Floyd Smith

Floyd Smith
Floyd Smith
Born	May 16, 1935 (age 88); Perth, Ontario, Canada
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position	Right wing
Shot	Right
Played for	Boston Bruins ; New York Rangers ; Detroit Red Wings ; Toronto Maple Leafs ; Buffalo Sabres
Playing career	1954–1972

Last updated August 15, 2023

Floyd Robert Donald Smith^[1] (born May 16, 1935) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre and coach.

Biography

Smith grew up in Galt, Ontario, playing junior hockey with the Galt Black Hawks. He made his National Hockey League debut for the Boston Bruins, playing 3 games with the team in 1955, but he was mostly mired in the minors during the early portion of his career. He played 23 games with Boston over the next two seasons, while serving as a significant contributor^{[ citation needed ]} on the Hershey Bears club. Smith then spent five years with the New York Rangers organization, reaching the NHL for a 29-game stint in 1961. During this period, he was a dominant force with the Springfield Indians, scoring 82 points in 71 games in 1960.^[2]

In 1963, Smith finally earned a chance to become an NHL regular after being acquired by the Detroit Red Wings. He scored an NHL career-high 49 points during the 1965–66 season. He was part of a six-player blockbuster transaction in which he was traded along with Norm Ullman and Paul Henderson from the Red Wings to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Frank Mahovlich, Pete Stemkowski and Garry Unger on March 4, 1968. The Maple Leafs and Red Wings were in fifth and sixth place respectively at the bottom of the East Division standings at the time of the deal.^[3] He was selected by the Buffalo Sabres during the 1970 expansion draft and served as the team's first captain.^[4]

Smith became an assistant coach with the Sabres in 1972. The next year, he was hired as head coach of the team's top farm club, the AHL's Cincinnati Swords. He won a Calder Cup in the first of his two years with the team. In 1974, he became Buffalo's head coach, leading the team to a loss in the Stanley Cup Finals in his first year. However, the Sabres were eliminated in the second round the next two years, and he was fired at the end of the 1976-77 season.

He also coached the World Hockey Association's Cincinnati Stingers for the 1976–77 season and was Toronto Maple Leafs coach for the first 68 games of 1979–80 until being injured in a car accident on March 14, 1980, rendering him unable to fulfill his duties as coach for the remainder of the season. He remained with the Leafs as a scout until being promoted to general manager, a position he held for the 1989–90 and 1990–91 seasons.

Smith resides in southern Erie County, New York.^[5]

Career statistics

			Regular season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1952–53	Galt Black Hawks	OHA-Jr.	6	0	1	1	0	—	—	—	—	—
1953–54	Ottawa Eastviews	M-Cup	—	—	—	—	—	12	8	9	17	0
1954–55	Boston Bruins	NHL	3	1	0	1	0	—	—	—	—	—
1964–55	Galt Black Hawks	OHA-Jr.	46	29	40	69	60	4	1	4	5	0
1955–56	Hershey Bears	AHL	49	10	19	29	31	—	—	—	—	—
1956–57	Boston Bruins	NHL	23	0	0	0	6	—	—	—	—	—
1956–57	Hershey Bears	AHL	41	12	25	37	32	6	0	1	1	8
1957–58	Springfield Indians	AHL	70	25	50	75	60	13	2	11	13	4
1958–59	Springfield Indians	AHL	68	25	32	57	34	—	—	—	—	—
1959–60	Springfield Indians	AHL	71	31	51	82	26	10	1	5	6	10
1960–61	New York Rangers	NHL	29	5	9	14	0	—	—	—	—	—
1960–61	Springfield Indians	AHL	40	19	27	46	26	—	—	—	—	—
1961–62	Springfield Indians	AHL	69	41	36	77	19	11	0	4	4	2
1962–63	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	51	9	17	26	10	11	2	3	5	4
1962–63	Pittsburgh Hornets	AHL	16	8	7	15	6	—	—	—	—	—
1963–64	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	52	18	13	31	22	14	4	3	7	4
1963–64	Pittsburgh Hornets	AHL	21	14	17	31	14	—	—	—	—	—
1964–65	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	67	16	29	45	44	7	1	3	4	4
1965–66	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	66	21	28	49	20	12	5	2	7	4
1966–67	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	54	11	14	25	8	—	—	—	—	—
1966–67	Pittsburgh Hornets	AHL	13	5	9	14	10	—	—	—	—	—
1967–68	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	57	18	21	39	14	—	—	—	—	—
1967–68	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL	6	6	1	7	0	4	0	0	0	0
1968–69	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL	64	15	19	34	22	—	—	—	—	—
1969–70	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL	61	4	14	18	13	—	—	—	—	—
1970–71	Buffalo Sabres	NHL	77	6	11	17	46	—	—	—	—	—
1971–72	Buffalo Sabres	NHL	6	0	1	1	2	—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals			616	129	178	307	207	48	12	11	23	16
AHL totals			458	190	273	463	258	40	3	21	24	24

Coaching record

Team	Year	Regular Season							Post Season
Team	Year	G	W	L	T	OTL	Pts	Finish	Result
BUF	1971–72	1	0	1	0	-	(51)	6th in East	Interim head coach
BUF	1974–75	80	49	16	15	-	113	1st in Adams	Won in quarter-finals (4-1 vs. CHI) Won in semi-finals (4-2 vs. MTL) Lost in Stanley Cup Finals (2-4 vs. PHI)
BUF	1975–76	80	46	21	13	-	105	2nd in Adams	Won in preliminary round (2-1 vs. STL) Lost in quarter-finals (2-4 vs. NYI)
BUF	1976–77	80	48	24	8	-	104	2nd in Adams	Won in preliminary round (2-0 vs. MIN) Lost in quarter-finals (0-4 vs. NYI)
CIN (WHA)	1978–79	80	33	41	6	-	72	6th in WHA	Lost in quarter-finals (1-2 vs. NE)
TOR	1979–80	68	30	33	5	-	(75)	4th in Adams	Fired
BUF Total		241	143	62	36	-	322	1 division title	16-16 (0.500)
TOR Total		68	30	33	5	-	65		0-0 (0.000)
NHL Total		309	173	94	41	-	387	1 division title	16-16 (0.500)
WHA Total		80	33	41	6	-	72		1-2 (0.333)

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References

↑ National Hockey League Guide and Record Book 1974-75, pg. 239
↑ "Legends of Hockey -- NHL Player Search -- Player -- Floyd Smith" . Retrieved September 24, 2016.
↑ "Mahovlich, Ullman Traded," The Edmonton Journal, Monday, March 4, 1968. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
↑ "Floyd Smith NHL Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com" . Retrieved September 24, 2016.
↑ Harrington, Mike (October 6, 2019). "Everything old and new was golden for Sabres in home opener". The Buffalo News. Retrieved July 20, 2022.

External links

Biographical information and career statistics from Hockey-Reference.com , or The Internet Hockey Database

Preceded by Position created	Buffalo Sabres captain 1970–71	Succeeded by Gerry Meehan
Preceded by Gord Stellick	General manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs 1989–91	Succeeded by Cliff Fletcher
Preceded by Punch Imlach	Head coach of the Buffalo Sabres 1971–72	Succeeded by Joe Crozier
Preceded by Joe Crozier	Head coach of the Buffalo Sabres 1974–77	Succeeded by Marcel Pronovost
Preceded by Jerry Rafter	Head coach of the Cincinnati Stingers 1978–79	Succeeded by none
Preceded by Roger Neilson	Head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs 1979–80	Succeeded by Dick Duff

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[1] National Hockey League Guide and Record Book 1974-75, pg. 239

[2] "Legends of Hockey -- NHL Player Search -- Player -- Floyd Smith" . Retrieved September 24, 2016.

[3] "Mahovlich, Ullman Traded," The Edmonton Journal, Monday, March 4, 1968. Retrieved January 25, 2023.

[4] "Floyd Smith NHL Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com" . Retrieved September 24, 2016.

[5] Harrington, Mike (October 6, 2019). "Everything old and new was golden for Sabres in home opener". The Buffalo News. Retrieved July 20, 2022.

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Floyd Smith
Born	(1935-05-16) May 16, 1935 (age 88) Perth, Ontario, Canada
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position	Right wing
Shot	Right
Played for	Boston Bruins New York Rangers Detroit Red Wings Toronto Maple Leafs Buffalo Sabres
Playing career	1954–1972