Bob Smith (ice hockey) Bob Smith (ice hockey) Robert (Bob) Smith (born December 1, 1946) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player. Smith was selected 11th overall in the 1967 NHL Amateur Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins, but did not make it to the NHL, playing five seasons in the minor leagues. Smith was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Smith was an 18-year-old playing in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds when he was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins with the 11th overall pick of the 1967 NHL Amateur draft. Although all 12 NHL teams were
Ice hockey in the United States Ice hockey in the United States Ice hockey, usually referred to in the U.S. simply as "hockey", is a popular sport in the United States. Hockey in the U.S. began in 1894 when the first artificial ice rink was built in Baltimore, Maryland. Now hockey is most popular in regions of the U.S. with cold winter climates, such as the northeast and the upper Midwest. However, since the 1990s, ice hockey has become increasingly popular in the Sun Belt due in large part to the expansion of the National Hockey League to the southeast and southwest U.S., coupled with the