Derek Smith (ice hockey, born 1954)

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 (age 70)
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

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.

Playing career

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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

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1970–71 Ottawa M&W Rangers CJHL — — — — — — — — — —
1971–72 Ottawa 67's OHA 53 6 11 17 10 18 2 4 6 22
1972–73 Ottawa 67's OHA 53 52 46 98 32 9 3 4 7 6
1973–74 Ottawa 67's OHA 69 47 45 92 40 7 0 5 5 0
1974–75 Charlotte Checkers SHL 4 4 3 7 0 — — — — —
1974–75 Hershey Bears AHL 64 11 16 27 10 11 7 3 10 0
1975–76 Buffalo Sabres NHL — — — — — 1 0 0 0 0
1975–76 Hershey Bears AHL 67 28 32 60 14 10 4 5 9 4
1976–77 Buffalo Sabres NHL 5 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1976–77 Hershey Bears AHL 65 31 31 62 20 6 3 1 4 2
1977–78 Buffalo Sabres NHL 36 3 3 6 0 8 3 3 6 7
1977–78 Hershey Bears AHL 5 2 2 4 2 — — — — —
1978–79 Buffalo Sabres NHL 43 14 12 26 8 — — — — —
1979–80 Buffalo Sabres NHL 79 24 39 63 16 13 5 7 12 4
1980–81 Buffalo Sabres NHL 69 21 43 64 12 8 1 4 5 2
1981–82 Buffalo Sabres NHL 12 3 1 4 2 — — — — —
1981–82 Detroit Red Wings NHL 49 6 14 20 10 — — — — —
1982–83 Detroit Red Wings NHL 42 7 4 11 12 — — — — —
1982–83 Adirondack Red Wings AHL 11 6 4 10 2 6 1 2 3 0
1983–84 Adirondack Red Wings AHL 61 16 29 45 10 10 1 0 1 0
NHL totals 335 78 116 194 60 30 9 14 23 13

References

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  1. ^ "The Buffalo Sabres Wednesday traded forwards Danny Gare and ..." UPI Archives. December 2, 1981. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
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