Stan Smrke

Stanko Smrke (September 2, 1928 — April 14, 1977) was a Yugoslavian-born Canadian ice hockey forward. He played 9 games in the National Hockey League with the Montreal Canadiens during the 1956–57 and 1957–58 seasons. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1947 to 1967, was spent in the minor leagues.

Stan Smrke
Born	(1928-09-02)September 2, 1928 Golobinjek, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (present-day Slovenia)
Died	April 14, 1977(1977-04-14) (aged 48) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position	Left
Shot	Left
Played for	Montreal Canadiens
Playing career	1947–1967

Career

Smrke started his National Hockey League career with the Montreal Canadiens in 1956. He was the first Yugoslavian-born player ever to play in the NHL. Smrke played his entire NHL career (9 games) with the Habs. Over his career, he scored a total of three assists before being dropped by the team. His final season in the NHL was the 1957–58 season.

After leaving the NHL, he was sent to the minor leagues and became a member of the Rochester Americans. He is currently ranked fifth all-time in the Rochester Americans Hall of Fame.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

He was born as Stanko Smrke in Golobinjek, in what was then the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes to a Slovene father and a Serb mother but grew up in Sudbury, Ontario. His son, John Smrke, was also a hockey player and played 103 games in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues and Quebec Nordiques.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1945–46	Copper Cliff Jr. Redmen	NOJHA		3	4	0	4	0		—	—	—	—	—
1946–47	Toronto Young Rangers	OHA		5	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1947–48	Atlantic City/Baltimore	EAHL		28	9	16	25	14		—	—	—	—	—
1947-1948	Baltimore Clippers	NHL		12	8	14	22	—		—	—	—	—	—
1948–49	Port-Alfred Elans	LSLHL		36	27	18	45	—		—	—	—	—	—
1949–50	Chicoutimi Sagueneens	QSHL		58	24	26	50	64		5	5	0	5	5
1950–51	Chicoutimi Sagueneens	QSHL		54	16	36	52	48		6	0	2	2	2
1951–52	Chicoutimi Sagueneens	QSHL		40	10	13	23	25		18	5	6	11	15
1952–53	Chicoutimi Sagueneens	QSHL		59	35	46	81	28		20	5	8	13	13
1953–54	Chicoutimi Sagueneens	QSHL		62	11	32	43	24		7	0	2	2	0
1954–55	Chicoutimi Sagueneens	QSHL		60	25	36	61	34		7	2	2	4	2
1955–56	Chicoutimi Sagueneens	QSHL		45	26	32	58	20		5	1	3	4	7
1956–57	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		4	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1956–57	Chicoutimi Sagueneens	QSHL		33	20	18	38	22		—	—	—	—	—
1957–58	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		5	0	3	3	0		—	—	—	—	—
1957–58	Rochester Americans	AHL		63	20	19	39	32		—	—	—	—	—
1958–59	Chicoutimi Sagueneens	QSHL		57	36	32	68	40		—	—	—	—	—
1959–60	Rochester Americans	AHL		67	40	36	76	18		11	7	6	13	2
1960–61	Rochester Americans	AHL		21	10	12	22	6		—	—	—	—	—
1961–62	Rochester Americans	AHL		40	7	19	26	14		2	0	0	0	0
1962–63	Rochester Americans	AHL		71	22	25	47	16		2	1	0	1	0
1963–64	Rochester Americans	AHL		59	23	19	42	26		2	0	0	0	0
1964–65	Rochester Americans	AHL		71	33	49	92	28		10	5	4	9	4
1965–66	Rochester Americans	AHL		50	11	20	31	8		8	0	1	1	0
1966–67	Rochester Americans	AHL		71	31	30	61	24		13	2	7	9	2
AHL totals				513	197	239	436	172		48	15	18	33	8
QSHL totals				468	203	271	474	305		68	18	23	41	44
NHL totals				9	0	3	3	0		—	—	—	—	—

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
• Stan Smrke at Find a Grave