Floyd Smith

Floyd Robert Donald Smith (born May 16, 1935 in Perth, Ontario) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and coach.

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 on the Hershey Bears club. Smith then spent 5 years with the New York Rangers organization, cracking the NHL for only a 29 game stint in 1961. During this time period, he was a dominant force with the Springfield Indians, scoring 82 points in 71 games in 1960.

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. At the 1968 trade deadline, he was sent to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was selected by the Buffalo Sabres during the 1970 expansion draft and served as the team's first captain.

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 year's with the team. In 1974, he became Buffalo's head coach, leading the team to a loss in the Stanley Cup Final in his first year. However, he was fired after, despite great regular seasons, the team failed to perform in the post season during the next two years. 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 the 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.[1]

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