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Uploaded By: PRESIDENT on December 27th, 2018

Sidney James "Sid" Smith - Born July 11, 1925 in Toronto, Ontario – Died April 29, 2004 in Wasaga Beach, Ontario was a Canadian ice Hockey left winger and coach.

Smith started his junior Hockey career with the De La Salle College Jr. B team, and then joined the Oshawa Generals for the start of the 1944-45 season. He finished the season with the Porcupine Combines for their Memorial Cup playoffs.

Smith then played 1 season with the Toronto Staffords of the Ontario Hockey Association Senior A league in 1945-46, helping them to the league finals.

Smith then signed as a free agent with the Quebec Aces on October 15, 1946, playing just 15 games in the Quebec Senior Hockey League / QSHL to start the season before the Toronto Maple Leafs signed him to his first pro contract on December 8, 1946, playing 14 games during the remainder of the season for the Maple Leafs, debuting on February 6, 1947 vs Montreal Canadiens at The Forum in a 8-2 Montreal win. He scored his 1st NHL goal vs Frank Brimsek of the Boston Bruins on February 8, 1947 at Maple Leafs Gardens at 15:43 of the 3rd period in a 5-2 Toronto win.

Smith started the 1947-48 season with Pittsburgh Hornets of the American Hockey League / AHL, the Maple Leafs farm team, but would be called up to Toronto early in 1948, playing the final 31 games for the Maple Leafs and 2 playoffs games, as the Maple Leafs won the 1948 Stanley Cup championship. The Maple Leafs also won their 1st Prince of Wales Trophy as NHL regular season champions 1947-48.

Smith again started the next season in Pittsburgh, and had a great season with the Hornets, scoring 55 goals, 57 assists, and was called up to the Maple Leafs again, this time just before the playoffs started (1 game). Smith had a great playoff performance for Toronto, as he scored a hat-trick in Game 2 in the Stanley Cup finals vs Detroit Red Wings. He played in 6 playoff games, scoring 5 goals, 2 assists, helping the Maple Leafs win the 1949 Stanley Cup championship.

After the season, Smith was awarded the 1949 AHL Carl Liscombe Trophy (now the John B. Sollenberger Trophy) as the leading scorer in the AHL.

Smith was now a full time Maple Leaf, and would play in Toronto for the next 8 full seasons, helping them win another Stanley Cup championship in 1951. He scored the overtime winner vs Montreal Canadiens on April 11, 1951 in game 1 of the Stanley Cup final.

Smith would also be awarded the 1952 and 1955 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy as the league's most gentlemanly player, and was named to the 1955 NHL First All-Star Team. Smith also had six consecutive seasons with 20 or more goals (1950-55), along with leading he Maple Leafs in scoring categories for eight seasons, four times for goals and four times for total points.

Smith played in the All-Star Game in seven of his eight full seasons in the NHL. When Teeder Kennedy retired at the beginning of the 1955-56 season, Smith was elected the team captain (8th in franchise), a role he filled with his quiet brand of leadership for one season before Kennedy returned to put the "C" back on his sweater in late 1956.

Twelve games into the 1957-58 season, Smith decided to retire from the Maple Leafs. At the time of his retirement, only three active players - Howe, Richard and Lindsay had scored more goals. He was the Maple Leafs' top goal scorer of the decade and was involved in 25% of the team's scoring plays during his highly productive career.

Smith played 601 regular season NHL games, scoring 186 goals, 183 assists for 369 points. In 44 NHL play-off games, he scored 17 goals, 10 assists. Smith also scored 4 hat-tricks in his career (1 in the playoffs).

After retiring, Smith became a player-coach with the Whitby Dunlops, a senior team in the Ontario Hockey Association. The Dunlops would win a gold medal at the World Ice Hockey Championships in 1958 at Oslo, Norway representing Canada, with Smith scoring 9 goals, 5 assists in the tournament.

Smith and the Dunlops would also win the J. Ross Robertson Cup and the Allan Cup in 1959, with Smith scoring 19 goals, 12 assists during their playoffs.

Smith was named 33rd greatest Maple Leaf in franchise history for the club’s centennial.

The skating rink at Christie Pits Park in Toronto was officially renamed the Sid Smith Artificial Ice Rink (Sid Smith Rink) on January 14, 2018.

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