Stan Smyl
Canucks captain for eight seasons; first number retired by the franchise.
Last updated
He served as team captain for eight seasons, a record later tied by Henrik Sedin.[1] Smyl was nicknamed "Steamer" for his relentless, hard-nosed playing style.[1]
Life and work
Smyl played one season of Junior A hockey with the Bellingham Blazers in 1974–75.[2] He led the Blazers to a Fred Page Cup title with 33 points in 25 playoff games.[2] The Vancouver Canucks selected Smyl in the third round, 40th overall, of the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft.[3] Smyl became team captain late in the 1981–82 season.[4]
He led the Canucks to the 1982 Stanley Cup Final, scoring 19 points in 18 playoff games.[5] Smyl began major junior hockey with the Western Canada Hockey League's New Westminster Bruins.[6] He was part of three straight President's Cup championships with that club.[6][7][8] Smyl's final NHL game occurred on March 16, 1991, and he retired following the 1990–91 campaign.[9]
What the cited sources add
A 1978 newspaper article reported that Smyl played on a line with fellow rookies Thomas Gradin and Curt Fraser.[10] A 1981 newspaper article described an on-ice incident where Gary Rissling speared Smyl in the face.[11] A 1985 newspaper article noted that Smyl scored the game-winning goal for Canada against the Soviet Union at the World Championships.[12] A 1987 newspaper article reported that Smyl scored on the only penalty shot of his NHL career.[13]
A 2006 newspaper article mentioned that Smyl's nickname "Steamer" was given by Bellingham Blazer fans.[1] A 2009 newspaper article stated that Smyl was named the official ambassador for Molson Canadian Hockey House at the 2010 Winter Olympics.[14]
References
- Wikipedia, "Stan Smyl" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "S-Kings will learn in Canucks fold", Victoria Times Colonist, 2006-09-12 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Stan Smyl" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Fred Page Cup", British Columbia Hockey League; "Doyle Cup", British Columbia Hockey League (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Stan Smyl" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "1978 NHL Amateur Draft", National Hockey League (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Stan Smyl" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Islanders break goose egg in Montreal", Anchorage Daily News, 1981-11-01; "Blues looking for good luck", Pittsburgh Press, 1982-03-21 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Stan Smyl" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Canucks fight their way to Stanley Cup final", Pittsburgh Press, 1982-05-02; Barry Wilner, "Islanders claim 3rd Stanley Cup", The Times-News, 1982-05-17; Barry Wilner, "Islanders claim 3rd Stanley Cup", The Times-News, 1982-05-17 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Stan Smyl" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Ed Chynoweth Cup", Western Hockey League; "Ed Chynoweth Cup", Western Hockey League; "About the Memorial Cup", Canadian Hockey League; "Memorial Cup Records", Canadian Online Explorer }}{{dead link, April 2026 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Stan Smyl" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Ed Chynoweth Cup", Western Hockey League; "About the Memorial Cup", Canadian Hockey League (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Stan Smyl" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Ed Chynoweth Cup", Western Hockey League; "Stan Philip Smyl", Hockey Hall of Fame; "Memorial Cup Records", Canadian Online Explorer }}{{dead link, April 2026 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Stan Smyl" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Stanley Smyl - Regular Season Gamelog", National Hockey League; "Stanley Smyl - Regular Season Gamelog", National Hockey League (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Stan Smyl" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Glenn Cole, "Canadiens use scouting to help them 'be prepared'", Montreal Gazette, 1978-10-17 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Stan Smyl" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Seamy side of hockey exposed in Vancouver", Montreal Gazette, 1981-03-19; "Seamy side of hockey exposed in Vancouver", Montreal Gazette, 1981-03-19; "Seamy side of hockey exposed in Vancouver", Montreal Gazette, 1981-03-19; "Seamy side of hockey exposed in Vancouver", Montreal Gazette, 1981-03-19; "Rissling out four games for spearing", Montreal Gazette, 1981-03-26 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Stan Smyl" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "5 Canucks to play for Team Canada", Anchorage Daily News, 1985-03-21 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Stan Smyl" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Canucks All-Time", National Hockey League; "Rangers drop Capitals, 3-1", Lakeland Ledger, 1986-12-16; "Canucks All-Time", National Hockey League; "Rangers drop Capitals, 3-1", Lakeland Ledger, 1986-12-16; "Canucks All-Time", National Hockey League; "Canucks All-Time", National Hockey League (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Stan Smyl" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Steamer Stan Smyl will be carrying the puck for Molson at Vancouver 2010", The Province, 2009-10-05; "Olympic torch relay weaves through Vancouver", Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 2010-02-08 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Stan Smyl (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
Career statistics and honours
Medals
- Silver World Championships — 1985 Czechoslovakia
- Bronze World Junior Championships — 1978 Canada
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1974–75 | Bellingham Blazers | BCHL | 48 | 29 | 33 | 62 | 115 | 25 | 13 | 22 | 35 | 15 |
| 1974–75 | New Westminster Bruins | WCHL | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| 1975–76 | New Westminster Bruins | WCHL | 72 | 32 | 42 | 74 | 169 | 19 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 58 |
| 1975–76 | New Westminster Bruins | MC | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 21 |
| 1976–77 | New Westminster Bruins | WCHL | 72 | 35 | 31 | 66 | 200 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 51 |
| 1976–77 | New Westminster Bruins | MC | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 1977–78 | New Westminster Bruins | WCHL | 53 | 29 | 47 | 76 | 211 | 20 | 14 | 21 | 35 | 43 |
| 1977–78 | New Westminster Bruins | MC | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 0 |
| 1978–79 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 62 | 14 | 24 | 38 | 89 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1978–79 | Dallas Black Hawks | CHL | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1979–80 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 77 | 31 | 47 | 78 | 204 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 14 |
| 1980–81 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 80 | 25 | 38 | 63 | 171 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1981–82 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 80 | 34 | 44 | 78 | 144 | 17 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 25 |
| 1982–83 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 74 | 38 | 50 | 88 | 114 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 12 |
| 1983–84 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 80 | 24 | 43 | 67 | 136 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 1984–85 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 80 | 27 | 37 | 64 | 100 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1985–86 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 73 | 27 | 35 | 62 | 144 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1986–87 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 66 | 20 | 23 | 43 | 84 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1987–88 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 57 | 12 | 25 | 37 | 110 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1988–89 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 75 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 102 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 1989–90 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 47 | 1 | 15 | 16 | 71 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1990–91 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 45 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 87 | — | — | — | — | — |
| NHL totals | 896 | 262 | 411 | 673 | 1,556 | 41 | 16 | 17 | 33 | 64 | ||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Canada | WJC | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 1985 | Canada | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
Awards and honours
Junior
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| Fred Page Cup (BCJHL title, Bellingham Blazers) | 1975 |
| President's Cup (WCHL title, New Westminster Bruins) | 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978 |
| Memorial Cup (Canadian major junior title, New Westminster Bruins) | 1977, 1978 |
| Memorial Cup All-Star Team | 1978 |
| Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy (Memorial Cup MVP) | 1978 |
Vancouver Canucks
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| Most Exciting Player Award | 1980 |
| Cyclone Taylor Award (team MVP) | 1980, 1983, 1986 |
| Cyrus H. McLean Trophy (team leading scorer) | 1980, 1983 |
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Stan Smyl (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
More in Vancouver Canucks Players
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: Stan Smyl (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
- Word definitions: the , each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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