Signed as a free agent, February 19, 1979. Rights retained prior to Expansion Draft, June 9, 1979.
The Jets signed veteran goaltender Gary Smith in February 1979 and he quickly seized the starting job, backstopping the Jets to their third and final AVCO Cup championship that season. Following the Jets' entry into the NHL, he remained with the Jets for one season split between the Jets and their farm team in Tulsa. He retired after the 1979-1980 season and worked briefly for the Jets as a scout. The eccentric Smith made his NHL debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1965-1966 and played with many NHL teams until signing with the Indianapolis Racers during the summer of 1978. After the Racers folded in December, Smith called the Jets from his home in Lake Tahoe, Nevada and found a team in the need of a veteran presence in goal.
