Featured Hockey Legend: Bobby Smith

 

After developing through the Ottawa minor hockey system, Bobby Smith graduated all the way to the OHL where he would play for the hometown 67's. At the time he was the second most talked about junior phenom of his day. Some kid named Wayne Gretzky was getting even more attention.

While Gretzky only played one season in the OHL, Smith went on to become perhaps the best player the "O" had ever seen. In three years he tallied 158 goals, 227 assists and 385 points in 187 games. In his final year of junior he scored an OHL record 192 points including 69 goals and 123 assists. That same year Wayne Gretzky, who was two years younger, scored 182 points with the Soo Greyhounds.

The stats do not tell all about Smith's junior career. With Gretzky off to the WHA, Smith became the most sought after junior prospect. At his size, 6'4" and over 200lbs, many scouts preferred Smith over the smaller Gretzky. Smith was named the Canadian Major Junior Player of the Year in 1978 and was a Memorial Cup All Star the year before. And he had great character, as he maintained straight As in high school and later at the University of Ottawa, where he studied chemistry and psychology, while playing with the 67s.

Full Bobby Smith Biography