Don Smith (ice hockey, born 1887)


Donald John Smith was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. Smith was one of the earliest professionals ice hockey players, playing professional in the first decade of the 1900s. Smith played in the National Hockey League and its predecessor National Hockey Association for the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Shamrocks, Montreal Wanderers and Renfrew Creamery Kings.

Playing career

Smith played senior amateur hockey for his hometown Cornwall, Ontario club in the Federal Amateur Hockey League from 1904 until 1907. During a March 6, 1907 FAHL game between Cornwall H/C and the Ottawa Victorias Smith's forward teammate Owen McCourt was struck in the head by one or several opponent sticks and died the following morning of his injuries.
Smith became a professional with Portage la Prairie, Manitoba of the Manitoba Professional Hockey League in 1907–08. He returned to Ontario the following season, playing for St. Catharines, Ontario and Toronto in the Ontario Professional Hockey League. In 1909–10, he joined the Montreal Shamrocks of the National Hockey Association. He played in 1910–11 for Renfrew Creamery Kings before joining the Victoria Aristocrats of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association for a season. He returned the following season to the Montreal Canadiens and played for the Canadiens until 1915 when he was traded to the Montreal Wanderers. Smith left the league at the conclusion of the 1915–16 NHA season to serve in World War I. Upon his return, in 1919–20, Smith re-joined the Montreal Canadiens, now in the National Hockey League, for one last year of professional ice hockey. He refereed and coached in ice hockey in later years.

Transactions

;Source: NHL.com