James Stephen Smith
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James Stephen Smith[1], better known as Steve Smith, (born April 30, 1963, in Glasgow, Scotland) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League from 1984-85 to 2000-01. He is best known for a gaffe he made during the 1986 Smythe Division Finals, but is also known for an early season hit on then superstar Pavel Bure of the Vancouver Canucks. The hit would end Bure's season and tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) which would plague Bure for the rest of his shortened career.
- Position: Defence
- Shoots: Left
- Height: 6 ft 3 in
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[edit] Playing career
Smith was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft in the 6th round, 111th overall. He is perhaps most known for accidentally scoring on his own team, the Edmonton Oilers in the 1986 playoffs. In the third period of game seven against the rival Calgary Flames, with the score tied at two, he made a pass from behind his own net that bounced off of goaltender Grant Fuhr into his own net. That goal was the difference in the game and it cost the Oilers the series. Calgary went on to the Stanley Cup finals that year but lost to the Montreal Canadiens. The day was also Steve Smith's birthday. Following that, many hockey fans in Calgary and Edmonton yelled "Shoot!" whenever Smith had the puck behind his own net, a tradition that continued into Smith's later seasons playing for the Flames. [2]
Despite this infamous incident, he went on to become one of the best defensemen in the league and was a key player in Edmonton, winning 3 Stanley Cups, as well as playing in the 1991 NHL All-Star Game. The season following the infamous goal, the Edmonton Oilers stormed back and won the Stanley Cup. When the Cup was handed to team captain Wayne Gretzky, Gretzky promptly handed it over to Steve Smith to start the traditional skate around the rink with the Cup.
Smith played in Edmonton until the end of the 1990-91 NHL season. After Edmonton, he played for the Chicago Blackhawks until he retired following the 1996-97 NHL season. After one year of retirement, he came back and played three seasons for the Calgary Flames. He retired again in December 2000.
[edit] Off the ice
During Steve Smith's one year of retirement as a player in 1997-98, he joined the Calgary Flames coaching staff as an assistant coach.
[edit] Awards
- Played in NHL All-Star Game - 1991
[edit] Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1980-81 | London Knights | OHL | 62 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 141 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1981-82 | London Knights | OHL | 58 | 10 | 36 | 46 | 207 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 13 | ||
| 1982-83 | London Knights | OHL | 50 | 6 | 35 | 41 | 133 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 1982-83 | Moncton Alpines | AHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1983-84 | Brantford Alexanders | OHL | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1983-84 | Moncton Alpines | AHL | 64 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 176 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1984-85 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1984-85 | Nova Scotia Oilers | AHL | 68 | 2 | 28 | 30 | 161 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 40 | ||
| 1985-86 | Nova Scotia Oilers | AHL | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 11 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1985-86 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 55 | 4 | 20 | 24 | 166 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | ||
| 1986-87 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 62 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 165 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 45 | ||
| 1987-88 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 79 | 12 | 43 | 55 | 286 | 19 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 55 | ||
| 1988-89 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 35 | 3 | 19 | 22 | 97 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 20 | ||
| 1989-90 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 75 | 7 | 34 | 41 | 171 | 22 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 37 | ||
| 1990-91 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 77 | 13 | 41 | 54 | 193 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 45 | ||
| 1991-92 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 76 | 9 | 21 | 30 | 304 | 18 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 16 | ||
| 1992-93 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 78 | 10 | 47 | 57 | 214 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | ||
| 1993-94 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 57 | 5 | 22 | 27 | 174 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1994-95 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 48 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 128 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 26 | ||
| 1995-96 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 37 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 71 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | ||
| 1996-97 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 1998-99 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 69 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 80 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1999-00 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 20 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 42 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2000-01 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 17 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| NHL totals | 804 | 72 | 303 | 375 | 2139 | 134 | 11 | 41 | 52 | 288 | ||||
[edit] International play
Played for Canada in:
- 1991 Canada Cup (gold medal)
International statistics
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Canada | CC | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 30 | |
| Senior Int'l Totals | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 30 | |||
[edit] See also
[edit] References
| Preceded by Todd Simpson |
Calgary Flames captains 1999-2000 |
Succeeded by Dave Lowry |
