NHL: 30 best goalies of all time: 15. Billy Smith
Stats:
- 89.5 save percentage
- 3.18 GAA
- 305 wins
Achievements:
- 4-time Stanley Cup champion
- 1-time Vezina Trophy winner
- 1982-83 Conn Smythe Award winner
Billy Smith’s numbers have to be put in their proper context. Although there have been plenty of names on this list who boasted a better GAA and a save percentage, the era in which Smith played should be taken into account.
Unlike the low-scoring games that constantly take place today, seven or eight goals were routine, in Smith’s era. Despite the knock-down drag-out matchups, Smith ranked in the top ten of save percentage 11 seasons when he played. During the 1981-82 season, Smith led the league in wins with 32, his 305 total for his career places him 32nd all-time. With 19 consecutive playoff series wins in the Stanley Cup, Smith was a force to be reckoned with.
Although it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when Smith was at his absolute best, his 1976-77 season for the New York Islanders immediately comes to mind. The days of giving up three, four, or even five goals on average were over and done with, Smith locked things down at the net. On the year he saved a career-best 91.6% of shots at the net while giving up a mere 2.50 GAA. He also dished out two shutouts that year which began a run of sheer dominance.
For the next few years, Smith would flirt with those numbers, and while he ended his career on a whimper in the 1988-89 season by allowing 4.44 goals per night, his years prior to that sealed his fate on this list.