Des Smith (ice hockey)


Desmond Patrick Smith was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman in the National Hockey League. He was the father of two sons Brian and Gary who also played in the NHL.

Playing career

Pre-NHL career

Des Smith began his hockey career in his hometown playing for the Ottawa Montagnards from 1932-1934. He would later play for the Charlottetown Abbies of the MSHL and the Saint John St. Peters of the SJCHL. In 1935–36 he moved to England to play for the Wembley Lions where he won the English National League championship. He spent the 1936–37 season with the Wembley Monarchs.

NHL

He moved back to Canada after the 1937 season. He was signed as a free agent by the Montreal Maroons on October 7, 1937. After one season with the Maroons he was traded for cash to the Montreal Canadiens on September 14, 1938. He again would play just one season on the other side of town. He was again traded for cash this time to the Chicago Black Hawks on May 15, 1939. He played the 1939 season in the IAHL with the New Haven Eagles. He cracked the Chicago Black Hawks lineup in 1940. He played there for one season before being traded to the Boston Bruins for Jack Portland on January 27, 1940. He found his greatest success in Boston playing with Hall of Famers like Bobby Bauer, Milt Schmidt, and Roy Conacher. He helped the Boston Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 1941 defeating the Detroit Red Wings in four straight games. He played one more season in Boston before retiring from the NHL.

Post-NHL

Des Smith returned to Ottawa where he took up a position coaching the Ottawa Army Team. He coached there for two seasons. He came back to the ice as a player with the Montreal Army Team in 1944–45. He played his last games with the Springfield Indians of the AHL in 1947.
He later became a referee in the AHL for several years.
After his various hockey careers ended he became the announcer at the Rideau-Carleton Raceway in Ottawa in 1962. He also served as the public relations director until his death in 1981. Des was inducted into the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame in 1985 and onto the Rideau Carleton's Wall of Fame in 1989. The annual Des Smith Classic is held every September at the track.

Trivia