Mike Smith (ice hockey b. 1982)
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| Position | Goaltender |
| Catches | Left |
| Nickname(s) | Smitty |
| Height Weight |
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg/14 st 0 lb) |
| NHL Team F. teams |
Tampa Bay Lightning Dallas Stars |
| Nationality |  Canada |
| Born | March 22, 1982 , Kingston, ON, CAN |
| NHL Draft | 161st overall, 2001 Dallas Stars |
| Pro career | 2002 – present |
Mike Smith (born March 22, 1982 in Kingston, Ontario) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League. In his first-ever regulation NHL game on October 21, 2006, Smith stopped 22 shots to post a shutout against the Phoenix Coyotes while a member of the Dallas Stars.
Contents |
[edit] Playing career
[edit] Junior hockey
Smith began his hockey career in 1999 playing for his hometown Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL. That season he played 15 games while backing up future NHL player Andrew Raycroft (currently with the Toronto Maple Leafs).
After the start of the 2000-2001 season, Smith moved to Sudbury Wolves where he played 43 games registering a 2.52 GAA and 0.913 save percentage in the regular season. The Wolves made it to the second round of the playoffs that year with Smith in net.
[edit] National Hockey League
[edit] Dallas Stars
In 2001, Mike Smith was drafted by Dallas in the fifth round, 161st overall, and continued to play in Sudbury, again taking the Wolves into the post-season. Their playoff run ended in five games as the Barrie Colts won the series 4-1.
The subsequent season saw Smith's departure from the junior leagues when he split the season between Lexington of the ECHL and Utah of the AHL. He played only 11 games in Utah backing up Jason Bacashihua and Corey Hirsch. For 2003-2004, Utah added Dan Ellis to their roster, with whom Smith split back up duties, again to Bacashihua. Smith went to play for the Houston Aeros in 2004-2005 sharing the net almost equally with Josh Harding, putting up a 0.915 save percentage and 2.42 GAA.
Smith joined the Iowa Stars for their inaugural season in 2005-2006. The Stars played Smith and Dan Ellis back and forth for much of the season until Smith appeared to take much of the netminding responsibilities late in the season. A Stars rally in the stretch secured the final Western Conference playoff spot. Smith started in every game of the seven-game series against the Milwaukee Admirals which Milwaukee ultimately won.
Smith underwent shoulder surgery during the off-season for an injury he sustained during Iowa's 2005-2006 season. After a faster-than-expected recovery, Smith attended the Dallas Stars' training camp in the fall of 2006, and was awarded the backup goaltender position behind Marty Turco.
On January 4, 2007, Smith was hit in the head by a 100 mph slapshot. This caused him to miss a few weeks with a concussion. But he came back strong, winning 2 games in which Turco was pulled. Then he registered a 32 save shutout vs the Ducks on February 10.
Smith also started the year living with Marty Turco's family. However, he eventually moved out and then signed a 2 year, $950,000 a year contract with the Stars.
On June 14, 2007, Smith was named to the 2006-07 NHL All-Rookie Team.
[edit] Tampa Bay Lightning
On February 26, 2008, Smith was traded with Jussi Jokinen, Jeff Halpern, and a 4th round draft pick in 2009 to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Brad Richards and Johan Holmqvist. Smith made his Lightning debut the following night against Minnesota, stopping 24 of 27 shots in a 3-2 loss.
On March 15, Smith recorded a 3-0 shutout victory over the New York Rangers. Smith became only the third rookie goaltender in National Hockey League history to record a shutout for two different teams in the same season, and the first to do so in 79 years.[1]
[edit] Statistics
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | S/P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-07 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 23 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 1213 | 45 | 3 | 2.23 | .912 |
| 2007-08 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 21 | 12 | 9 | 0 | 1171 | 48 | 2 | 2.46 | .906 |
| 2007-08 | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 13 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 773 | 36 | 1 | 2.79 | .893 |
| NHL Totals | 57 | 27 | 24 | 0 | 3159 | 129 | 6 | 2.45 | .905 | ||
- Stats as of April 8, 2008
