Chicago, Ill. – With a 2-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the sixth game of the Stanley Cup Finals, the Chicago Blackhawks won their third championship in six seasons to create a modern-day dynasty. Chicago's Barry Smith, the team's Director of Player Development, has been a vital part of the last two championships.
Smith is in his fifth season with the Blackhawks and his fourth as the team's Director of Player Development. He previously served as the club's European Development Advisor and as a professional scout. Smith is a 1972 graduate of Ithaca College, and was inducted into the Ithaca College Athletics Hall of Fame in 1992.
"Ithaca College was a tremendous experience for me, both educationally and socially," said Smith. "Size-wise, it was what I needed. I really fit in and I had a chance to play three different sports, which in today's era you can't do. I had a chance to work with a lot of different coaches and students of all educational curriculums, not just my own field of study."
A three-sport athlete for the Bombers, Smith participated in football, hockey and lacrosse. He caught 46 career passes as a wide receiver while playing football for legendary coach Jim Butterfield, ranking fourth on the program's all-time receptions list at the time of his graduation. Smith also played three years of varsity ice hockey, serving as a team captain in his senior season. Smith, who played hockey for coach Forbes Keith, recorded 11 goals and 11 assists over 40 career games.
"Jim Butterfield recruited me, and I was lucky enough to play for him starting my sophomore year, Smith said. "I was fortunate enough to be a starter on the football team and I loved the experience. At that time George Moore was the one who recruited me for hockey, and Forbes Keith came in after coach Moore left. I played JV lacrosse because of overlapping sports, and had a chance to play for Bill "Wally" Ware. He was a good friend as well."
Smith has achieved success at nearly every level, having been part of two other dynasties before arriving in Chicago. He served as head ice hockey coach at Elmira College for six seasons, before breaking into the National Hockey League with the Buffalo Sabres in 1986. From there, Smith progressed to Pittsburgh, where he won his first two Stanley Cups as an assistant coach for the Penguins in 1991 and 1992.
Following two seasons in Pittsburgh, Smith followed Hall-of-Fame head coach Scotty Bowman to Detroit for the 1993-94 season. While with the Red Wings, Smith served as assistant and associate head coach. He filled in briefly as head coach in 1998, going 4-1-0 to start the year while Bowman recovered from offseason surgery. With Smith's help, the Red Wings won three Stanley Cups, earning titles in 1997, 1998 and 2002.
"You always have to try and go back and recognize what are the most important skills, traits and characteristics of your players, because the game of hockey incorporates all different types of skill sets," Smith said when asked about why his teams have been so successful.
"It takes a wide range of players, and we found the most important thing was a player's mental makeup. That includes your character, attitude, ability to compete, as well as being a good teammate. Those always came first, followed by game sense. Those guys that process the game faster than others give them a quicker reaction because they understand the game. Some players are good in practice because of their athleticism, but when the game comes they can't process and react, and that's key."
After serving as an assistant on Wayne Gretzky's staff in Arizona (Phoenix) from 2005-07, Smith spent three seasons as coach and director of player personnel with SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League.
Other international stops included time as an assistant coach for Team USA in the 1991 World Cup, and as associate head coach at the 2007 World Championship. He also helped coach Team Sweden at the 1996 World Cup and the 1998 Winter Olympics before transitioning into his current role with the Blackhawks.
"I changed my role a bit from day-to-day coaching to player development," said Smith. "I have a variety of players in a variety of stages on their transition to becoming a professional. It's been really interesting taking a look at players' games, including what they do well and what they're missing. Then you have your second and third-year pros that we take a look at to see what we can do to get them up (to the NHL), or assess what skills they have that make them valuable to another team. It's been a different type of coaching in a more hands on approach."
Despite the grind of the NHL season, Smith still finds time to stay connected with his friends on South Hill. Even stints in Europe and heavy travel throughout the year can't break those bonds.
"I have quite a good group of football guys that I keep in touch with, along with the group from the fraternities that used to be on campus," said Smith. "One person that deserves a ton of credit with keeping us together is Geoff Wright. He's kept all of us tuned in to what is going on (in Ithaca). I'm planning on having a bunch of those guys over to my cottage later this summer for an outing, including some of the guys I played with."
After nearly 30 years at the professional level, Smith still looks back on his time at Ithaca College as a starting point for success. The things he learned while competing as a Bomber stick with him to this day, and have helped guide his accomplished career.
"The guys that I competed with on the football, hockey and lacrosse teams taught me a lot. It was great competition. We didn't have selfish guys and everybody bought in. We shared responsibilities, roles and time on the playing field. It was a tremendous experience in the sense that we all became hard workers and learned to play for the sake of playing the game."
