Al Smith (ice hockey)

Infobox Ice Hockey Player


image_size = 180px
position = Goaltender
played_for = "AHL"
Rochester Americans
Springfield Indians
"NHL"
Toronto Maple Leafs
Pittsburgh Penguins
Detroit Red Wings
Buffalo Sabres
Colorado Rockies
Hartford Whalers"WHA"
New England Whalers
"WHL"
Victoria Cougars
"CHL"
Tulsa Oilers
catches = Left
height_ft = 6
height_in = 1
weight_lb = 200
uniform number = 31
nationality = CAN
birth_date = birth date and age|1945|11|10
birth_place = Toronto, ON, CAN
career_start = 1964
career_end = 1981
NHL All-Star Game = 1968

Al Smith (November 10, 1945 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada - August 7 2002) is a deceased Canadian ice hockey goaltender. He died in 2002 as a result of pancreatic cancer.

Toronto Maple Leafs career

Smith started his National Hockey League career with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Smith was one of five goalies who played for the Maple Leafs during the 1966–67 regular season, their last Stanley Cup season. "67: The Maple Leafs, Their Sensational Victory, and the End of an Empire", Damien Cox and Gord Stellick, ISBN 0–470–83400–5, Publisher: John Wiley and Sons ] He was the back-up to Terry Sawchuk for two of the last three games in the 1967 Stanley Cup final. The official NHL Record Book and Guide does not list Smith on the Stanley Cup winning roster.

Eighteen months earlier, Smith had quit the Toronto Marlboros to work for a hospital supply firm. During the 1964–65 season, Smith would get the opportunity to make his NHL debut for the Maple Leafs. The first game was against the Chicago Blackhawks, when he relieved Gary Smith atfter 2:15 of play. He backstopped the Leafs to a 3–2 victory and stalled Bobby Hull at 47 goals.

In the 1965–66 season, he played one more game for the Maple Leafs. On December 31, 1965, he was part of a 5–1 losing effort against the Blackhawks. His other brief moment of glory for the Maple Leafs was participating in the 1968 NHL All-Star Game. He played in relief for Bruce Gamble and stopped 13 of 14 shots. He would be claimed by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the intraleague draft, the same draft that saw the Chicago Blackhawks claim Tony Esposito from the Montreal Canadiens.

NHL and WHA career

He would also play with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres, Hartford Whalers and Colorado Rockies. One of the most infamous moments of his career came on February 13, 1977 when he quit the Buffalo Sabres. Reunited with former Maple Leafs coach Punch Imlach, now the Buffalo General Manager, Smith was to replace injured Sabres goalie Gerry Desjardins in a game against the Minnesota North Stars. The Sabres had also called up Don Edwards and less than an hour before gametime, Imlach ordered Sabres coach Floyd Smith to play Edwards instead. After the playing of the National Anthem, Smith stepped off the bench, saluted Buffalo owners Seymour and Northrup Knox and headed for the dressing room.

Smith would also play in the World Hockey Association with the New England Whalers where he would earn the honour of WHA's top goaltender in 1978. A third team WHA All-Star for two consecutive years, many people in hockey felt Smith was robbed when snubbed by Team Canada for the 1974 Summit Series between WHA All-Stars and the Russian national team. [ New England Whalers 1974/75 Yearbook ] His career would last from 1966 to 1981.

Post-career

In 1981, Smith had played 37 games for the Colorado Rockies and retired. He jumped on a train to Vancouver and began selling cars. Afterwards, he headed to the BC interior to pick fruit. Before returning to Toronto, Smith also tried to sell the Reuters news service to new clients.

Smith did keep in touch with former WHA team mate Larry Pleau. When Pleau coached the Hartford Whalers in the NHL, Pleau would leave Smith tickets at Maple Leaf Gardens. The Rebel League: The Short and Unruly Life of the World Hockey Association, p.215, McLelland and Stewart, Toronto, ON, ISBN 0–7710–8947–3 ]

Once he returned to Toronto, Smith engaged in his love of writing. Subjects would include sports, ultimately creating the play "Confessions to Anne Sexton" and the beginnings of a novel titled, "The Tragedy of Lake Tuscarora". To make ends meet, Smith became a taxi driver for Beck Taxi, a company in Toronto known for its orange and green taxi cabs. It was not uncommon for Smith to pick up old friends and former teammates.

In 1998, Smith would produce the play "Confessions to Anne Sexton" and bring it to theatre in 1998. The play, was about a former goalie who goes to New York City to attend an Impressionist art exhibit. The Rebel League: The Short and Unruly Life of the World Hockey Association, p.214, McLelland and Stewart, Toronto, ON, ISBN 0–7710–8947–3 ] On opening night, 17 people attended the Alumnae Theatre on Berkeley Street in Toronto to see the performance. He used the $34,000 of pension benefits he'd received as part of the NHL's settlement with former players.

In the last few months of his life, Smith socialized with Jim Keon, the brother of Smith’s former teammate Dave Keon. Before his death, Smith was still working on The Tragedy of Lake Tuscarora. Smith’s son Adam always said that his father was not a talented writer. After reading the manuscript, Adam told his father on his deathbed that there were 14 pages that were perfect and Smith was happy. The Rebel League: The Short and Unruly Life of the World Hockey Association, p.216, McLelland and Stewart, Toronto, ON, ISBN 0–7710–8947–3 ]

Career stats

Regular season

[ [http://www.hockeygoalies.org/bio/smitha.html Al Smith (1965-81) ] ]

Transactions

* Claimed (from Toronto) by Pittsburgh Penguins in National Hockey League intraleague draft, June 11, 1969.
* Claimed (from Pittsburgh) by Detroit Red Wings in National Hockey League intraleague draft, June 8, 1971.
* Selected by New England Whalers in 1972 World Hockey Association General Player Draft, February 12, 1972.
* Traded by Red Wings to Buffalo Sabres for future considerations, March 10, 1975.
* Signed as free agent by New England Whalers, August 15, 1977.
* National Hockey League rights retained by Whalers prior to expansion draft, June 9, 1979.
* Traded by Whalers to Colorado Rockies for cash, September 4, 1980. [ [http://www.hockeygoalies.org/bio/smitha.html Al Smith (1965-81) ] ]

Accolades

* Played in National Hockey League All-Star Game, 1968
* Played in World Hockey Association All-Star Game, 1972–73
* Named to World Hockey Association All-Star Third Team, 1972–73
* Played in World Hockey Association All-Star Game, 1973–74
* Named to World Hockey Association All-Star Third Team, 1973–74
* Played in World Hockey Association All-Star Game, 1974–75
* Winner, Ben Hatskin Trophy (Top WHA Goaltender), 1977–78
* Named to World Hockey Association All-Star First Team, 1977–78 [ [http://www.hockeygoalies.org/bio/smitha.html Al Smith (1965-81) ] ]

References

ee also

*21st National Hockey League All-Star Game
*List of NHL players
*List of NHL seasons
*List of WHA seasons

External links

*hockeydb|5020|Al Smith