Neil Smith (born January 9, 1954) is a Canadian ice hockey broadcaster, and previously the general manager of both the New York Rangers from 1989–2000 and (briefly) the New York Islanders in 2006. He was also the owner and head coach of the Johnstown Chiefs of the ECHL. He last was the president, general manager, and governor of the Greenville Road Warriors of the ECHL. He now is an on-air analyst for the NHL Network. Biography Early career Smith played junior hockey before attending Western Michigan University. As a freshman, he was selected to the All-American team as a defenceman, and was named team captain his sophomore season. He was drafted in 1974 by the New York Islanders as the first ever draft pick from WMU. He spent several seasons in the minor leagues before working for the organization as a talent scout. With Smith working in an important capacity for the Islanders minor league system, the Islanders' Central Hockey League affiliate, the Indianapolis Checkers (which at the time was the Islanders most prominent minor league team) won the Adams Cup in 1981–82. While on the Island, he worked closely with the Islanders chief scout and assistant GM, Jim Devellano, and when Devellano was contacted by the new Detroit Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch to become GM in the summer of 1982, Smith moved with him to the Red Wings, where he won two Calder Cup championships as the general manager of the team's minor league affiliate, the Adirondack Red Wings in 1985–86 and 1988–89. During the 1988 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Smith and assistant coach Colin Campbell discovered several Red Wings players, including Bob Probert and Petr Klima, out past curfew. The incident occurred at a suburban Edmonton bar called "Goose Loonies", and led to an apology being issued by Red Wings head coach Jacques Demers. Smith would later hire Campbell as head coach of the New York Rangers in 1994. Success with the New York Rangers Smith was hired by the Rangers in 1989 to be their general manager, inheriting a team that included future stars Brian Leetch and Mike Richter. Under Smith's watch, the Rangers groomed Tony Amonte. Smith was also responsible for drafting star players such as Sergei Nemchinov, Alexei Kovalev, Doug Weight, and Sergei Zubov before he made his mark in 1991 with a blockbuster trade for superstar Mark Messier, who was immediately given the captaincy