After all the slashes and scrapes, high sticks and hard knocks, his face is more mangled than Jim Carr’s teeth. Check the man’s odometer and you’ll find that – after 17 NHL seasons and nearly 1,200 games – he has more miles on him than any two current Edmonton Oilers combined. Of course, you could have checked it, if it hadn’t been busted off and smashed during a Robyn Regehr hip check in 2006. But what the odometer couldn’t tell you is how hard those miles have been. He’s made his living in the slot, battling bigger men for position and taking so many cross-checks you can be sure he’s felt every make and model of hockey stick across his back.
Carving out a reputation for toughness in the toughest of team sports, he’s been a fan favorite and inspirational leader for nearly two decades. No Oiler fan who experienced it could forget Game 3 of the 2006 Cup Final. He is resiliency personified, showing an almost inhuman ability to bounce back from injuries that would leave lesser men languishing on trainer tables or hospital beds, unwilling or unable to continue. How does he do it? How does he absorb so much punishment and keep going without complaint? The answer seems to be the same no matter who you ask: He’s Ryan Smyth.
Smyth should be named the Edmonton Oilers’ captain for the upcoming season, which will most likely be his last in the National Hockey League. Putting the C on his chest would be a fitting tribute to the man who’s become known as “Captain Canada” because of his work representing the nation at international tournaments. He’s been named Canada’s captain at six of the eight World Championships he’s appeared in, and it would be cruel irony if his career ended without being named captain of the Oilers, the team he’s bled and toiled for more than any other during his career.
Make no mistake, the tread on Smyth’s tires is wearing awfully thin as he nears his final shifts in the NHL. He managed only two goals in 13 points in 47 games during the 2012-13 campaign, and his most notable moment of the season came on Feb. 12, when head coach Ralph Krueger made him a healthy scratch against the Dallas Stars. He’s expected to fill a spot on third or fourth line this season, and there’s no telling how effective he’ll be in his limited role. Smyth turns 38 in February. He he was never particularly fleet of foot to begin with, and saying he’s lost a step would be an understatement on par with saying that Sidney Crosby is good at hockey.
I’m sure many will disagree with me, arguing that the Oilers should take a step forward and look to the future, rather than paying tribute to the past. I can understand that point of view, particularly since Smyth epitomizes the era of Oilers hockey he’s been forced to endure. Like Smyth, the team has had to try and make the most of limited talent, scratching and clawing for whatever brief flashes of success they’ve enjoyed since their last Stanley Cup championship in 1990. A younger captain would certainly signal another shift toward moving out the old and welcoming the new, but Smyth hasn’t been put out to pasture yet.
Many have tabbed Taylor Hall as the successor to Shawn Horcoff, who showed all the punch and passion of a limbless mime by the end of his tenure in Edmonton. Hall could prove to be an excellent captain, but what’s the harm in giving him another year of experience and seasoning before handing him the reins? There are some obvious examples (Landeskog, Lecavalier) of players who were given the captaincy before they were ready, and you wouldn’t want Hall to fall into that group that’s given too much too soon.
Plus, naming Smyth the captain could result in some unexpected on-ice benefits. Perhaps the gritty left winger would be rejuvenated by the role, rewarding the organization for having faith in his leadership abilities. Hall is going to play just as well whether it’s a C, an A or a Q on his chest. Also, it wouldn’t be a stretch to see Smyth’s teammates rally around their veteran leader. From Maurice Richard to Jerome Bettis to Ray Lewis, we’ve seen examples of teams elevate their play to provide a championship send-off for a player in the twilight of his career. Why couldn’t the same happen for the heart and soul of the Oilers?
He has the respect of his teammates, the love of a fanbase, and scars that date back to the days of Dave Babych. There’s no doubt about it in my mind: The Oilers should slap the C on Smytty.
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