For the majority of his ice hockey career, center Randy Smith never stayed with the same team for more than three consecutive seasons and, despite his talent, often did not last as long at that. Prior to his 1985 National Hockey League debut, he suited up with the minor Saskatoon Contacts (1981-1982), the junior Battleford Barons (1982-1983), and the senior Saskatoon Blades (1983-1986) and Calgary Wranglers (1984-1985). In two years with the NHL’s Minnesota North Stars he played in only three games and scored no points; his move to the Springfield Indians of the American Hockey League during the season signaled the end of his brief stint in the NHL. He then spent time with the International Hockey League’s Kalamazoo Wings (1987-1990) and Salt Lake Golden Eagles (1989-1990), as well as the AHL’s Maine Mariners (1988-1989), before joining the Canadian men’s national ice hockey squad. He made appearances at the 1991 World Championships and the 1992 Winter Olympics and took home a silver medal at both tournaments, playing in eight matches and scoring one goal in the latter. He also began getting a taste for playing internationally, suiting up for seven games with Switzerland’s EHC Biel-Bienne (1991-1992) and Austria’s Klagenfurter AC (1992-1993). He traveled to the United States to play with the IHL’s Las Vegas Thunder for the 1993-1994 season, but decided to return to Europe shortly after. Until his 2000 retirement, he skated with the Peterborough Pirates (1994-1995, 1998-2000), Cardiff Devils (1995-1997), and Newcastle Cobras (1997-1998).
Canada