Inductees

Player

Douglas “Doug” Smail

Douglas “Doug” Smail’s path to professional hockey began in Moose Jaw, where he developed a passion for the game through the local minor hockey system. His reputation as a prolific scorer led him to a junior-A career with the Moose Jaw Canucks from 1974-77 in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL). In his final season, Smail captured both the SJHL most valuable player award and the scoring title.

Standing at 5-foot-9, Smail took the collegiate route, joining the University of North Dakota from 1977-80. Over three seasons in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA), he scored 89 goals and collected 195 points, averaging an impressive 1.6 points per game. Smail helped North Dakota capture the 1980 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I championship. His outstanding performance during that playoff run earned him the 1980 tournament’s most outstanding player award and he was later inducted into the university’s sports hall of fame in 1995.

After college, Smail signed with the Winnipeg Jets, beginning a 13-season National Hockey League (NHL) career from 1980-93. He spent a decade with Winnipeg before playing for the Minnesota North Stars, Quebec Nordiques, and Ottawa Senators. Over 887 NHL games, Smail recorded 470 points and established himself as one of the league’s most dependable two-way forwards. Renowned for his penalty-killing ability, he scored 30 goals shorthanded and set a franchise record with the original Jets.

Smail’s name is also etched in NHL history. On December 20, 1981, he scored five seconds into the first period, the NHL record for the fastest goal from the start of a game, a mark recognized by Guinness World Records and later shared with future SHHOF Inductee Bryan Trottier. Smail later attended the 1990 NHL All-Star Game and was part of the Jets’ historic 1984-85 roster, which tied an NHL record with six 30-goal scorers, including Saskatchewan’s Laurie Boschman, on one team.

Smail concluded his professional playing career with three seasons in Europe from 1993-96 before transitioning into coaching, franchise development, and hockey education. For more than two decades he has coached minor hockey in Colorado, capturing multiple state championships with the Under-18 AAA Rocky Mountain RoughRiders, while also contributing to coaching development programs worldwide.

From Moose Jaw to the NHL and beyond, Smail’s enduring impact on the sport reflects a lifetime dedicated to excellence in hockey.