EDMONTON — They don’t let Hollywood screenwriters get their hands on National Hockey League results, even if we sometimes might prefer a Mystery Alaska ending on a night like this.
If they had, Ryan Smyth would have scored the power play goal to break the tie with Glenn Anderson atop that Edmonton Oilers list, while he was bleeding from that high stick in the second period. That’s Anderson, “the guy who (drove) over me,” in his car, when Smyth was an 11-year-old Team Canada stick boy at a Banff training camp back in 1987, Smyth chuckled after the game.
Alas, Smyth couldn’t light the lamp on Saturday night at Rexall Place, because sport doesn’t always give us what we want. The fans, the writers, or even Smyth himself.
The truth is, we’re pretty sure that if Smyth would have been able to direct the end of his all-Canadian career we would still be at least 12 months away from his retirement NHL game. So presumably, the biggest celebration in recent memory here came after Edmonton general manager Craig MacTavish made it clear that there would not be a contract offer for Smyth this summer.
It doesn’t make great theatre, but that’s pro sports folks, like it or not.
What could be controlled on Saturday however, was done masterfully by an organization that may not know much about winning anymore, but always could put on a top-notch tribute game.
“I soaked every minute of it in,” said Smyth, who said on Friday he didn’t want to be known as ‘Cryin’ Ryan,’ but was scene balling like a baby on the Edmonton bench with just over a minute to go. It was beautiful. “I’ll never forget this for the rest of my life,” he said.
Admittedly, these things can get a tad regional. The guy in Winnipeg might say Smyth took a few too many post-game victory laps, but a sold out Rexall Place — where $20 StubHub tickets miraculously soared to over $300 as soon as it became known this would be Smyth’s last game – was truly touched.
Smyth is to Edmonton what Daniel Alfredsson was to Ottawa. He was Trevor Linden in Vancouver, Wendel Clark in Toronto, Saku Koivu in Montreal, or Jarome Iginla in Calgary. They loved Smyth’s style here, and even condoned that mullet, because it’s a bit of a blood ‘n’ guts town, and it certainly has its share of blue collar guys wearing ‘80s hair.
That Smyth owns a steakhouse in Edmonton is almost redundant. What else would he own?
“It was surreal to play this game with him, to share a night like this with him,” said linemate David Perron, who has never passed off as many shots as he did on this night, channeling his inner Doug Weight to try and get Smyth his goal. “It’s a privilege,” he said of the task.
The thing about Smyth is, he was a player’s player. The pure scorers always marveled at how ugly his goals were, and how he could make something out of nothing the way he did. While the grinders wondered, “Why does he play just like me, but score so many goals?”
Meanwhile the goalies could never figure out how such a muffin of a shot found twine, or how Smyth could so consistently stuff a three-inch puck through a two-inch five-hole. As Glen Sather said in a video tribute, Smyth wasn’t very fast or very big, but boy, did he have heart.
When the analytics guys can get their numbers around that quality, Damien Cox and I will both raise our hands and say, “Uncle.”
“I’m thoroughly honoured to be standing here,” he said after a game that included a five minute and 36 second shift, as head coach Dallas Eakins left Smyth out for consecutive power plays.
Smyth wore the captain’s ‘C’ for Edmonton in his final National Hockey League game, and the Oilers won a meaningless 5-2 result over the Canucks. The only question left now is if John Tortorella wears the ‘C’ in Vancouver on Sunday, when the Canucks host Calgary in Game 82?
(OK, I stole that line from @Sun_Tychkowski. Call it research.)
In an exceptionally classy move, the Canucks left the ice to the Oilers after the game, but then returned to it, forming a handshake line at Smyth near centre ice. It was absolutely first class, and had the Sedin brothers, Henrik and Daniel, written all over it.
“Very touching,” said Smyth.
Indeed.