Bobby Smith (ice hockey)
Canadian ice hockey executive and former NHL player.
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Robert David Smith (born February 12, 1958) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current executive. He played in the NHL for the Minnesota North Stars and Montreal Canadiens. Over 184 Stanley Cup playoff games, he tallied 160 points, the 25th-highest total in league history.
He appeared in four Stanley Cup Finals and won the championship with Montreal in 1986. On November 30, 1991, he became the 32nd player in NHL history to reach 1,000 career points. From 2003 until February 2023, he was the majority owner of the Halifax Mooseheads, a junior team that won the Memorial Cup in 2013.
Early life
Smith was born in North Sydney, Nova Scotia, to Gerald and Jeanne Marie Smith. When he was two, his family moved to Ottawa, Ontario.
Growing up an Ottawa native, he was a fan of the Montreal Canadiens and learned to speak French conversationally. His brother Dan also played hockey, while his sisters Mary Lou and Paula played tennis and volleyball, respectively. As a teenager, he played football at Laurentian High School and represented the Ottawa Tennis Club at national tournaments, but he gave up tennis after joining the Ottawa 67’s because hockey and school demanded too much time.
Major junior
Playing as a defenceman in the mosquito division, Smith scored 36 goals and 7 assists in 14 games. He later played peewee hockey with the Ottawa 67’s alongside Doug Wilson, Tim Higgins, and Ron Davidson. With the Ottawa Golden Knights of the Ontario Minor Hockey Association, he recorded 40 goals and 26 assists in 30 games.
After the 1974–75 season, he joined the Ottawa 67’s of the OMJHL. Protected by the 67’s as one of eight midget players, he was ineligible for the league draft. In his rookie season, he scored 12 goals in his first 16 games, mostly playing left wing, and finished with 24 goals and 34 assists.
For the 1976–77 season, after Larry Skinner left, coach Brian Kilrea moved Smith to centre between John Wilson and Yvan Joly. He had 6 goals and 6 assists in the first eight games and led the team in scoring by mid-November with 19 goals and 23 assists. As the season went on, Kilrea let Smith shift among all three forward positions. He finished the regular season leading the league with 65 goals and ranking third in scoring with 135 points.
Lore & Background
Smith was born in North Sydney, Nova Scotia, but moved to Ottawa, Ontario at age two. Growing up an Ottawa native, he became a fan of the Montreal Canadiens and conversational in French. He played football at Laurentian High School and tennis for the Ottawa Tennis Club, but dropped tennis after joining the Ottawa 67's. In major junior hockey, Smith set OMJHL records with 123 assists and 192 points in the 1977–78 season, winning the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy, the Red Tilson Trophy, and CHL Player of the Year.
He was the unanimous top draft choice for the 1978 NHL amateur draft and was selected first overall by the Minnesota North Stars. Smith signed a three-year, $1 million contract with the North Stars. In his rookie season, he led the team with 30 goals and 44 assists for 74 points, winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year. He later played for the Montreal Canadiens and won the Stanley Cup in 1986.
Reader's Guide
Smith's career is notable for his transition from a record-setting junior player to an NHL star. He was the first overall pick in the 1978 draft and immediately made an impact, winning the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year. His 1,000th NHL point on November 30, 1991, placed him as the 32nd player in league history to reach that milestone. Smith's playoff performance was also significant: his 160 points in 184 Stanley Cup playoff games rank 25th all-time.
He played in four Stanley Cup Finals and won the championship with the Canadiens in 1986. After his playing career, Smith became a hockey executive and was the majority owner of the Halifax Mooseheads junior team from 2003 to February 2023, during which the team won the Memorial Cup in 2013. His junior hockey records and NHL achievements mark him as a prominent figure in Canadian hockey.
Career statistics and honours
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1974–75 | Ottawa Golden Knights | Midget | 58 | 74 | 64 | 138 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1975–76 | Ottawa 67's | OMJHL | 62 | 24 | 34 | 58 | 21 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 1976–77 | Ottawa 67's | OMJHL | 64 | 65 | 70 | 135 | 52 | 19 | 16 | 16 | 32 | 29 |
| 1977–78 | Ottawa 67's | OMJHL | 61 | 69 | 123 | 192 | 44 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 30 | 10 |
| 1978–79 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 80 | 30 | 44 | 74 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1979–80 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 61 | 27 | 56 | 83 | 24 | 15 | 1 | 13 | 14 | 9 |
| 1980–81 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 78 | 29 | 64 | 93 | 73 | 19 | 8 | 17 | 25 | 13 |
| 1981–82 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 80 | 43 | 71 | 114 | 82 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 5 |
| 1982–83 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 77 | 24 | 53 | 77 | 81 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 17 |
| 1983–84 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 10 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1983–84 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 70 | 26 | 37 | 63 | 62 | 15 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 8 |
| 1984–85 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 65 | 16 | 40 | 56 | 59 | 12 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 30 |
| 1985–86 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 79 | 31 | 55 | 86 | 55 | 20 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 22 |
| 1986–87 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 80 | 28 | 47 | 75 | 72 | 17 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 19 |
| 1987–88 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 78 | 27 | 66 | 93 | 78 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 8 |
| 1988–89 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 80 | 32 | 51 | 83 | 69 | 21 | 11 | 8 | 19 | 46 |
| 1989–90 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 53 | 12 | 14 | 26 | 35 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| 1990–91 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 73 | 15 | 31 | 46 | 60 | 23 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 56 |
| 1991–92 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 68 | 9 | 37 | 46 | 109 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| 1992–93 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 45 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — |
| NHL totals | 1,077 | 357 | 679 | 1,036 | 917 | 184 | 64 | 96 | 160 | 245 | ||
International
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Bobby Smith (ice hockey) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Bobby Smith (ice hockey) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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