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Mike Smith (ice hockey, born 1982)

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Mike Smith
Smith with the Phoenix Coyotes in 2014
Born (1982-03-22) March 22, 1982 (age 42)
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Weight 220 lb (100 kg; 15 st 10 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
NHL team
Former teams		 Free agent
Dallas Stars
Tampa Bay Lightning
Arizona Coyotes
Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers
National team  Canada
NHL draft 161st overall, 2001
Dallas Stars
Playing career 2002–present

Mike Smith (born March 22, 1982) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who is an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Smith has previously played for the Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes, and the Calgary Flames. Smith is the 11th goaltender in NHL history to score a goal, which he did in the 2013–14 season against the Detroit Red Wings.[1] A two-time NHL All-Star (2017, 2018),[2] he was named to the 2014 Canadian Olympic Hockey Team, winning a gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics.[3]

Selected by the Dallas Stars in the 2001 NHL draft, Smith played in the American Hockey League (AHL) for the Utah Grizzlies, Houston Aeros, and the Iowa Stars. Smith also played for the Lexington Men O'War of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) in 2002–03.[4] After playing five seasons in the minors, Smith had his NHL debut on October 21, 2006, playing for the Dallas Stars against the Arizona Coyotes putting up a 22-save shutout, making him the first goalie in Dallas Stars history to have a shutout in his first NHL game.[5] Smith was named to the 2006–07 NHL All-Rookie Team.[6]

Playing career

Junior hockey

Smith began his hockey career in 1999 playing for his hometown Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). That season, he played 15 games while backing up future NHL player Andrew Raycroft.

After the start of the 2000–01 season, Smith moved to the Sudbury Wolves, where he played 43 games, registering a 2.52 goals against average (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.

Dallas Stars

In the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, Smith was drafted by the Dallas Stars 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 four games, however, as the Barrie Colts won the series 4–0.

The subsequent season saw Smith's departure from the junior leagues when he split the season between the Lexington Men O' War of the ECHL and the Utah Grizzlies of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Smith made his professional debut on October 26, 2002, against the Dayton Bombers, scoring a statistically unlikely goal during a shutout in his first win, scoring on an empty net at 19:04 in the third period. Smith is the youngest goaltender ever to score in a professional game, doing so at 20 years of age.[7]

Smith played only 11 games in Utah, backing up Jason Bacashihua and Corey Hirsch. For 2003–04, 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 2004–05, 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 2005–06. 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 2005–06 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. In his first-ever regulation NHL game on October 21, 2006, Smith stopped 22 shots to post a shutout against the Phoenix Coyotes.[8]

On January 4, 2007, Smith was hit in the mask by a slap shot, causing him to miss a few weeks with a concussion. He came back strong, however, winning two games in which Turco was pulled. He then registered a 32-save shutout over the Anaheim Ducks on February 10.

Smith also started the year living with Marty Turco's family. However, he eventually moved out and then signed a two-year, $950,000 per year contract with the Stars.

On June 14, 2007, Smith was named to the 2006–07 NHL All-Rookie Team.

Tampa Bay Lightning

On February 26, 2008, Smith was traded, along with Jussi Jokinen, Jeff Halpern and a fourth round draft pick in 2009, to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Brad Richards and Johan Holmqvist. Smith made his Lightning debut the following night against the Minnesota Wild, stopping 24 of 27 shots in a 3–2 loss.

Smith with the Coyotes during the 2011–12 NHL season.

On March 15, Smith recorded a 3–0 shutout victory over the New York Rangers. He became only the third rookie goaltender in NHL history to record a shutout for two different teams in the same season, and the first to do so in 79 years.[9] Smith recorded 14 wins for the Lightning during the 2008–09 season before suffering a concussion that kept him out of action for the remainder of the season. On February 2, 2011, the Lightning placed Smith on waivers, where he cleared the next day and was subsequently assigned to the Lightning's AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals.[10] He returned to Tampa Bay later in the season, however, and, backing up Dwayne Roloson during the Lightning's 2011 playoff run, made his playoff debut in place of Roloson in the third period of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Bruins.

Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes

On July 1, 2011, Smith signed a two-year contract worth $2 million with the Phoenix Coyotes.[11] Smith set the NHL record for the most saves in a regulation shutout victory, as he stopped all 54 shots he faced in a 2–0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 3, 2012.[12] However, his record was later surpassed on January 29, 2014, when Ben Scrivens stopped 59 shots in a 3–0 win for the Edmonton Oilers over the San Jose Sharks. He went on to record an impressive 38 wins in his first season in Phoenix, as the Coyotes qualified for their third consecutive playoff berth, and finished fourth in voting for the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the league's top goaltender.

In the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Smith led the Coyotes to their first playoff series win since 1987, beating the Chicago Blackhawks 4–2 in the series. Smith and the Coyotes went on to defeat the Nashville Predators in the Western conference semi-finals, winning the series 4–1. The Coyotes then faced the eventual Stanley Cup champions Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference Finals, losing the series 4–1.[13] He posted a superb 1.99 GAA and a .944 save percentage, some of the best numbers for starting goaltenders in the playoffs.

On July 5, 2013, Smith signed a six-year contract extension with the Coyotes worth $34 million.

Smith in the 2018 Calgary Stampede parade

On October 19, 2013, Smith became the seventh NHL goalie to score a goal with a shot on goal (four other goaltenders have been credited based on own-goals by the opposition). Smith scored with 0.1 seconds left in regulation on an empty net during a win against the Detroit Red Wings.[14] Two months later, Smith would score on himself when, as a result of the hockey puck getting lodged into his waistband, he inadvertently backed into his own net and scored an own goal. The "butt goal" handed the game to the Buffalo Sabres, as the game was in overtime.[15]

Calgary Flames

On June 17, 2017, Smith was traded to the Calgary Flames in exchange for goalie Chad Johnson, prospect Brandon Hickey, and a conditional third-round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.[16]

Smith played his 500th career NHL game on December 9, 2017.[17] This made him the 11th active goalie to reach the milestone and tied him with Jeff Hackett for 69th place on the all-time list.[18]

After being glanced over for the 2018 NHL All-Star Game, Smith was invited as a replacement for Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick, who declined his invitation due to a nagging injury.[19][20]

Edmonton Oilers

On July 1, 2019, Smith was signed by the Edmonton Oilers to a one-year, $2-million contract.[21]

On October 10, 2020, the Oilers re-signed Smith to a one-year, $2 million contract.

On July 21, 2021, the Oilers re-signed Smith to a two-year, $4.4 million extension.

International play

Medal record
Representing  Canada
Ice hockey
Winter Olympics
Gold medal – first place 2014 Sochi
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2015 Czech Republic

Smith won a gold medal with Canada's 2014 Winter Olympic team, dressing as a backup for one of Canada's group games. He did not see any ice time and was primarily the third choice goaltender. He also won gold at the 2015 world championships as Canada's starting goalie, going 8–0 through the tournament and recording a shutout streak of 190:03 in the medal round (the final three games).[22]

Personal life

Smith was raised in Verona, Ontario.[23][24]

Smith and Canadian former World Cup skier Brigitte Acton married September 3, 2010.[25][26] The couple have four children together.[27]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Bold indicates led league

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T OTL MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
1998–99 Kingston Voyageurs OPJHL 16 — — — — 906 53 0 3.51 — — — — — — — — —
1999–00 Kingston Voyageurs OPJHL 3 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
1999–00 Kingston Frontenacs OHL 15 4 4 7 1 666 42 0 3.78 .894 — — — — — — — —
2000–01 Kingston Frontenacs OHL 3 0 0 3 0 137 8 0 3.51 .896 — — — — — — — —
2000–01 Sudbury Wolves OHL 43 22 10 11 3 2,572 108 3 2.52 .920 12 7 5 735 26 2 2.12 .921
2001–02 Sudbury Wolves OHL 53 19 24 10 4 3,083 157 3 3.06 .921 5 1 4 303 15 0 2.97 .924
2002–03 Lexington Men O' War ECHL 27 11 10 4 — 1,553 66 1 2.55 .910 2 0 1 93 8 0 5.14 .822
2002–03 Utah Grizzlies AHL 11 5 5 0 — 614 33 0 3.23 .906 — — — — — — — —
2003–04 Utah Grizzlies AHL 21 8 11 0 — 1,186 56 2 2.83 .908 — — — — — — — —
2004–05 Houston Aeros AHL 45 19 17 3 — 2,408 97 5 2.42 .915 3 1 2 181 4 0 1.33 .957
2005–06 Iowa Stars AHL 50 25 19 6 — 2,998 125 3 2.50 .917 7 3 4 417 19 0 2.74 .907
2006–07 Dallas Stars NHL 23 12 5 — 2 1,213 45 3 2.23 .912 — — — — — — — —
2007–08 Dallas Stars NHL 21 12 9 — 0 1,172 48 2 2.46 .906 — — — — — — — —
2007–08 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 13 3 10 — 0 774 36 1 2.79 .893 — — — — — — — —
2008–09 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 41 14 18 — 9 2,471 108 2 2.62 .916 — — — — — — — —
2009–10 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 42 13 18 — 7 2,273 117 2 3.09 .900 — — — — — — — —
2010–11 Norfolk Admirals AHL 5 1 4 — 0 296 9 1 1.83 .924 — — — — — — — —
2010–11 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 22 13 6 — 1 1,202 58 1 2.90 .899 3 1 1 120 2 0 1.00 .958
2011–12 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 67 38 18 — 10 3,903 144 8 2.21 .930 16 9 7 1,027 34 3 1.99 .944
2012–13 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 34 15 12 — 5 1,956 84 5 2.58 .910 — — — — — — — —
2013–14 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 62 27 21 — 10 3,610 159 3 2.64 .915 — — — — — — — —
2014–15 Arizona Coyotes NHL 62 14 42 — 5 3,556 187 0 3.16 .904 — — — — — — — —
2015–16 Arizona Coyotes NHL 32 15 13 — 2 1,754 77 3 2.63 .916 — — — — — — — —
2016–17 Arizona Coyotes NHL 55 19 26 — 9 3,203 156 3 2.92 .914 — — — — — — — —
2017–18 Calgary Flames NHL 55 25 22 — 6 3,191 141 3 2.65 .916 — — — — — — — —
2018–19 Calgary Flames NHL 42 23 16 — 2 2,400 109 2 2.72 .898 5 1 4 319 17 1 3.20 .917
2019–20 Edmonton Oilers NHL 39 19 12 — 6 2,157 106 1 2.95 .902 1 0 1 27 5 0 11.31 .783
2020–21 Edmonton Oilers NHL 32 21 6 — 2 1,847 71 3 2.31 .923 4 0 4 300 12 0 2.40 .912
2021–22 Edmonton Oilers NHL 28 16 9 — 2 1,580 74 2 2.81 .915 16 8 6 871 49 2 3.38 .913
NHL totals 670 299 263 — 78 38,260 1,720 44 2.70 .912 45 19 23 2,663 119 6 2.68 .924

International

Year Team Event Result GP W L T/OTL MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2015 Canada WC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 8 8 0 0 480 12 2 1.50 .932
Senior totals 8 8 0 0 480 12 2 1.50 .932

Awards

AHL

Award Year
Goaltender of the Month April 2006[28]

NHL

Award Year(s)
All-Rookie Team 2007[29]
NHL All-Star Game 2017, 2018[30]

International

Award Year
Winter Olympics 2014
World Championships 2015[31]

References

  1. ^ IV, Bob Garcia (May 9, 2016). "NHL: 11 Goalies Who Have Actually Scored Goals". Sportscasting | Pure Sports. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  2. ^ "Flames goalie Smith added to All-Star Game roster". NHL.com. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  3. ^ "Mike Smith". Team Canada - Official Olympic Team Website. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  4. ^ "Mike Smith [ca.1998-2021] Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  5. ^ "Mike Smith Stats and News". NHL.com. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  6. ^ "NHL All-Rookie Teams". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  7. ^ "Smith, Quick, share link to ECHL history". ECHL. May 11, 2012. Archived from the original on May 14, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
  8. ^ "'Yotes off to worst start in 11 years". AZCentral. October 21, 2006. Retrieved October 2, 2008.
  9. ^ "Elias Says..." ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. March 15, 2008. Retrieved March 23, 2008.
  10. ^ "Mike Smith officially assigned to Norfolk Admirals". February 5, 2011.
  11. ^ "NHL Free Agent Tracker". The Sports Network. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  12. ^ Kreiser, John. "A final statistical look at the 2011-12 regular season". nhl.com. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  13. ^ Brown, Jerry (April 4, 2012). "Smith makes 54 saves for third straight shutout". National Hockey League. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  14. ^ Brown, Jerry (October 20, 2013). "Goalie Smith scores in Coyotes' victory". NHL.com. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
  15. ^ Carson, Dan (December 24, 2013). NHL Approves Miraculous 'Butt Goal' Scored by Buffalo Sabres. Bleacher Report. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  16. ^ Vickers, Aaron (June 17, 2017). "Mike Smith traded to Flames by Coyotes". NHL.com. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  17. ^ Gilbertson, Wes (December 9, 2017). "Flames goalie Mike Smith will reach milestone against Canucks". Calgary Sun. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  18. ^ Beneteau, Josh (December 10, 2017). "Four things we learned in NHL: Mike Smith joins elite company". Sportsnet.ca. Sportsnet. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  19. ^ Peterson, Torie (January 25, 2018). "SMITH INVITED TO ALL-STAR WEEKEND". NHL.com. Calgary. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  20. ^ Gilbertson, Wes (January 24, 2018). "Flames goalie Smith accepts late all-star game invite". Calgary Sun. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  21. ^ Laing, Zach (July 2019). "Edmonton Oilers sign G Mike Smith to one-year, $2-million contract". oilersnation.com. Edmonton.
  22. ^ Morgan, Craig (May 19, 2015). "Coyotes' Mike Smith puts mediocre season to rest with gold medal". foxsports.com. Fox Sports Arizona. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  23. ^ Weaver, Taylor (May 10, 2012). "Verona's hockey hero gets cheers from home". Kingston Whig-Standard. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  24. ^ Kennedy, Patrick (July 26, 2008). "NHL goaltender Mike Smith doesn't forget his rural roots". Kingston Whig-Standard. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  25. ^ Cristodero, Damian (September 10, 2010). "Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Dan Ellis laments Twitter controversy". St. Petersburg Times. BRANDON. Archived from the original on September 17, 2010. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  26. ^ Ruicci, Peter (May 12, 2012). "Brigitte beams with pride for husband Mike Smith". Sault Star. Archived from the original on July 23, 2018. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  27. ^ "SMITH FAMILY EAGER TO GET TO CALGARY". NHL.com. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  28. ^ "AHL Goaltender of the Month Archive". theahl.com. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  29. ^ "NHL All-Rookie Team, List". The Denver Post. Associated Press. June 14, 2007. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  30. ^ "Flames goalie Smith accepts late all-star game invite". calgarysun. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  31. ^ McLellan, Sarah. "Arizona Coyotes' Mike Smith motivated by gold medal". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
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