Douglas Eric Smith (born May 17, 1963) is a Canadian former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

player who played for the

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and play their home games at Rogers Arena. Bruce B ...

and

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

over the course of his career. He was selected second overall in the

1981 NHL Entry Draft Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Fr ...

Career

Smith starred in the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overag ...

as an underage player with his hometown

Ottawa 67's The Ottawa 67's are a major junior ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, that plays in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Established during Canada's Canadian Centennial, centennial year of 1967 and named in honour of this, the 67's c ...

and won the league's Bobby Smith Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement in

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

. That same season he scored 45 goals and 101 points in 54 games and was a highly touted draft prospect in the

, ultimately being selected second overall after future

Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

Dale Hawerchuk Dale Martin Hawerchuk (April 4, 1963 – August 18, 2020) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Drafted first overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, Hawerchuk played in the National Hockey League (NHL) fo ...

. Smith played in 304 games with the

before a January 1986 trade sent him (along with

Brian Engblom Brian Paul Engblom (born January 27, 1955) is a Canadian ice hockey broadcaster for the Tampa Bay Lightning, and a former professional hockey defenseman. Biography Engblom was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and played for the University of Wiscons ...

) to the

in exchange for

Ken Baumgartner Kenneth James Baumgartner (born March 11, 1966) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who played in the National Hockey League for twelve seasons. Biography Baumgartner played junior hockey for the Prince Albert Raiders of the ...

, Sean McKenna and

Larry Playfair Larry William Playfair (born June 23, 1958) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Playfair had a reputation as being a hard-working, pugnacious defender. He played for the Buffalo Sabres and Los Angeles Kings in the NHL and he has w ...

. In 162 games with the Sabres, Smith recorded 89 points. On October 3, 1988, Smith was claimed in the waiver draft by the

, splitting the 1988-89 season between Edmonton and their AHL affiliate, the

Cape Breton Oilers The Cape Breton Oilers were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. The team was the top minor league affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Oilers' organization relocated the team from Hali ...

. In March, 1989, Smith was traded with Greg Adams to the

in exchange for

John LeBlanc John Glenn LeBlanc (born January 21, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. He played 83 games in the National Hockey League with the Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, and Winnipeg Jets. He scored 26 goals and 13 ass ...

and a 1989 fifth-round draft pick ( Peter White). Smith played his final NHL game during the 1989-90 season before resuming his career in Europe.

Injury

Smith suffered a career-ending spinal injury in 1992 during a game in the European Elite League. While chasing a puck, Smith crashed headfirst into the end boards at top speed, breaking the fifth and sixth

cervical vertebrae In tetrapods, cervical vertebrae (singular: vertebra) are the vertebrae of the neck, immediately below the skull. Truncal vertebrae (divided into thoracic and lumbar vertebrae in mammals) lie caudal (toward the tail) of cervical vertebrae. In ...

and tearing all the ligaments in the back of his neck. The prognosis was life as a

quadriplegic Tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia, is defined as the dysfunction or loss of motor and/or sensory function in the cervical area of the spinal cord. A loss of motor function can present as either weakness or paralysis leading to partial or t ...

, but Smith was able to regain the use of his limbs and teach himself to walk again.

Post-hockey

Following his miraculous recovery, Smith became active in business and founded charitable organizations and fundraising events that have raised millions for various causes. Smith is the founder of Arc Stainless Incorporated and also travels Canada as a motivational speaker.

Personal

He has 2 sisters, Carey and Tracy.Ottawa Senators Alumni – Doug Smith
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Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

* 1963 births Living people Buffalo Sabres players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Austria Canadian ice hockey centres Cape Breton Oilers players EC VSV players Edmonton Oilers players Ice hockey people from Ottawa Los Angeles Kings draft picks Los Angeles Kings players National Hockey League first-round draft picks Nepean Raiders players Ottawa 67's players Phoenix Roadrunners (IHL) players Pittsburgh Penguins players Rochester Americans players Vancouver Canucks players VEU Feldkirch players {{Canada-icehockey-centre-1960s-stub