Billy Smith (ice hockey)
The fiercely competitive goaltender who backstopped the New York Islanders to four consecutive Stanley Cup championships.
Born 1950 (age 76)·Canadian ice hockey player·Birthday: December 12·Baby Boomers
Biography
Billy Smith played with a snarl that defined the championship-era New York Islanders. Claimed by the fledgling franchise in the 1972 expansion draft, he evolved from a backup into a bedrock of one of hockey's great dynasties. His style was combative and mentally unyielding; he famously slashed opponents who dared enter his crease and possessed a knack for scoring goals himself. Smith was the first goalie to be credited with a goal in NHL history. During the Islanders' four-year reign atop the league from 1980 to 1983, his playoff performances were often spectacular, earning him the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 1983. He wasn't just a last line of defense—he was an instigator and a winner who set a standard for competitive fire in the net.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Billy was born in 1950, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Billy Was Born
The biggest hits of 1950
#1 Movie
Cinderella
Best Picture
All About Eve
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Billy's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1950Born
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1955Started school
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1963Became a teenager
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1966Could drive
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1968Could vote
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Turned 21
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1980Turned 30
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 40
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 50
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 60
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 70
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 76 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won four consecutive Stanley Cups with the New York Islanders (1980–1983).
- Awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the 1983 Stanley Cup playoffs.
- Became the first goaltender in NHL history to be officially credited with scoring a goal (1979).
- Played in four NHL All-Star Games and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993.
Did You Know?
His nickname was 'Battlin' Billy' for his aggressive, sometimes violent, protection of his goal crease.
He is the first goalie to score a goal in NHL history, shooting into an empty net during a game in 1979.
He was selected by the Islanders from the Los Angeles Kings in the 1972 NHL Expansion Draft for $30,000.
“If you come into my crease, I'll make sure you remember it.”
