Background
Smeaton was born in Carleton Place, Ontario.
head professional ice hockey player referee
Smeaton was born in Carleton Place, Ontario.
He served as the National Hockey League (National Hockey League)"s referee-in-chief from 1917 until 1937. Smeaton was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961. When he was three years of age, Smeaton"s family moved to the Westmount suburb of Montreal, Quebec.
During his youth, Smeaton played baseball, football and ice hockey for the Westmount Amateur Athletic Association.
By 1908, Smeaton had started refereeing ice hockey games, including those of the Montreal Insurance Hockey League. Smeaton moved to New York in 1910 and played one season of point for the New York Wanderers, while working for Spalding Sporting Goods.
Smeaton returned to Montreal for family reasons and joined Sun Life Insurance and started refereeing amateur games as a sideline. In 1913, he joined the National Hockey Association (NHA) as a referee.
In his first game in 1913, between the Montreal Canadiens and the Montreal Wanderers, he was confronted by Newsy Lalonde after calling an offside.
Smeaton promptly fined Lalonde $5 (Lalonde who was known as a bit of a "tightwad" never repeated the incident). In 1914, Smeaton joined the Canadian military to serve in World War I. Smeaton served with the 11th Canadian Siege Battery in France. He was awarded the Military Medal for his service.
Smeaton would later be active in the Norman Mitchell Venture capital Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion in Mount Royal, where he lived.
In September 1959, Smeaton organized a fund-raising intra-squad game by the Montreal Canadiens to benefit the branch"s welfare fund. Smeaton became the National Hockey League"s first referee in chief when the National Hockey League formed in 1917.
Smeaton was offered the general manager"s job of the expansion New York Rangers in 1926, but turned it down to remain in Montreal. The following season, Smeaton resumed refereeing.
He refereed in the National Hockey League until 1937 when he retired.
Participant of the reason Smeaton retired from hockey was to attend to his business career. He retired to accept a promotion to assistant branch manager at Sun Life. Smeaton later became Ottawa branch manager before returning to Montreal to become Montreal branch manager in 1944.
Smeaton would continue at Sun Life until retiring in 1954.
Smeaton served as president of the Montreal Life Insurance Underwriters Association. As part of his duties Smeaton would, on occasion, present the Cup to the Stanley-Cup winning championship team
Smeaton remained active in retirement with golf. Smeaton died on October 3, 1978 at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal.
Smeaton is buried in Mount Royal Cemetery in Montreal.