Craig Smith (ice hockey)
Craig Smith (born September 5, 1989) is an American ice hockey player who is currently playing for the Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Nashville Predators in the fourth round, 98th overall, of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Playing career. Smith played major junior hockey in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Waterloo Black Hawks. He was named to the USHL First All-Star Team for the 2008–09 season. Smith participated at the 2011 IIHF World Championship as a member of the United States men's national  ice hockey team. He then went on to play two years at the University of Wisconsin for the Badgers ice hockey team. After coming out of college early, Smith became the first player since Colin Wilson to make the Predators without first playing for the team's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, which at the time was the Milwaukee Admirals. On October 7, 2011, in a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Smith made his NHL debut and scored his first NHL goal, which came against Steve Mason. Following the 2014–15 season, Smith became a restricted free agent under the  NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement. The Predators made him a qualifying offer to retain his NHL rights and, on July 5, 2015, Smith filed for Salary Arbitration. On July 20, prior to his scheduled meeting, Smith entered into a new five-year, $21.25 million contract with the Predators. On September 29, 2020, after nine seasons with Nashville, Smith informed the team that he would not sign a new contract with them and that he would become a free agent. On October 10, he signed a three-year, $9.3 million contract with the Boston Bruins. On May 19, 2021, Smith  scored the Game 3 double overtime winner for the Bruins against the Washington Capitals, giving them a 2-1 series lead in their first round series. He scored the goal when Capitals goalie Ilya Samsonov misplayed the puck behind the net. Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin controversially scolded him in Russian after the game ended. The Bruins then went on to win the series against the Capitals in five games. Personal. Smith graduated from La Follette High School in Madison, Wisconsin.