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HalifaxDrunk · 01-07-2009, 02:04 PM

To follow-up Clarke the Halifax Explosion are happy to put in net:

William John "Battlin' Billy" Smith

(born December 12, 1950, in Perth, Ontario) was a professional ice hockey goaltender and is best known for winning four Stanley Cups and being the first goalie to be credited with a goal.

A First Team All-Star in 1982, and played in the All Star Game in 1981 and 1982. He won the Vezina Trophy in 1982 and the William M. Jennings Trophy for lowest goals allowed in 1983 (shared with Roland Melanson). He was chosen to play for Canada in the 1981 Canada Cup, but was unable to play due to an injury sustained in a pre-tournament game.

Smith's regular season success, however, was surpassed by his performances in the Playoffs, as he helped the Islanders win four straight Stanley Cups (1980-81-82-83), reach the finals five straight times (1980-84), and win a record 19 consecutive playoff series from 1980–84.
His single most famous game may be his 2–0 victory in the first game of the 1983 Stanley Cup finals against the Edmonton Oilers, shutting out the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Paul Coffey, and Jari Kurri. The Islanders went on to sweep the Oilers in 4 games, with Smith allowing the Oilers only 6 goals and winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as Most Valuable Player in the Playoffs. A year later, Smith broke the record for the most Playoff victories: he led all goaltenders in playoff victories in total and in every individual year between 1980 and 1984. Then in 1985, Smith led the Islanders to win 3 straight games after being down 0–2 to the Washington Capitals, the first time such a comeback occurred in the NHL. Smith's playoff success feeds into his reputation as the supreme "money" goalie, the person you would want in net with the season on the line. Teammates and observers have said that Smith seemed able to sense when he needed to be perfect to win and when he could give up five goals and still come away with the victory.

Smith was also the first NHL goaltender to be credited with scoring a goal. On November 28, 1979, in a game between the Islanders and the Colorado Rockies, the Rockies' goaltender left the ice for an extra skater after a delayed penalty was called on the Islanders. The puck deflected off the chest protector of the Islanders' Smith into the corner. Colorado rookie Rob Ramage picked up the puck and accidentally made a blind pass from the corner boards in the opposing zone to the blue line. Nobody was there to receive the pass, and so the puck sailed all the way down the length of the ice and into the Colorado net. Smith had been the last Islander to touch the puck, and was credited with a goal.

01-07-2009, 02:04 PM	#158
HalifaxDrunk #2 960 Prankster Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: In a Pub Exp:	To follow-up Clarke the Halifax Explosion are happy to put in net: William John "Battlin' Billy" Smith (born December 12, 1950, in Perth, Ontario) was a professional ice hockey goaltender and is best known for winning four Stanley Cups and being the first goalie to be credited with a goal. A First Team All-Star in 1982, and played in the All Star Game in 1981 and 1982. He won the Vezina Trophy in 1982 and the William M. Jennings Trophy for lowest goals allowed in 1983 (shared with Roland Melanson). He was chosen to play for Canada in the 1981 Canada Cup, but was unable to play due to an injury sustained in a pre-tournament game. Smith's regular season success, however, was surpassed by his performances in the Playoffs, as he helped the Islanders win four straight Stanley Cups (1980-81-82-83), reach the finals five straight times (1980-84), and win a record 19 consecutive playoff series from 1980–84. His single most famous game may be his 2–0 victory in the first game of the 1983 Stanley Cup finals against the Edmonton Oilers, shutting out the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Paul Coffey, and Jari Kurri. The Islanders went on to sweep the Oilers in 4 games, with Smith allowing the Oilers only 6 goals and winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as Most Valuable Player in the Playoffs. A year later, Smith broke the record for the most Playoff victories: he led all goaltenders in playoff victories in total and in every individual year between 1980 and 1984. Then in 1985, Smith led the Islanders to win 3 straight games after being down 0–2 to the Washington Capitals, the first time such a comeback occurred in the NHL. Smith's playoff success feeds into his reputation as the supreme "money" goalie, the person you would want in net with the season on the line. Teammates and observers have said that Smith seemed able to sense when he needed to be perfect to win and when he could give up five goals and still come away with the victory. Smith was also the first NHL goaltender to be credited with scoring a goal. On November 28, 1979, in a game between the Islanders and the Colorado Rockies, the Rockies' goaltender left the ice for an extra skater after a delayed penalty was called on the Islanders. The puck deflected off the chest protector of the Islanders' Smith into the corner. Colorado rookie Rob Ramage picked up the puck and accidentally made a blind pass from the corner boards in the opposing zone to the blue line. Nobody was there to receive the pass, and so the puck sailed all the way down the length of the ice and into the Colorado net. Smith had been the last Islander to touch the puck, and was credited with a goal.