Minor leagues (1932–1937) Before beginning his NHL career with the
New York Rangers in
1936–37, Smith played in several minor professional leagues. After splitting his first professional season in 1932–33 with the
Springfield Indians of the
Canadian-American Hockey League (CAHL) and
Saskatoon Crescents of the
West Coast Hockey League (WCHL), Smith moved further west to play for the
Vancouver Lions of the
North West Hockey League (NWHL), where he led the league in scoring with 25 goals in his rookie year. He then went on to lead the league in points the next two seasons with 44- and 53-point campaigns. In 1936–37, Smith joined the
International-American Hockey League (I-AHL), precursor to the American Hockey League (AHL), and finished second in league scoring to
Jack Markle with 54 points as a member of the
Philadelphia Ramblers. He helped lead his team to the Finals of the inaugural
Calder Cup championship but lost to the
Syracuse Stars in four games of what was a five-game series.
New York Rangers (1937–1943) Smith began his NHL career with the Rangers with a short two-game stint in , during which he notched his first NHL career goal. He quickly became an integral player on the Rangers roster, leading the team in scoring in his second full NHL season in with 41 points. Going the length of the campaign with just one minor penalty, he was also awarded the
Lady Byng Trophy, his first of two in his career. The following season, he helped lead the Rangers to the
Stanley Cup championship, defeating the
Toronto Maple Leafs in six games (the win was the Rangers' last before their
54-year Cup drought, ending in
1994). Despite winning the Stanley Cup that year, however, Smith's production began to tail off with the Rangers, scoring only 24 points that championship year. Despite improving to 33 points in , Smith ended his 6-year tenure with the Rangers following that season.
Chicago Black Hawks (1943–1947) Joining the
Chicago Black Hawks in
1943–44, Smith rejuvenated his career playing on a line with future fellow
Hockey Hall of Famers,
Bill Mosienko and
Doug Bentley. He recorded 23 goals and established an NHL record for single-season assists with 49 (broken the following season by
Elmer Lach of the
Montreal Canadiens) for an NHL career-high 72 points. The combined total of Mosienko, Bentley, and Smith's points that season also set an NHL record for a line with 219. Smith's record-setting season was complemented by a second
Lady Byng Trophy, having only accumulated 4 penalty minutes. The following season, in
1944–45, Smith succeeded Bentley Smith set another NHL record with a four-goal period against the Montreal Canadiens on March 4, 1945 (Smith shares the record with several other players). The remainder of Smith's four-season stay in Chicago was not met with as much offensive success as his initial campaign with the team, but he did, however, record three straight 20-goal seasons, including a personal best 26-goal season in
1945–46. After his production dipped to 26 points in
1946–47, he retired from the NHL.
Coaching in the minors (1947–1952) Smith returned to the minor leagues in 1947–48, joining the short-lived
United States Hockey League (USHL) with the
Tulsa Oilers. He led Tulsa in scoring with 71 points in his only season while also serving as the team's
head coach. Finishing in the top ten in league scoring, he won the
Herman W. Paterson Cup as league MVP. The following season, he also did double duty playing and coaching in
St. Paul Saints, where he played for three seasons. In 1951–52, Smith joined the
Cincinnati Mohawks of the AHL, coaching them to the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs and playing in a limited role, appearing in just 2 games. Smith retired following his one-season stint with the Mohawks both as a coach and player. ==Retirement==