Mike Smith was 13-6-1 with a 2.90 GAA and .899 SP this season for Tampa Bay. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images)
Mark Malinowski
2011-06-19 11:52:00
Status: Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender.
Ht: 6-foot-4 Wt: 215 pounds
DOB: March 22, 1982 In: Kingston, Ont.
First Hockey Memory: "Growing up in Canada, I grew up on a little river in the back of my house. Skating on that was always a fond memory."
Hockey Inspirations: "I had a lot of inspirations growing up. As far as a hockey mentor - Patrick Roy was a big role model for me growing up in that era."
Favorite Movies: "Comedy."
First Car: "It was ‘Billy The Blazer.’ A Chevy Blazer."
First Job: "I worked at a hockey school."
Current Car: "Audi R8."
Favorite Meal: "Just a steak and potato guy."
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: "Chocolate."
Last Book Read: "I don't read books."
Greatest Sports Moment: "Playing my first game in the NHL. Getting a shutout and a win my first game was a dream come true. And obviously a lot had happened for me to get there."
Most Painful Moment: "There's a lot of pain along the way. I don't know - a lot of injuries, bumps and bruises along the way. But they all heal pretty quickly."
Funniest Players Encountered: "Marty Turco, Marty St-Louis."
Embarrassing Hockey Memory: "Probably in pre-game skate, lights are off, tripping getting on the ice. It's pretty embarrassing. Sliding across the ice. I think it happened in Phoenix. Good thing there weren’t that many people there."
Strangest Game: "That one in Philly this year was pretty out of the ordinary. The 8-7 win. That was probably the craziest one I played."
Closest NHL Friend(s): "Marty Turco."
Funny Hockey Memory: "A lot of things, but I can't tell them (smiles)."
Favorite Uniforms: "Tampa Bay - the new ones."
Favorite Sports Outside Hockey: "Golf, baseball."
Favorite Players To Watch: "‘Stammer’ (Steven Stamkos) and Marty (St-Louis) and Vinny (Lecavalier)."
Interesting Fact: Mike is the only goalie in history to record a shutout, score a goal and receive a fighting major in the same game.
Personality Qualities Most Admired: "Just outgoing and laid-back."
Mark 'Scoop' Malinowski is the author of "Heavyweight Armageddon: The Tyson-Lewis Championship Battle" and creator of two websites: www.thebiofile.com and www.tennis-prose.com.
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"Last year we came in as maybe an underdog, quietly. Got off to the right start just because teams weren't really ready for us. But this time around that's not the case. They realize we are a good team and they're ready to go against us, right off the get-go."
- Los Angeles' Colin Fraser. The Kings have lost two in a row and are now tied 2-2 in their series against the San Jose Sharks.