Gary Smith (ice hockey)
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| Position | Goaltender |
| Caught | Left |
| Nickname(s) | Suitcase |
| Height Weight |
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg/14 st 9 lb) |
| Pro clubs | Rochester Americans (AHL) Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL) Victoria Maple Leafs (WHL) Oakland Seals (NHL) Chicago Black Hawks (NHL) Vancouver Canucks (NHL) Minnesota North Stars (NHL) Fort Worth Texans (CHL) Hershey Bears (AHL) Washington Capitals (NHL) Indianapolis Racers (WHA) Tulsa Oilers (CHL) Winnipeg Jets (WHA) |
| Nationality |  Canada |
| Born | February 14, 1944 , Ottawa, Ontario, CAN |
| Pro career | 1965 – 1980 |
Gary "Suitcase" Smith, a former professional ice hockey goaltender, was born in Ottawa, Ontario on February 4, 1944. Gary is a son of Des Smith and brother of Brian Smith, both former National Hockey League (NHL) players. Gary played for numerous clubs, including the Chicago Black Hawks, Oakland Seals, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets. He was the co-winner of the Vezina Trophy in the 1971-72 NHL season.
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[edit] Playing career
Gary Smith won a Memorial Cup with the junior Toronto Marlboros in 1964. Entering the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1965, and was one of five goalies who played for the Maple Leafs during the 1966-67 regular season, their last Stanley Cup season.[1]
He eventually earned the nickname "Suitcase" Smith because of the large number of teams he played for. After playing with the dismal California Golden Seals from 1967-71, where he set records in 1970-71 for both the most games played in a single season and most losses in a single season, his first success was sharing the 1971-72 Vezina Trophy with Tony Esposito while with the Chicago Black Hawks. One year later, Smith and Esposito would help the Black Hawks to the Stanley Cup final.
In 1974-75, he also had a fine season with the Vancouver Canucks, with 72 games played and six shutouts.
Smith later played in the World Hockey Association, and was a teammate of Wayne Gretzky while playing for the Indianapolis Racers.[2] He would be part of the Winnipeg Jets' 1979 Avco World Trophy championship.
Gary Smith’s last coach in Winnipeg was Tom McVie, who coached Smith the previous season while both were with the Washington Capitals.[3]
The Jets played the Edmonton Oilers, led by Wayne Gretzky. Ironically, when Wayne Gretzky went to his first game at Maple Leaf Gardens, Gary Smith was one of the goalie’s in the game.[4] The Maple Leafs played the California Seals and Smith was the Seals goalie.
Gary Smith gave up the last goal in WHA history to Dave Semenko.[4]
[edit] Career statistics
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-66 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 118 | 7 | 0 | 3.56 | ? |
| 1966-67 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 115 | 7 | 0 | 3.65 | ? |
| 1967-68 | Oakland Seals | NHL | 21 | 2 | 13 | 4 | 1129 | 60 | 1 | 3.19 | ? |
| 1968-69 | Oakland Seals | NHL | 54 | 21 | 24 | 7 | 2993 | 148 | 4 | 2.97 | ? |
| 1969-70 | Oakland Seals | NHL | 65 | 19 | 34 | 12 | 3762 | 195 | 2 | 3.11 | ? |
| 1970-71 | California Golden Seals | NHL | 71 | 19 | 48 | 4 | 3975 | 256 | 2 | 3.86 | ? |
| 1971-72 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 28 | 14 | 5 | 6 | 1540 | 62 | 5 | 2.42 | ? |
| 1972-73 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 23 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 1340 | 79 | 0 | 3.54 | ? |
| 1973-74 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 66 | 20 | 33 | 8 | 3632 | 208 | 3 | 3.44 | ? |
| 1974-75 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 72 | 32 | 24 | 9 | 3823 | 197 | 6 | 3.09 | ? |
| 1975-76 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 51 | 20 | 24 | 6 | 2864 | 167 | 2 | 3.50 | .884 |
| 1976-77 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 36 | 10 | 17 | 8 | 2090 | 139 | 1 | 3.99 | ? |
| 1977-78 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 180 | 9 | 0 | 3.00 | ? |
| 1977-78 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 17 | 2 | 12 | 3 | 980 | 68 | 2 | 4.16 | ? |
| 1978-79 | Indianapolis Racers | WHA | 11 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 664 | 61 | 0 | 5.51 | .848 |
| 1978-79 | Winnipeg Jets | WHA | 11 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 626 | 31 | 0 | 2.97 | .889 |
| 1979-80 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 20 | 4 | 11 | 4 | 1073 | 73 | 0 | 4.08 | ? |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Cox, Damien; Stellick, Gord. 67: The Maple Leafs, Their Sensational Victory, and the End of an Empire. John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 0-470-83400-5.
- Willes, Ed. The Rebel League: The Short and Unruly Life of the World Hockey Association. McLelland and Stewart. ISBN 0-7710-8947-3.
| Preceded by Eddie Giacomin and Gilles Villemure |
Winner of the Vezina Trophy with Tony Esposito 1972 |
Succeeded by Ken Dryden |
