Alex Smart (May 29, 1918 – April 19, 2005) was a Canadian ice hockey forward. He played one season for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League and spent the majority of his career in the Quebec Senior Hockey League.
Playing career[]
Born in Brandon, Manitoba, Smart played in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League with the Portage Terriers for two seasons. In 1937-38, he joined the senior ranks with the Toronto Marlboros of the Ontario Hockey Association and scored 23 points in 12 games at a goal-per-game pace.
The following season, he began playing in the Quebec Senior Hockey League (QSHL) with the Verdun Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens. Affiliated with the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League, Smart was called up to the NHL in 1943 and, on January 14, became the first player in league history to score a hat trick in his NHL debut (this feat was later matched by Réal Cloutier of the Quebec Nordiques in 1979 and Fabian Brunnström of the Dallas Stars in 2008). He completed the season with 5 goals and 2 assists in 8 games – the lone NHL stint of his career.
Smart spent the remainder of his career in the QSHL with the Montreal Royals and Ottawa Senators. He recorded a career-high 66 points in 47 games with the Senators in 1947–48, then helped the club to an Allan Cup in 1949.