Today Ryan Smyth will announce his retirement from the NHL following tomorrow's game and effectively end an era for Oiler fans that bridged the gap between the glory years and whatever we call this current mess. For a man my age (30) Ryan Smyth is synonymous with the Oilers. I was a month away from my 11th Birthday when he was drafted and as I grew into the Oiler fan that I did, it was Ryan Smyth who showed me what it meant to wear those silks.
He truly is the last holdover from a time when Oiler teams were guaranteed to work their tails off and pay the price no matter the consequences. It was Smyth in front of the net who embodied the sacrifice required to beat the teams who were hilariously more skilled than the Oil. It didnt matter that they had bigger payrolls. It didnt matter that their defensemen could block out the sun. It didnt matter because the Ryan Smyth Oilers were prepared to match whatever was thrown at them with sheer willpower.
My lasting memory of Ryan Smyth on the ice isnt a single moment the way it might be for more skilled players. For example I remember Gagner's 8 point night, Eberle's 1st Goal against Calgary, or Kane's Cup winner. For Ryan Smyth my memory of him as a player is a montage of almost identical scenes of him standing in front of the net. The only things that change are the colours of the jerseys and the namebar of the defenseman crosschecking him furiously in the blue paint.
He didnt impress with a slick move at a timely moment. He impressed with a brand of hockey that was fueled by his passion for the game and that passion simply would not give out. He was a workman in a way that resonated with a working man's city and fanbase. He was the link between us and the NHL. He was and is one of us. He is still the kid who just loves hockey. He is the child grown into a man who brings his lunch pale to work every day. He is the father who teaches his own kids how to play the game the right way. He is the man who always answered when his country called. He is and will always be an Edmonton Oiler.
Will the Oil retire Smyth's number 94? They have a standard right now that suggests the requirement to retire the number is entrance into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Well Smyth is an unlikely inductee to the HoF but I cant imagine anyone else wearing 94 for the Orange and Blue. He is top 5 in so many categories for the club and his name is along side so many of the greats in the franchise record books. Perhaps his case deserves some special attention.
So when Smytty retires tomorrow night and hangs up his skates forever it will be safe to say there will be a few tears shed. Some by him, some by us, but let the record show that for me there has been no better Oiler than Ryan Smyth. I have never questioned his commitment. Never questioned his love for the team that drafted him and the city that he calls his home. I have never questioned his heart.
Farewell, Ryan Smyth. You will be missed.
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