but was never entirely comfortable with this dual role. In addition, he was also listed as Coach for the Kansas City Blues, which was the farm team affiliate for the St Louis Blues in 1967-68. In 1964 Harvey, Gump Worsley, and Red Berenson played for the Montreal Jr. Canadiens in a game against the Soviet national team. Harvey played almost 50 minutes during the 3–2 loss.