Playing career

Drafted

Smolinski grew up in Genoa, Ohio He played junior hockey for the Stratford Cullitons and played college hockey for the Michigan State Spartans. After his freshman year, he was drafted in the first round (21st overall) in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft by the Boston Bruins. Smolinski completed a four-year tenure with the Spartans before joining the Bruins for the end of the 1992-93 season.

National Hockey League

In his rookie campaign of 1993-94 Smolinski tallied 31 goals and 51 points. After a 31-point season in the shortened 1994-95 campaign, Smolinski was traded in the summer of 1995 alongside Glen Murray to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Kevin Stevens and Shawn McEachern. In his only season with the Penguins in 1995-96, he scored a career-high 40 assists and 64 points. However, Smolinski and the Penguins could not agree on a new contract in the off-season and he subsequently sat out the start of the next season, playing for the Detroit Vipers of the IHL. In November 1996, general manager Mike Milbury of the New York Islanders traded defenceman Darius Kasparaitis and rookie Andreas Johansson for the rights to negotiate a contract with Smolinski.

Smolinski played three seasons for the Islanders before being traded in June 1999 as part of an eight-player deal that saw him, Žigmund Pálffy, goaltender Marcel Cousineau, and fourth-round selection previously acquired from the New Jersey Devils (Daniel Johansson) traded to the Los Angeles Kings for Olli Jokinen, Josh Green, Mathieu Biron, and a first-round selection (Taylor Pyatt). Smolinski played four seasons for the Kings, before being traded to the Ottawa Senators at the trade deadline for defence prospect Tim Gleason on March 11, 2003.

During the 2004-05 NHL lockout, Smolinski was an assistant hockey coach at Cranbrook Kingswood before briefly playing for the Motor City Mechanics of the United Hockey League (UHL). Returning to the Senators for the 2005-06 season, he was traded in the subsequent off-season on July 9, 2006, to the Chicago Blackhawks in a three-way deal with the Senators and San Jose Sharks. Smolinski started the 2006-07 season with the Blackhawks but was later traded prior to the trade deadline to the Vancouver Canucks on February 26, 2007, for a conditional second round draft pick.

Becoming a free agent in the 2007 off-season, Smolinski signed a one-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens on July 2, 2007. On October 22, Smolinski played in his 1,000th career game, against the Bruins.

After the NHL

After his stint with the Montreal Canadiens, Smolinski began an assistant coaching job for a Michigan high school team, Birmingham Unified. With Smolinski's help, the team became District Champions for the first time in four years.

Without an NHL job, on February 24, 2009, Smolinski signed a deal with the Port Huron Icehawks of the IHL. On April 30, 2009, Smolinski signed a deal with the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. He is very happy to be spending more time at home with his wife Julie, and his four children, Ashtyn(15), Maximus(13), Joren(9) and Rylen(5)

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1989-90	Michigan State University	NCAA		39	10	17	27	45		—	—	—	—	—
1990-91	Michigan State University	NCAA		35	9	12	21	24		—	—	—	—	—
1991-92	Michigan State University	NCAA		44	30	35	65	59		—	—	—	—	—
1992-93	Michigan State University	NCAA		40	31	37	68	93		—	—	—	—	—
1992-93	Boston Bruins	NHL		9	1	3	4	0		4	1	0	1	2
1993-94	Boston Bruins	NHL		83	31	20	51	82		13	5	4	9	4
1994-95	Boston Bruins	NHL		44	18	13	31	31		5	0	1	1	4
1995-96	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		81	24	40	64	69		18	5	4	9	10
1996-97	Detroit Vipers	IHL		6	5	7	12	10		—	—	—	—	—
1996-97	New York Islanders	NHL		64	28	28	56	48		—	—	—	—	—
1997-98	New York Islanders	NHL		81	13	30	43	34		—	—	—	—	—
1998-99	New York Islanders	NHL		82	16	24	40	49		—	—	—	—	—
1999-00	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		79	20	36	56	48		4	0	0	0	2
2000-01	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		78	27	32	59	40		13	1	5	6	14
2001-02	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		80	13	25	38	56		7	2	0	2	2
2002-03	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		58	18	20	38	18		—	—	—	—	—
2002-03	Ottawa Senators	NHL		10	3	5	8	2		18	2	7	9	6
2003-04	Ottawa Senators	NHL		80	19	27	46	49		7	1	1	2	4
2004-05	Motor City Mechanics	UHL		21	9	23	32	18		—	—	—	—	—
2005-06	Ottawa Senators	NHL		81	17	31	48	46		4	1	1	2	0
2006-07	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		62	14	23	37	29		—	—	—	—	—
2006-07	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		20	4	3	7	8		12	2	2	4	8
2007-08	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		64	8	17	25	20		12	1	2	3	2
2008-09	Port Huron IceHawks	IHL		21	9	21	30	18		6	3	3	6	9
2008-09	Milwaukee Admirals	AHL		—	—	—	—	—		7	3	1	4	6
2009-10	Flint Generals	IHL		48	24	25	49	42		12	3	12	15	4
NHL totals				1,056	274	377	651	606		123	23	29	52	60
NCAA totals				151	77	95	172	206		—	—	—	—	—

[ Source: Wikipedia ]