Steve Smith

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Lore & Background

Smith played for the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League from 1980–81 to 1982–83 before being drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft in the 6th round, 111th overall. He spent his first 2 years of professional hockey (1983–84 to 1984–85) playing for the Oilers minor league affiliate teams (Moncton and Halifax). He played with the Oilers starting in the 1984–85 season. He went on to play 804 career games scoring 375 points (72-303-375) along with 2,139 penalty minutes. Smith also played in 134 Stanley Cup Playoff games, scoring 52 points (11-41-52). Smith played for the Oilers until the end of the 1990–91 season, winning three Stanley Cups with the team. Smith remains the Oilers' single-season leader in penalty minutes with 286, which he set during the 1987–88 season. He then played for the Chicago Blackhawks until 1997. He played in the 1991 All-Star Game in Chicago and later in the same year was part of the Canada Cup roster for Canada. He recorded an assist in eight games while recording 30 penalty minutes as Canada won over the United States. He initially retired after the end of the 1996–97 season. He served as an assistant coach to the Calgary Flames in 1997. He made a comeback in the autumn of 1998 to play for the Flames and was even named captain in 1999. His final game came against Minnesota on November 8, 2000 when he aggravated an injury to his spinal cord (having had spinal fusion surgery the previous season). He announced his retirement on December 7.

In Their Own Story

Smith's career included a dramatic comeback after an initial retirement. After playing for the Blackhawks until 1997, he served as an assistant coach for the Flames before returning to play in autumn 1998. Named captain of the Calgary Flames in 1999, his final game came on November 8, 2000, against Minnesota when he aggravated a spinal cord injury sustained from previous surgery. He officially retired on December 7, 2000. Transitioning to coaching, Smith served as an assistant for the Flames (1997-1998), Oilers (2010-2014), Hurricanes (2014-2018), and Sabres (2018-2021). He was relieved of his duties with Buffalo on March 17, 2021, and subsequently joined the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL as an assistant coach. In November 2023, he stepped up as the interim head coach for the Wolf Pack.

Reader's Guide

Although Smith scored 83 goals in his NHL career (including 11 in the playoffs), he may be best known for a shot that went into his own net. On April 30, 1986, Smith's 23rd birthday, in the seventh game of the Smythe Division Final against the Calgary Flames, Calgary's Perry Berezan dumped the puck into the Edmonton zone before leaving the ice on a line change. Smith recovered the puck behind his net and intended to send it down the ice, only to accidentally bounce it off goaltender Grant Fuhr's skate and into his own net, giving the Flames a 3–2 lead (although he was already off the ice, Berezan was the last Flame to touch the puck and was thus credited with the goal: a rare instance of a hockey player 'scoring' a goal while sitting on the bench). The top-seeded Oilers could not get the equalizer, and thus lost the game and were eliminated from the playoffs. Many fans blamed Smith for the loss, but in his autobiography Wayne Gretzky called that opinion 'a total cop-out', asserting that the Oilers should have clinched the series well beforehand (as of 2023, Calgary and Edmonton have met in the Stanley Cup playoffs six times, and the 1986 tilt remains the Flames' only victory). When the Oilers recaptured the Stanley Cup in 1987, Smith was the first player to be handed the cup from Gretzky after receiving it from NHL President John Ziegler. Smith reflected upon the moment in later years, stating: 'That moment taught me very quickly that you can be knocked off that pedestal really fast. I approach it now instead from a standpoint of how lucky we really are to be around this game and how quickly it can be taken away. I always think of it like the line from 'The Godfather': It was the business that we chose. If I didn't choose a business where I could possibly be exposed, then I would never have had the possibility of being exposed. It doesn't define you as a person. It doesn't define you as an athlete or competitor. You have to understand that there's a possibility that things could go wrong within a game, and they certainly did.'

Did You Know?

• Smith was born in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, but grew up in Cobourg, Ontario.
• Smith has two brothers, David and Ian.
• He is married and has five children. His son, Barron Smith (born April 2, 1991), was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 7th round of the 2009 NHL entry draft.
• Smith remains the Oilers' single-season leader in penalty minutes with 286, set during the 1987–88 season.