Smile and support

EDMONTON, Alta. -- At times, there was a hint of a smile on Devante Smith-Pelly's face.

Less than 24 hours after blocking a shot that broke his left foot and ended his world junior tournament prematurely, Smith-Pelly met with the media for what is presumed the final time. He stood with two crutches to keep his balance, while he put marginal weight on his left foot, usually bent forward with the toes gently grazing the ground.

The pain in his foot now pales in comparison to the pain felt in having his dream shattered.

"This is what I've wanted to do for a while and to only get a chance to play a period and a bit, it's heartbreaking," he said.

His words hardly corresponded with the image he was portraying. After learning he would get the chance to live out his dream of playing in the world juniors, it was whisked away in a moment. He'll miss the next four to six weeks recovering from the injury.

Disappointing as it is to have his tournament end before the final buzzer of his first game, Smith-Pelly's smile wasn't just a front. He'll stay with his teammates through the balance of the tournament and displayed his infectious smile from the bench as his teammates skated in practice Tuesday morning.

With hardly anything else to contribute, Smith-Pelly will be there for his teammates. He's making sure that presence remains the same as the image he portrayed to the media.

"Obviously it's pretty disappointing," he said. "But I'm not going to sit here and pout and be a distraction to the guys. I'm here to support them."

Team captain Jaden Schwartz went through a similar situation in last year's tournament. He suffered an ankle injury that limited him to two games, one more than Smith-Pelly will get.

"It's tough," Schwartz said. "Watching the games and not being able to help, that's one of the hardest things I've ever had to go through as far as hockey-wise. He's handled it well so far. He's a good kid and I'm glad to hear he's sticking around the team. There's worse things in life than injuries, but it's tough timing for him."

Unlike Schwartz, Smith-Pelly won't get another shot next year since he won't be eligible to return. The reality of this injury makes it so severe, he can't even hope for a speedy recovery.

His mindset echoes the word used with his career as a National Hockey League player. The term used is a "professional," and Smith-Pelly embodies the description in so many ways. He repeated several times that he didn't want to be a distraction for his teammates. He also didn't want to look at it negatively, since he didn't want that energy to surface within the team.

But perhaps even more to the point, he wouldn't even look at the "what if's." As in, what if he hadn't blocked the shot?

"You never know what can happen on that shot," he said. "The game was still pretty close at that point. If it went in, who knows what would have happened. I don't regret blocking it at all. That's a part of my game and, I mean, injuries happen."

Head coach Don Hay trumpeted that same line regarding injuries. He won't be preaching a new message to his players when it comes to sacrificing their bodies for the good of the team.

"If you don't block it, it might cost you a gold medal," Hay said. "It's something that I don't think you can decide when you're going to do it. It's just got to become natural. It's a good habit you have to get into and those good habits really pay off when the game is on the line or in pressure situations. We're going to continue to ask our guys to block shots."

Hay also spoke of the opportunity Smith-Pelly's injury presents for some his players. Brett Connolly, now the only NHLer in the lineup, will take his spot and is one of many expected to pick up the physical slack left by Smith-Pelly's injury.

"I think everybody has to step up and play the body more," Hay said. "Devo was a guy, when he hits somebody, it was usually a big hit. We might not get the big hits that he supplied, but we should get more guys contributing as far as guys finishing checks."

Smith-Pelly's absence, no doubt, leaves a big hole to fill for Team Canada.

If nothing else, he'll be Canada's biggest fan with a bright smile across his face.