The New York State Hockey Hall of Fame honored two former Golden Knights with induction into their inaugural class.  Mike Smith and David Gray were both honored for their work as coaches and the legacy they helped create in NY Hockey.  

Mike Smith earned his B.S. from Clarkson in 1968.  He then went on to Syracuse University where he earned a Doctorate in Sociology. In 1979, Smith had his first job with the Winnipeg Jets, when he was hired as coach in their minor league system. He would spend fourteen years in the Jets organization, where he became best known as a pioneer in bringing Russian players into the league.  He became director of scouting, then assistant general manager, and eventually the GM of the Jets from 1988 to 1994. Smith also worked as a scout for the Chicago Blackhawks and associate General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In December 1999, the Chicago Blackhawks named Smith Manager of Hockey Operations and then eventually General Manager. Under Smith the Blackhawks made the playoffs for the first time in five years during the 2001–02 season. He would be the Blackhawks' GM for three years.  Smith was named Executive of the Year by The Sporting News after the 2001–02 season, while with the Blackhawks.  

In 1999, Smith was inducted into the New York High School Hockey Hall of Fame. In 2006, Smith joined Coleman Analytics to help that company develop and market an analytics package for NHL teams.  In 2015, Smith was hired by Bench Metrics to develop a product to help teams apply analytics for teams to use in the NHL Entry Draft.

David Gray came to Clarkson and stayed in New York after his graduation in 1975, having a strong impact on hockey through coaching at all levels.  Gray was an Industrial Management Major at Clarkson and played in 61 games over 3 seasons in the Green and Gold.  A versatile player, David saw time as both a forward and a defenseman, where he notched 6 goals and 23 assists.  Gray played under Hall of Fame Coach, Jerry York and played two seasons alongside Clarkson's All Time leading scorer, Dave Taylor.  

Gray came to Clarkson from Edmonds, WA and lived in Michigan before that.  Gray has been highly involved in Alumni affairs with Clarkson Hockey, helping keep teammates involved in returning to Campus, connecting with the coaches over the years, and helping raise awareness for the Golden Knights in the Capital Region.  Gray has been heavily involved with the Troy Albany Youth Hockey Association where he spent 13 seasons as the Director of Hockey Operations and the USA hockey ACE coordinator. Within a youth organization, his presence helped shape generations of new coaches through coaching education classes, curriculum and planning.  At a level where most coaches are parents, Dave went above and beyond to share the experiences he gained through the sport of hockey well past the years he coached his own children.  

Clarkson Hockey is proud of our inaugural inductees.  For more on the NY Hockey Hall of Fame, click here