Tommy Smith is a player we really had never heard of.
Why? Because he played 10 games in the NHL. He scored 1 point.
But Tommy Smith is one of the best players in the history of the NHA.
Additionally, he dominated every amateur and semi-pro and early pro league he was in.
He probably belongs in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Listen to us talk about Tommy Smith:
Tommy Smith’s stats:
Career:
- NHL:
- 1919-20; 1 below quality season
- 1A for 1P in 10 games
- NHA:
- 1912-17; 5 seasons, all quality
- 141G (5th All Time), 17A (12th) for 158P (6th) in 93 games (as high as 12th)
- If the qualifier is set to 80 games (four seasons), Smith is
- 2nd All Time in GPG
- 9th All Time in APG
- 3rd All Time in PPG
- 20-game average: 30G, 4A for 34P
- Didn’t calculate a 3-year peak because it’s too hard
- Playoffs: 2G for 2P in 2 games
- Traded three times, all to avoid the PCHA Draft [so basically the opposite of a normal trade where the team actually wants to get rid of the player, instead its owner collusion not to lose him to a rival league, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Smith_(ice_hockey)]
- OPHL:
- 1908-11; 3 seasons, 2 quality
- 63G for 63P in 33 games
- 12 game average: 23G for 23P
- Playoffs: 10G for 10P in 3 games
- IPHL:
- 1906-07; 1 quality season
- 31G, 13A for 44P in 23 games
- MPHL:
- 1911-12, 1 quality season
- 53G for 53P in 18 games
- WPHL:
- 1907-09; 2 seasons, 1 quality (by games played, as he left mid-season)
- 48G for 48P in 22 games
- 15 game average: 33G for 33P in 15 games
- Playoffs: 5G for 5P in 4 games
- TPHL:
- 1908-09, 1 game
- 3G for 3P in 1 game.
Accomplishments:
- NHL:
- No accomplishments
- NHA:
- [Spoiler] Won our unofficial NHA MVP award three years in a row (‘13. ‘14, ‘15)
- Led the league in Goals twice, Top 5 in Goals three times
- Led the league in GPG three times (twice by over .4 GPG)
- Top 10 in Assists twice
- Top 10 in APG twice
- Led the league in points twice, Top 5 three times
- Led the league in PPG three times
- OPHL:
- Scored 40 goals once, 20 goals twice
- Accomplishments relative to the rest of the league unknown
- IPHL:
- Scored 30 goals once
- Accomplishments relative to the rest of the league unknown
- MPHL:
- Scored 50 goals once
- Accomplishments relative to the rest of the league unknown
- WPHL:
- Scored 30 goals once
- Accomplishments relative to the rest of the league unknown
- TPHL: None
Great Teams:
- NHA:
- Top 3 Forward on one Stanley Cup Champion and successful defender (‘13 Bulldogs)
- Top 3? Forward one NHA Champion Stanley Cup Runner Up (‘17 Canadiens)
- OPHL:
- Top 3 Forward on one Stanley Cup Runner Up (‘11 Professionals)
- MPHL:
- Best Player? On one Stanley Cup Champion (‘12 Victorias)
- Amateur:
- Unknown role on the “Silver Seven” Ottawa HC which won and then successfully defended the Stanley Cup in 1906