Stan Smrke
Stanley "Stan" Smrke was a Canadian ice hockey forward.Career
Smrke started his National Hockey League career with the Montreal Canadiens in 1956. He was the first Yugoslavian-born player ever to play in the NHL. Smrke played his entire NHL career with the Habs. Over his career, he scored a total of three assists before being dropped by the team. His final season in the NHL was the 1957–58 season.
After leaving the NHL, he was sent to the minor leagues and became a member of the Rochester Americans. He is currently ranked fifth all-time in the Rochester Americans Hall of Fame.Personal life
He was born as Stanko Smrke in Golobinjek, in what was then the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes to a Slovene father and a Serb mother. His son, John Smrke, was also a hockey player and played 103 games in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues and Quebec Nordiques.
