Stan Smyl
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Position | Wing |
| Shot | Right |
| Nickname(s) | The Steamer |
| Height Weight |
5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 190 lb (86 kg/13 st 8 lb) |
| Pro clubs | Vancouver Canucks (1978-1991) |
| Nationality |  Canada |
| Born | January 28, 1958 , Glendon, AB, CAN |
| NHL Draft | 40th overall, 1978 Vancouver Canucks |
| Pro career | 1978 – 1991 |
| Medal record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Competitor for Canada |
|||
| Men's Ice Hockey | |||
| World Championships | |||
| Silver | 1985 Czechoslovakia | Ice Hockey | |
| World Junior Championships | |||
| Bronze | 1978 Canada | Ice Hockey | |
Stanley Philip Smyl (born January 28, 1958 in Glendon, Alberta, Canada) is a Canadian former ice hockey player. He was a member of the NHL's Vancouver Canucks for his entire career, until he retired in 1991. His number 12 remains the only officially retired number in Canucks' history (Wayne Maki's number 11 is unofficially retired), and it currently hangs from the rafters of General Motors Place in Vancouver (although the banner was initially raised in the Canucks' old facility, the Pacific Coliseum). A long-time team captain and nicknamed "the Steamer", he is considered one of the most popular Canucks of all time. Until the 2003–04 NHL season, he held many offensive scoring records on the team.
Contents |
[edit] Playing career
Smyl played junior hockey for the Western Hockey League's New Westminster Bruins, considered one of the greatest junior teams of all time, from 1975 until 1978. Smyl was then drafted in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft (renamed the Entry Draft in 1979) by the Canucks 40th overall in the 3rd Round. In the 1978–79, he played 3 games for the Central Hockey League's Dallas Black Hawks. After being promoted to the Canucks, he scored 14 goals and 38 points in 62 games as a rookie on a line that included fellow rookies Thomas Gradin and Curt Fraser, earning the respect of the Vancouver fan base. He also proved to be physical, earning 89 penalty minutes as well.
Vancouver fans will remember the 1981–82 season, as that was the year the Canucks made the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in their 12 year history. Though they were swept in four games by the New York Islanders, the team gained respect.
The next season, Smyl was named captain of the Canucks, a position he held for the next eight years. He registered a club record 88 points that season, though it was broken by Patrik Sundstrom's 91 in 1983–84.
The 1990–91 NHL season was the last season in which Smyl played hockey (before the start of the season, he resigned the captaincy). Retiring with Canuck records in games, goals, assists, points, and numerous other categories, he was one of the most popular players on the team. The day of his retirement, July 3, 1991, also marked the start of a 13 year coaching career, as he was named Assistant Coach of the Canucks. He would hold this position until 1999, when he was hired as Coach of the Canucks affiliate, the American Hockey League's Syracuse Crunch, the International Hockey League's Kansas City Blades, and then the AHL's Manitoba Moose. Currently he is back with the Canucks, as the Director of Player Development.
During the 2002–03 and 2003–04 seasons, Trevor Linden broke Smyl's goals and points records.
[edit] Career statistics
[edit] Regular season and playoffs
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1974–75 | Bellingham Blazers | BCJHL | 48 | 29 | 33 | 62 | 115 | 25 | 13 | 22 | 33 | 15 | ||
| 1974–75 | New Westminster Bruins | WCHL | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | ||
| 1975–76 | New Westminster Bruins | WCHL | 72 | 32 | 42 | 74 | 169 | 19 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 58 | ||
| 1976–77 | New Westminster Bruins | WCHL | 72 | 35 | 31 | 66 | 200 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 51 | ||
| 1977–78 | New Westminster Bruins | WCHL | 53 | 29 | 47 | 76 | 211 | 20 | 14 | 21 | 35 | 43 | ||
| 1978–79 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 62 | 14 | 24 | 38 | 89 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1978–79 | Dallas Black Hawks | CHL | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1979–80 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 77 | 31 | 47 | 78 | 204 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 14 | ||
| 1980–81 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 80 | 25 | 38 | 63 | 171 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 1981–82 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 80 | 34 | 44 | 78 | 144 | 17 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 25 | ||
| 1982–83 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 74 | 38 | 50 | 88 | 114 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 12 | ||
| 1983–84 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 80 | 24 | 43 | 67 | 136 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 1984–85 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 80 | 27 | 37 | 64 | 100 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1985–86 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 73 | 27 | 35 | 62 | 144 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1986–87 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 66 | 20 | 23 | 43 | 84 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1987–88 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 57 | 12 | 25 | 37 | 110 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1988–89 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 75 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 102 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | ||
| 1989–90 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 47 | 1 | 15 | 16 | 71 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1990–91 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 45 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 87 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| NHL Totals | 896 | 262 | 411 | 673 | 1556 | 41 | 16 | 17 | 33 | 64 | ||||
[edit] International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | P | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Canada | WJC | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | |
| 1985 | Canada | WC | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | |
| Senior Int'l Totals | 16 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 12 | |||
[edit] External links
- Stan Smyl's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
- Stan Smyl's biography at Legends of Hockey
- Stan Smyl's NHL player profile
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Kevin McCarthy |
Vancouver Canucks team captain 1982-1990 |
Succeeded by Doug Lidster Trevor Linden Dan Quinn (tri-captains) |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Smyl, Stan |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | The Steamer |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Ice Hockey Player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 28, 1958 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Glendon, Alberta |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
