I think not.
Harry Smith was not as tough as Alf. But he had a temper. And he was the slowest player on the Silver Seven, and not one of their "Seven" starters in their heyday, was one of the extras used sometimes.
But Harry had a great shot and was a very eager player, determined, enthusiastic. I imagine a Geoff Courtnall type.
He is a great pick at this level and a decent pick at the AAA level. No way should he start at the MLD level.
He may have been a slow skater. But when you look at what he accomplished despite that, it's amazing how he overcame his lack of speed.
I don't think there is truly any way to say that Alf or Harry was tougher than the other. If you have some anecdotal evidence, be my guest but from what I see they are equals in that regard. FWIW, per sihrhockey.org, Harry had 2.24 PIM/GP in his recorded career, and Harry had 3.02 (after eliminating games for both players in leagues where PIMs are not available) He absolutely had a temper, though. He was suspended once for "rough play" and I think I read that he threw a chair at a heckler.
As for the Silver Seven using him as an extra, you'll have to clarify this for me. When was this? From what I can see, he helped them win their last cup, pacing the team in scoring in his regular season and cup games. The next year he was also their top player and visibly better than his brother (which is fair considering the 10-year difference) Prior to 1906, Harry's data looks like this:
1901-1902 Ottawa Aberdeens CAHL-I -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
1902-1903 Ottawa Aberdeens CAHL-I -- -- -- -- -- 2 2 0 2 --
1903-1904 Arnprior HC UOVHL 6 23 0 23 -- -- -- -- -- --
Smiths Falls H/C SOHA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
1904-1905 Smiths Falls H/C SOHA 5 13 * -- 13 * 12 3 5 -- 5 19 *
Cornwall H/C FAHL 1 0 0 0 -- -- -- -- -- --
So I don't see where he was ever a sub for Ottawa. As a sub you would likely not get credit for a GP unless you hit the ice, and it's possible that he never did, but he was playing in other leagues so it's not likely he was starring for Smiths Falls and sitting on Ottawa's bench.
Likening him to merely a Geoff Courtnall is an insult to Smith. Smith was in the top-4 in his league in scoring in 8 straight seasons - 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, and 1912, more often than not first. In 1908 he played in three leagues at once, finishing 1st in one, 3rd in another, and 3rd in another (on at least a per-game basis)He was also the Stanley Cup series scoring leader twice. The list of players he outscored and those who edged him, is impressive. Courtnall was a determined, hustling type of player but no one would call refer to him as a "ball of fire".
The main knock on Smith is he was done hockey by 31. His brother, by comparison, played until age 36. Smith's offensive credentials are more solid than almost anyone I can think of in the MLD. In the AAA, if you look at all the early players with solid numbers - Kerr, Ronan, Ridpath, Harris, Routh, McGimsie, Whitcroft, and Blachford - no one dominated their leagues offensively to the degree that Smith did. I see no reason why he wouldn't have been a very solid MLD player or the AAA MVP. That's why I say he's the star of
this draft. Having Smith here is like having a top AHL player in a beer league.
people don't read my posts
