Greg Smith (ice hockey)

Gregory James Smith (born July 18, 1955) is a Canadian former ice hockey player. He played for five teams in the National Hockey League between 1976 and 1988. Internationally Smith represented the Canadian national team at the 1977 and 1979 World Championships.[1]

Greg Smith
Born (1955-07-18) July 18, 1955 (age 69)
Ponoka, Alberta, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
Played for California Seals
Cleveland Barons
Minnesota North Stars
Detroit Red Wings
Washington Capitals
National team  Canada
NHL draft 57th overall, 1975
California Seals
WHA draft 94th overall, 1975
Calgary Cowboys
Playing career 1976–1988

Career

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A stay-at-home defenceman who was selected by the California Golden Seals in the 1975 NHL Draft, Smith followed the franchise when it relocated to Cleveland in 1976, and when it folded in 1978 and merged with the Minnesota North Stars, where his rights were protected by the North Stars in the 1978 Cleveland-Minnesota Dispersal Draft. He played for Minnesota for three seasons, and his solid defensive play would help guide them to the finals in 1981.

Smith was traded to the Detroit Red Wings where he played for parts of five seasons until he was traded to the Washington Capitals at the trade deadline of the 1985–86 NHL season. He played for the Capitals until his retirement at the end of the 1987–88 NHL season.[2]

Retirement

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Smith spent much of his retirement in Billings, Montana, raising his family and coaching hockey. He has helped several players get into various Junior hockey leagues in both the US and Canada.

Family life

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Smith currently resides in Billings, Montana with his wife.

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1972–73 Calgary Canucks AJHL
1973–74 Colorado College WCHA 31 7 13 20 80
1974–75 Colorado College WCHA 36 10 24 34 75
1975–76 Colorado College WCHA 34 18 19 37 123
1975–76 California Golden Seals NHL 1 0 1 1 2
1975–76 Salt Lake Golden Eagles CHL 5 0 2 2 2 5 1 2 3 4
1976–77 Cleveland Barons NHL 74 9 17 26 65
1977–78 Cleveland Barons NHL 80 7 30 37 92
1978–79 Minnesota North Stars NHL 80 5 27 32 147
1979–80 Minnesota North Stars NHL 55 5 13 18 103 12 0 1 1 9
1980–81 Minnesota North Stars NHL 74 5 21 26 126 19 1 5 6 39
1981–82 Detroit Red Wings NHL 69 10 22 32 79
1982–83 Detroit Red Wings NHL 73 4 26 30 79
1983–84 Detroit Red Wings NHL 75 3 20 23 108 4 1 0 1 8
1984–85 Detroit Red Wings NHL 73 2 18 20 117 3 0 0 0 7
1985–86 Detroit Red Wings NHL 62 5 19 24 84
1985–86 Washington Capitals NHL 14 0 3 3 10 9 2 1 3 9
1986–87 Washington Capitals NHL 45 0 9 9 31 7 0 0 0 11
1987–88 Washington Capitals NHL 54 1 6 7 67 9 0 0 0 23
NHL totals 829 56 232 288 1110 63 4 7 11 106

International

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Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM
1977 Canada WC 10 1 1 2 4
1979 Canada WC 5 0 0 0 12
Senior totals 15 1 1 2 16

References

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  1. ^ "Greg Smith Stats and News". NHL.com. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  2. ^ "Legends of Hockey -- NHL Player Search -- Player -- Greg Smith". www.hhof.com. Archived from the original on January 11, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
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