Neil Smith (ice hockey)
| Neil Smith | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
January 9, 1954 Toronto, ON, CAN |
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| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
IHL Kalamazoo Wings Saginaw Gears Milwaukee Admirals Muskegon Mohawks Dayton Gems NEHL Cape Cod Freedoms EHL Hampton Aces |
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| NHL Draft | 204th overall, 1974 New York Islanders |
||
| Playing career | 1978–1980 | ||
Neil Smith (born January 9, 1954) is a Canadian ice hockey broadcaster and previously the General Manager of the New York Rangers from 1989–2000 and the New York Islanders for a brief period of time in 2006. He was also the owner and head coach of the Johnstown Chiefs of the ECHL. He last was the president, general manager, and governor of the Greenville Road Warriors of the ECHL. He now is an on-air analyst for the NHL Network.
Smith played junior hockey before attending Western Michigan University. As a freshman, he was selected to the All-American team as a defenceman, and was named team captain his season. He was drafted in 1974 by the New York Islanders as the first ever draft pick from WMU. He spent several seasons in the minor leagues before working for the organization as a talent scout. With Neil Smith working in an important capacity for the Islanders minor league system, the Islanders CHL affiliate, the Indianapolis Checkers (which at the time was the Islanders most prominent minor league team) won the Adams Cup in 1981–1982. While on the island, he worked closely with the Islanders chief scout and assistant GM, Jim Devellano, and when Devellano was contacted by the new Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch to become GM in the summer of 1982, Smith moved with him to the Detroit Red Wings, where he won two Calder Cup championships as the General Manager of the team's minor league affiliate, the Adirondack Red Wings in 1985–1986 and 1988–1989.
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