1973-74 O-Pee-Chee 142 Billy Smith Hockey Card (Front)
1973-74 O-Pee-Chee 142 Billy Smith Hockey Card (Back)
1973-74 O-Pee-Chee NHL Checklist
Looking to add this hockey card to your collection? Check out what’s available at eBay: Billy Smith 1973-74
(As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase through the above link)
Card Notes
Billy is a real battler for a goalie. He won’t hesitate to act as a policeman in his crease, and he accumulated 42 minutes in the penalty box last season. He broke into the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings, playing five games in 1971-72. Billy led the Springfield Kings to the AHL championship in 1971.
En Français
Billy est vraiment agressif pour un gardien de but. L’an dernier, il reçut 42 minutes de punition. Il débuta dans la LNH pour les Kings de Los Angeles en 1971-72 alors qu’il participa à cinq joutes. Il mena les Kings de Springfield au championnat de la LAH en 1971.
Details
Billy Smith did play a major role in the success of the 1970-71 Springfield Kings in the American Hockey League. He played 49 games during the regular season, sporting a 3.51 goals against average with two shutouts. The team actually finished six games below .500 but caught fire in the post season. Future Islanders teammate Butch Goring provided the offense with 25 points in 12 games.
Smith played all 12 games for Springfield in the playoffs. The team lost just a single game while taking out the Quebec Aces, Montreal Voyageurs, Cleveland Barons and Providence Reds. They swept the Reds in the final to capture the Calder Cup.
He only played five games with the Kings in 1971-72 but it prepared him for life with the expansion Islanders. Smith faced no less than 28 shots in a game, including a 48 shot affair at the Montreal Forum. This was his first NHL game and he held the Canadiens to a 5-5 score until just 22 seconds left in the game when Guy Lafleur scored the winner with assists going to Frank Mahovlich and Pete Mahovlich.
His third NHL game was a 5-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres at the Forum in Los Angeles. He established himself as “Battlin’ Billy”, getting into a third period fight with Tracy Pratt of the Sabres. Smith turned away 33 shots while Buffalo goalie Dave Dryden made the same number of saves but on 38 shots.
Even on his rookie card, it’s noted Smith’s rough and tumble style of goaltending. He topped out with 54 penalty minutes in 40 games during the 1978-79 NHL season with the New York Islanders. He had a career total of 489 PIM in 680 games.
Between 1971-72 and 1988-89, Billy Smith played 680 regular season and 132 playoff games in the National Hockey League with the Kings and Islanders. The four time Stanley Cup champion was the Vezina Trophy winner in 1981-82 and the Conn Smythe Trophy recipient in 1982-83. Smith was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993 and his jersey number 31 was retired by the Islanders the same year.