Smith to lace up for fundraiser

BY ELYSE AMEND

elyse.amend@transcontinental.ca

Like many Canadians, Peter Smith’s love for hockey was sparked at a young age.

“It started 49 years ago. I was six years old when I started playing and I never lost it,” said the 55-year-old Lachine native who will lace up for the fifth annual Media Celebrity Hockey Marathon in support of the Lakeshore General Hospital Foundation this Saturday.

Smith was also able to turn his passion for hockey into a career. He has been head coach of the McGill University Martlets since 1999 and is going into his 16th season as a coach with the team in 2008-2009. Last June, Smith was promoted to head coach of the Canadian national women’s hockey team. Previously, as an assistant coach, Smith was with Team Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy when they walked away with the gold medal.

“One of the highlights has been the Olympic gold in Turino in 2006, definitely. And two is winning the national championships with the Martlets. Those are the two performance highlights, if you will, in terms of coaching,” Smith said. The Martlets have reached the CIS national championships in seven of the last eight seasons, including 2007-2008, when the team won their first title with an undefeated season in the league. Smith is also the coach with the most wins in McGill history, and will head into the 2008-2009 season with a record of 222-102-27 in 351 games overall.

“I think I’ve been a student of the game all my life, and that’s what’s helped me as a coach,” said Smith, adding he has no plans to retire from coaching hockey any time soon. “I get up in the morning and can’t wait to get going at it.”

Smith’s résumé also includes four Quebec university coach-of-the-year honours. Before getting on board with the Martlets, Smith was the bench boss of the West Island Blues, an under-21 women’s AA team he helped establish. He coached the team for four seasons, and won the regional championships in 1997 and 1998. He also coached the Lac St. Louis under-16 girls regional team at the provincial championships during that time.

Hockey apparently also runs in the family: Smith’s two daughters, Natalie and Christina, are both part of the Martlets’ alumni.

Smith said taking part in the Media Celebrity Hockey Marathon was an easy decision.

“It’s a great cause, and I’m just happy to help out where I can,” he said. The list of players for this Saturday’s event includes some pretty big names, but Smith assured he was not worried about the competition.

“Not at all! I’m old, but I’m fast,” he said, laughing. “It’ll be fun, for sure.”