Doug Smail

Douglas Dean Smail, born 2 September 1957, is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who spent 13 NHL seasons from 1980 to 1993. He played three years at the University of North Dakota (1977–1980), notching 87 points in 40 games during his final WCHA season. That performance caught the attention of the Winnipeg Jets, and he became a full-time NHL player the following season.

Smail played eleven seasons with Winnipeg, establishing himself as a strong two-way forward. He scored at least one shorthanded goal in twelve consecutive seasons, finishing his career with 28 shorthanded tallies. His most notable feat came on 20 December 1981, when he tied the NHL record for the fastest goal from the opening faceoff, scoring just five seconds into the game. After leaving Winnipeg, he played for the Minnesota North Stars, Quebec Nordiques, and Ottawa Senators, though he never matched his earlier success.

Following his NHL career, Smail spent three seasons in Britain with the Fife Flyers and Cardiff Devils. He became the first player to sign directly from an NHL team to a British club when he joined Fife from the Senators.

Post-playing career

After retiring, Smail was one of five plaintiffs—alongside Dave Forbes, Rick Middleton, Brad Park, and Ulf Nilsson—in Forbes v. Eagleson, a 1995 class action lawsuit on behalf of roughly 1,000 NHL players from the 1972–1991 period.

The suit alleged that the NHL and its teams violated the RICO Act by colluding with Alan Eagleson to embezzle from the NHLPA, and that the statute of limitations began when Eagleson was indicted in 1994. The case was dismissed on 27 August 1998 by U.S. District Judge Thomas Newman O'Neill Jr., who ruled the limitations period had started in 1991 when players became aware of the allegations. The Third Circuit upheld the dismissal on 17 October 2000.

Smail now lives in Colorado with his wife and four children. He served as assistant coach for the U-16 Team Rocky Mountain AAA Hockey program alongside former NHLer Rick Berry, and is currently head coach of the Rocky Mountain Roughriders U-18 AAA squad.

Personal life

A Christian since his playing days, Smail’s faith helped inspire teammate Jim Nill to convert.

His honors include NCAA Championship Tournament MVP (1980), an NHL All-Star Game appearance (1990), and British Ice Hockey Writers Association Player of the Year (1994).