Donald (Don) John Smith
Sport: Hockey: Year Inducted: 1969
Born in Cornwall, Ontario in 1887, Donald “Don” John Smith was a Canadian professional hockey player who played for the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Shamrocks, Montreal Wanderers, and the Renfrew Creamery Kings.
From 1904-1907, Don played senior amateur hockey for his hometown Cornwall Club in the Federal Amateur Hockey League.
He began his professional career with Portage la Prairie, Manitoba of the Manitoba Professional Hockey League (MPHL) in 1907-08.
The following season, he returned to Ontario to play in the Ontario Professional Hockey League (OPHL) with St. Catharines, Ontario and Toronto.
In 1909-10, he joined the Montreal Shamrocks of the National Hockey Association (NHA). In 1910-11, he played with the Renfrew Creamery Kings. He joined the Victoria Aristocrats of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) for one season. In 1912-13, he returned to the Montreal Canadiens and played for that team until 1915, after which he was traded to the Montreal Wanderers. At the end of the 1915-16 NHA season, Don left the league to serve in World War I, during which time the NHA folded.
When he returned in 1919–20, Smith rejoined his former team the Montreal Canadiens, now part of the newly formed National Hockey League (NHL) circuit, for one last year of professional hockey.
Don was a forward who played both left wing and centre. He suited up for 10 games for Les Habitants and scored one goal.
Don’s statistics reveal that he was only 5’ 7” tall and weighed 160 pounds. He played 197 games plus 4 playoffs; he scored 192 regular game goals plus 2 playoff game goals; he had 20 regular game assists; and he served 330 penalty minutes plus 19 minutes in playoff games.
Don retired in 1920. His fans appreciated his great hockey skills.
Don Smith passed away in 1959.