Sidney James Smith (July 11, 1925 – April 29, 2004) was a
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
left winger
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
who played with the
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...
for 12 seasons. He was the Leafs team captain from
1955 to 1956.
Playing career
Born in
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, and attended
De La Salle College, Smith began his career in minor leagues in Toronto and later with the
Oshawa Generals
The Oshawa Generals are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They are based in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The team is named for General Motors, an early sponsor (commercial), sponsor which has its Canadian headquarters in Oshawa. ...
in the
Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; ) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League, alongside the Western Hockey League and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. The league is for players ag ...
. He attended Essex School and resided at 1 Burnfield Avenue in
Seaton.
Having played 45 games in two championship seasons for the Maple Leafs, he spent most of the 1948–49 season in the AHL with the
Pittsburgh Hornets
The Pittsburgh Hornets were a minor-league professional men's ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Contrary to popular belief, the Pittsburgh Hornets did not evolve from the International Hockey League's Pittsburgh Shamrocks. The ...
before he was called back to Toronto. After playing just one regular season game Smith scored a hat-trick in Game 2 on the
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...
finals to help Toronto to a four-games sweep of the
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
. Smith had six consecutive seasons with 20 or more goals, a distinction held by the great
Gordie Howe
Gordon Howe (March 31, 1928 – June 10, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. From 1946 to 1980, he played 26 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) and six seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA); his first 25 seaso ...
. Smith retired in the 1957–1958 season and later became a player-coach with the
Whitby Dunlops, a senior team in the
Ontario Hockey Association
The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) is the governing body for the majority of junior and senior level ice hockey teams in the province of Ontario. Founded in 1890, the OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern ...
in 1957.
Smith played 601 regular season games scoring 186 goals and 183 assists for 369 points. In 44 play-off games, he scored 17 goals and 10 assists for 27 points.
Awards and achievements
* Three
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...
championships
1947–48,
1948–49,
1950–51
* Two
Lady Byng Trophies in
1951–52 and
1954–55.
* Selected for the
second All-Star team in
1950–51 and 1951–52, and for the first All-Star team in 1954–55
Career statistics
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Sid
1925 births
2004 deaths
Canada men's national ice hockey team coaches
Canadian ice hockey left wingers
Canadian ice hockey coaches
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winners
Oshawa Generals players
Pittsburgh Hornets players
Place of death missing
Quebec Aces (QSHL) players
Ice hockey people from Toronto
Stanley Cup champions
Toronto Maple Leafs players
20th-century Canadian sportsmen