Derek Smith (ice hockey, born 1954)

Derek Robert Smith (born July 31, 1954) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League with the Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings between 1975 and 1983. He was selected by the Sabres in the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft.

For the player born 1965, see Derrick Smith (ice hockey). For the player born 1984, see Derek Smith (ice hockey, born 1984).
Derek Smith
Smith with the Buffalo Sabres Alumni Hockey Team in 2011
Born (1954-07-31) July 31, 1954
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position Centre/Left wing
Shot Left
Played for Buffalo Sabres
Detroit Red Wings
NHL Draft 168th overall, 1974
Buffalo Sabres
WHA Draft 89th overall, 1974
Houston Aeros
Playing career 1974–1984

Playing career

Smith was born in Quebec City, Quebec, but grew up in Ottawa, Ontario.

Smith played his junior hockey for the Ottawa 67's and scored an impressive 52 goals in the 1972–73 campaign. He backed up the performance with a 47-goal season the next year and this was enough to garner the attention of the Buffalo Sabres who drafted him in the 10th round of the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft.

He spent three seasons with the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League including a playoff effort in 1975 where he scored seven goals in eleven games. Smith also scored nearly a point a game for the Bears in 1976–77. This is also the year when he made his regular season debut in the NHL, playing in 5 games for the Sabres, after appearing in one playoff game for the Sabres the year before.

In 1977, he became an NHL regular appearing in 36 regular season games and an additional eight playoff games. Smith broke out in the 1979–80 season when he recorded career high 24 goals to go with 39 assists. He also scored 12 points in 13 games. He was a 20-goal scorer the next season. Smith also set a career high with 43 assists in 69 games.

On December 2, 1981, Smith was part of a blockbuster trade[1] that sent him to the Detroit Red Wings, along with Danny Gare and Jim Schoenfeld, in exchange for Dale McCourt, Mike Foligno and Brent Peterson. Smith scored thirteen goals playing for Detroit. He retired from professional hockey in 1984 after scoring 78 goals and 194 points in the NHL.

Smith still resides in the Western New York area and is an active member of the Buffalo Sabres Alumni Association.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
1970–71 Ottawa M&W Rangers CJHL ————— —————
1971–72 Ottawa 67's OHA 536111710 1824622
1972–73 Ottawa 67's OHA 5352469832 93476
1973–74 Ottawa 67's OHA 6947459240 70550
1974–75 Charlotte Checkers SHL 44370 —————
1974–75 Hershey Bears AHL 6411162710 1173100
1975–76 Buffalo Sabres NHL ————— 10000
1975–76 Hershey Bears AHL 6728326014 104594
1976–77 Buffalo Sabres NHL 50000 —————
1976–77 Hershey Bears AHL 6531316220 63142
1977–78 Buffalo Sabres NHL 363360 83367
1977–78 Hershey Bears AHL 52242 —————
1978–79 Buffalo Sabres NHL 431412268 —————
1979–80 Buffalo Sabres NHL 7924396316 1357124
1980–81 Buffalo Sabres NHL 6921436412 81452
1981–82 Buffalo Sabres NHL 123142 —————
1981–82 Detroit Red Wings NHL 496142010 —————
1982–83 Detroit Red Wings NHL 42741112 —————
1982–83 Adirondack Red Wings AHL 1164102 61230
1983–84 Adirondack Red Wings AHL 6116294510 101010
NHL totals 3357811619460 309142313

References
  1. "The Buffalo Sabres Wednesday traded forwards Danny Gare and ..." UPI Archives. December 2, 1981. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.