Rick Smith (ice hockey)

For other people with this name, see Rick Smith (disambiguation).

Richard Allan Smith (born June 29, 1948) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played from 1968 until 1981 in the National Hockey League (NHL) and the World Hockey Association (WHA). He won the Stanley Cup in 1970 with the Boston Bruins.

Rick Smith
Born	(1948-06-29) June 29, 1948 Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position	Defence
Shot	Left
Played for	Boston Bruins California Golden Seals Minnesota Fighting Saints (WHA) St. Louis Blues Detroit Red Wings Washington Capitals
National team	Canada
NHL draft	7th overall, 1966 Boston Bruins
Playing career	1968–1981

Playing career

Smith was originally drafted by the Boston Bruins in the second round (7th overall) in the 1966 NHL Amateur Draft. He played in Boston from 1968–69 to 1971–72. Boston traded him, along with Reggie Leach and Bob Stewart for Carol Vadnais and Don O'Donoghue in February 1972 to the California Golden Seals of the NHL. He played there until the end of the next season (1972–73) when he left the NHL for the World Hockey Association (WHA) and played for the Minnesota Fighting Saints. In 1975–76 Smith returned to the NHL to play for the St. Louis Blues. He would remain with the Blues until the 1976–77 NHL season when he returned to the Boston Bruins. In 1980 Rick Smith would leave Boston to play one more NHL season split between the Detroit Red Wings (11 games) and the Washington Capitals (40 games). He won the Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 1970. Rick Smith was a steady defenseman, not a scorer but a reliable part of talented teams. An important part of winning Bruin teams who worked hard in every game he participated in.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1965–66	Hamilton Red Wings	OHA		47	2	16	18	60		—	—	—	—	—
1966–67	Hamilton Red Wings	OHA		48	2	17	19	74		—	—	—	—	—
1967–68	Hamilton Red Wings	OHA		49	5	36	41	123		—	—	—	—	—
1968–69	Boston Bruins	NHL		48	0	5	5	29		9	0	0	0	6
1968–69	Oklahoma City Blazers	CHL		19	5	10	15	37		—	—	—	—	—
1969–70	Boston Bruins	NHL		69	2	8	10	65		14	1	3	4	17
1970–71	Boston Bruins	NHL		67	4	19	23	44		6	0	0	0	0
1971–72	Boston Bruins	NHL		61	2	12	14	46		—	—	—	—	—
1971–72	California Golden Seals	NHL		17	1	4	5	26		—	—	—	—	—
1972–73	California Golden Seals	NHL		64	9	24	33	77		—	—	—	—	—
1973–74	Minnesota Fighting Saints	WHA		71	10	28	38	98		11	0	1	1	22
1974–75	Minnesota Fighting Saints	WHA		78	9	29	38	112		12	2	7	9	6
1975–76	St. Louis Blues	NHL		24	1	7	8	18		3	0	1	1	4
1975–76	Minnesota Fighting Saints	WHA		51	1	32	33	50		—	—	—	—	—
1976–77	Kansas City Blues	CHL		7	1	6	7	11		—	—	—	—	—
1976–77	St. Louis Blues	NHL		18	0	1	1	6		—	—	—	—	—
1976–77	Boston Bruins	NHL		46	6	16	22	30		14	0	9	9	14
1977–78	Boston Bruins	NHL		79	7	29	36	69		15	1	5	6	18
1978–79	Boston Bruins	NHL		65	7	18	25	46		11	0	4	4	12
1979–80	Boston Bruins	NHL		78	8	18	26	62		6	1	1	2	2
1980–81	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		11	0	2	2	6		—	—	—	—	—
1980–81	Washington Capitals	NHL		40	5	4	9	36		—	—	—	—	—
WHA totals				200	20	89	109	260		23	2	8	10	28
NHL totals				687	52	167	219	560		78	3	23	26	73

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
• Profile at hockeydraftcentral.com
• Picture of Rick Smith's name on the 1970 Stanley Cup plaque