Bobby Smith is simply one of those ‘honourable mention’ guys when it comes to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Smith could do it all but he played for the Minnesota North Stars in the era of Gretzky and Lemieux.
Bobby’s junior career with the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League (OMJHL at the time) was nothing short of amazing. He played three years with Ottawa form 1975-76 to 1977-78. In his second year, he led the OHL in goals with 65 and tied for third with 135 points. The 67’s defeated the London Knights in the finals to capture the Robertson Cup. The team plowed through to the final game of the 1977 Memorial Cup tournament before bowing out to the New Westminster Bruins 6-5.
1977-78 was a bit of a disappointment for Ottawa but history in the making for Bobby Smith. The team was awarded the Hamilton Spectator Trophy as the team with the best record during the regular season. However, they were eliminated by the Peterborough Petes in the quarter-finals.
Smith ripped apart the league during the regular season. Playing in just 61 of the team’s 68 games, Bobby scored 69 goals and assisted on 123 more for 192 points. His 123 assists and 192 points stand today as OHL records. He finished ten points ahead of Wayne Gretzky of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and was awarded the Eddie Powers Trophy. Smith was also named the Red Tilson Trophy winner as the league’s MVP. To top it off, he was honoured as the CHL Player of the Year.
It wasn’t all brawn. Since 1979-80, the Bobby Smith Trophy has been handed each year to the Scholastic Player of the Year in the OHL that combines the highest level of play with academic excellence. The OHL also has two awards that are strictly based on academic performance: The Roger Neilson Award (post secondary) and the Ivan Tennant Award (high school).
The Minnesota North Stars had little trouble who they would choose with their first overall pick at the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft. Bobby didn’t disappoint. In his first year with Minnesota, 1978-79, he was awarded the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie.
The Bobby Smith rookie card appeared as number 206 in the 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee set and is worth a meagre $4 today. The set consists of 396 hockey cards with a complete collection worth $1400. Of course, the highlight of the set is number 18, the Wayne Gretzky rookie card.
Smith played in the NHL from 1978-79 to 1992-93 with Minnesota and the Montreal Canadiens. He was traded to the Canadiens during the 1983-84 season and returned to Minnesota in 1990-91. Over his NHL career, he played 1077 regular season games and totalled 1036 points. More impressive was his 184 playoff games (160 points).
Bobby was on four teams that reached the Stanley Cup finals. His name is inscribed on the Stanley Cup via the 1985-86 Montreal Canadiens. In 1980-81, the North Stars fell to the mighty New York Islanders in five games. Those 1985-86 Habs beat the Calgary Flames in five. In 1988-89, Calgary got their revenge, topping Montreal in six in the final. Back with Minnesota in 1990-91, it was the Pittsburgh Penguins taking the prize with a 4-2 victory in the finals.
To date, it’s not just the Ottawa 67’s that Smith owns scoring records for. In 1981-82, he scored 43 and assisted on 71 for 114 points. The point total remains as the Dallas Stars record for most points in a single season. He placed eighth in the race for the Art Ross Trophy, a ludicrous 98 points behind Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers, who had 212.
Smith represented Canada twice at the IIHF World Championships. In 1979 in Moscow, Canada placed fourth. In 1982 in Finland, Canada took home the bronze. In both tournaments, the Soviet Union won gold.