Alf Smith

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Alf Smith (3rd from the left - front row) as a member of the 1905 Ottawa Silver Seven

Alfred E. "Alf" Smith (June 3, 1873 in Ottawa, Ontario - August 21, 1953) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Ottawa Senators, (aka Silver Seven) and Kenora Thistles. He had two brothers who played senior-level hockey Harry Smith and Dave Smith.

Smith began his hockey career playing for the Ottawa Hockey Club of the AHAC in the 1890s. In 1897 he retired from the Ottawa HC. In the following season, he played for the Ottawa Capitals intermediate team, and stayed with the team until 1900. In 1901, he played in the Western Pennsylvania Hockey League, a professional league, for Pittsburgh. The following year he returned to Canada to coach the Ottawa HC to their first Stanley Cup championship against the Montreal Victorias in 1903. In late 1903 he found himself lacing his skates up again, playing Right Wing on a line that featured "One Eyed" Frank McGee. Smith later would play on a line with his brother Harry Smith. As a player-coach, he would eventually lead the Silver Seven to consecutive Stanley Cup victories in 1904, 1905, and 1906, the pinnacle of the Senators' glory.

At the conclusion of the 1907 ECAHA season, Smith moved west to play with the Kenora Thistles, playing in the MPHL finals and was a player during their unsuccessful 1907 Stanley Cup challenge rematch versus the Montreal Wanderers, where his presence along with Harry Westwick caused the series to be played under protest. After a couple more years playing for teams in Ottawa and Pittsburgh, he retired for good and took up coaching positions at both the amateur and professional levels. Along with Harvey Pulford, Harry Westwick and Russell Bowie, Smith was one of the final active players who had played major senior hockey in the 19th century.

Smith stayed in hockey for most of his life, coaching and managing teams in Moncton, New Brunswick, and North Bay, Ontario. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1962.

[edit] Playing career

[edit] External links

• Alf Smith's biography at Legends of Hockey
• Online biography of Alf Smith