Bobby Smith (ice hockey)
A cerebral center with a scorer's touch, he anchored a Stanley Cup winner in Montreal and built a junior hockey empire in Halifax.
Born 1958 (age 68)·Canadian ice hockey player, executive (b. 1958)·Birthday: February 12·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bobby Smith's hockey story is one of sustained excellence and sharp business acumen. Drafted first overall by the Minnesota North Stars in 1978, the towering center immediately justified the selection by winning the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie. For over a decade, he was a model of consistent, intelligent play, a playmaker who could also finish, surpassing the 1,000-point milestone in a career split between the North Stars and Montreal Canadiens. His pinnacle came in 1986 with the Canadiens, where his two-way game and playoff performance were instrumental in securing the Stanley Cup. After hanging up his skates, Smith channeled his understanding of the game into ownership, guiding the Halifax Mooseheads from a fledgling franchise to a Memorial Cup champion and a powerhouse developer of NHL talent.
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.
Bobby was born in 1958, 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 Bobby Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Bobby's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
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
1971Became a teenager
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
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens in 1986, recording 20 points in 20 playoff games that postseason.
- Selected first overall in the 1978 NHL Entry Draft and won the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year in 1979.
- Recorded his 1,000th NHL point on November 30, 1991, becoming the 32nd player in league history to reach the milestone.
- Served as majority owner and governor of the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads for two decades, overseeing the 2013 Memorial Cup championship.
Did You Know?
He played junior hockey for the Ottawa 67's and led them to a Memorial Cup championship in 1977.
While with the North Stars, he centered the 'BLM Line' with Steve Payne and rookie Dino Ciccarelli.
He majored in business at the University of Minnesota while playing for the North Stars.
His number 15 was retired by the Halifax Mooseheads in recognition of his ownership impact.
“A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great one plays where it's going to be.”
