Jason Smith (ice hockey)

Jason Smith
Jason Smith
Born	Jason Matthew Smith; November 2, 1973 (age 53); Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Occupation(s)	Ice hockey defenceman, coach
Years active	1993–2009 (player), 2009–present (coach)
Known for	NHL defenceman and captain; coach of Edmonton Oil Kings

Jason Matthew Smith (born November 2, 1973) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and current coach who appeared in over 1,000 regular season contests within the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1993 until 2009. His NHL career included stints with the New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, and Ottawa Senators. Selected 18th overall by New Jersey in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft, Smith captained both the Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Flyers, leading Edmonton for five seasons and guiding them to the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals.

Smith held the head coaching position for the Western Hockey League's Kelowna Rockets between 2016 and 2018 and currently serves as head coach of the Edmonton Oil Kings.

Amateur

Chosen 18th overall in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft by the New Jersey Devils, Smith competed in the WHL with the Regina Pats. He earned a spot on the WHL All-Rookie Team in 1991–92 and secured First All-Star Team honors in 1992–93, a season in which he also received the Bill Hunter Trophy as the league’s top defenceman. On the international stage, Smith was a member of Canada’s gold medal-winning squad at the 1993 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships held in Sweden, alongside future NHL talents including Chris Pronger, Adrian Aucoin, and Paul Kariya.

Professional

Smith made his NHL debut with New Jersey during the 1993–94 season, although he spent most of that campaign with their AHL affiliate, the Albany River Rats. After a knee injury sidelined him for much of the 1994–95 season, he returned in time to participate in one Stanley Cup playoff game and captained Albany to a Calder Cup title in 1995—the same year New Jersey captured their first-ever Stanley Cup. By the following season (1995–96 season), Smith had established himself as a regular on New Jersey’s NHL roster.

On February 25, 1997, Smith was involved in a significant trade to the Toronto Maple Leafs, alongside Steve Sullivan and rights to Alyn McCauley, in exchange for Doug Gilmour, Dave Ellett, and a draft pick for 1999. After three seasons with Toronto, he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers on March 3, 1999. Following the departure of captain Doug Weight, Smith was appointed team captain, becoming one of Edmonton’s longest-tenured leaders from 2001 through 2007 (excluding the cancelled 2004–05 season).

Under Smith’s captaincy, the Oilers made an unexpected advance to the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals, ultimately falling in seven games to the Carolina Hurricanes. During this postseason run, he recorded one goal and four assists.

On July 1, 2007, Edmonton traded Smith along with forward Joffrey Lupul to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Joni Pitkänen, Geoff Sanderson, and a third-round pick in the 2009 draft. In his sole season with Philadelphia, Smith served as captain of a restructured squad that reached the Eastern Conference semifinals against the eventual champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Although they were eliminated, this achievement underscored Smith’s leadership capabilities.

Smith concluded his NHL playing career during the 2008–09 season with the Ottawa Senators before announcing his retirement on September 2, 2009. Subsequently, he returned to Ottawa to take on an assistant coaching role.

Personal life

Throughout his playing years, Smith was commonly known by the nickname "Gator," a nod to his notably agile hands and feet.

Regular season and playoffs

1999–2000 NHL season Edmonton Oilers NHL 80 3 11 14 60 5 0 1 1 4 |- 2000–01 NHL season Edmonton Oilers NHL 82 5 15 20 120 6 0 2 2 6 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2001–02 NHL season Edmonton Oilers NHL 74 5 13 18 103 |- 2002–03 NHL season Edmonton Oilers NHL 68 4 8 12 64 6 0 0 0 19 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2003–04 NHL season Edmonton Oilers NHL 68 7 12 19 98 |- 2005–06 NHL season Edmonton Oilers NHL 76 4 13 17 84 24 1 4 5 16 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2006–07 NHL season Edmonton Oilers NHL 82 2 9 11 103 |- 2007–08 NHL season Philadelphia Flyers NHL 77 1 9 10 86 17 0 2 2 4 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2008–09 NHL season Ottawa Senators NHL 63 1 0 1 47 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" !NHL totals !1,008 !41 !128 !169 !1,099 !68 !1 !10 !11 !60|}

International

			Regular season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1990–91	Calgary Canucks	AJHL	45	3	15	18	69	—	—	—	—	—
1990–91	Regina Pats	WHL	2	0	0	0	7	4	0	0	0	2
1991–92	Regina Pats	WHL	62	9	29	38	168	—	—	—
1992–93	Regina Pats	WHL	64	14	52	66	175	13	4	8	12	39
1992–93	Utica Devils	AHL	—	—	—	—	—	1	0	0	0	2
1993–94	Albany River Rats	AHL	20	6	3	9	31	—	—
1993–94	New Jersey Devils	NHL	41	0	5	5	43	6	0	0
1994–95	Albany River Rats	AHL	7	0	2	2	15	11	2	2	4	19
1994–95 NHL season	New Jersey Devils	NHL	2	0	0	0	0	—	—
1995–96 NHL season	New Jersey Devils	NHL	64	2	1	3	86
1996–97 NHL season	New Jersey Devils	NHL	57	1	2	3	38
1996–97	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL	21	0	5	5	16
1997–98 NHL season	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL	81	3	13	16	100
1998–99 NHL season	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL	60	2	11	13	40
1998–99	Edmonton Oilers	NHL	12	1	1	2	11	4	0

Year	Team	Tournament	Outcome	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1993	Canada	WJC	Template:Gold1	7	1	3	4	10
2001	Canada	WC	5th place	7	1	0	1	4
Junior career totals				7	1	3	4	10
Senior career totals				7	1	0	1	4

Awards

WHL East First All-Star Team – 1993

Transactions

February 25, 1997 – Traded by New Jersey to Toronto, alongside Steve Sullivan and the rights to Alyn McCauley, in exchange for Dave Ellett, Doug Gilmour, and a third-round draft selection;
March 3, 1999 – Moved from Toronto to Edmonton in return for a fourth-round pick (1999) and a second-round pick (2000);
July 1, 2007 – Traded by Edmonton together with Joffrey Lupul to Philadelphia for Joni Pitkänen, Geoff Sanderson, and a third-round draft choice (2009);
July 8, 2008 – Signed as an unrestricted free agent by Ottawa;
September 2, 2009 – Officially retired from professional NHL play.

External links