Smith was born in Calgary but moved to Montreal in 1944 from Trail, British Columbia where he started his career.
[1] Smith switched to calling football full-time in 1952 from hockey after a minor heart attack, and was replaced by Danny Gallivan.
[2] He also organized international golf matches, including the World Golfer of the Year in 1965.
[3] Smith died in 1979 after a long illness in hospital in Montreal.
[4] He received the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award and induction into the media section of the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985.