EDMONTON – In the end, it was a party powered by ambivalence – a night so electric, so poignant, so unbelievably unforgettable. Nearly 17,000 strong shared in the spectacle, celebrating what No. 94 means to the Oilers and the City of Edmonton.
What a night. Nineteen years (15 as an Oiler), 1270 regular-season games, 386 goals and 842 career points later, Ryan Smyth was given the proper send-off.
“The fan appreciation from the start right to the very end – they’re the best fans in the world, fans that appreciate their hockey,” he said. “I tip my hat to them and I’m thoroughly honoured to stand up here today.
“I soaked every moment of it in and I’ll cherish it forever. It was an awesome experience and a memorable one that I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.”
“There was excitement, there was sadness … This night had it all,” Oilers winger Taylor Hall said. “It was good to get the win for Smytty. I’m still shaking after that one.”
The night belonged to Smyth, whose misty-eyed parents (Jim and Dixie), wife (Stacey) and four children (Isabella, Elizabeth, Gabrielle and Alexander) were all in attendance, offering their support. ‘Born to be an Oiler,’ an apt and all-encompassing summation, read the video screens, LED rings and everything in between, as fans arrived hours before puck drop, cheering their guts out for the warrior that sacrificed his own.
“I’m very blessed,” Smyth said. “It’s so real right now. I have the passion and the desire to play and that you’ll never take from me. But my family has been there for me, supported me through everything. They deserve me away from the game.”
When the building went black, a video began – an all-access, behind-the-scenes pass, where Smyth delivered the message, rapt in emotion, to his teammates at the head of the Oilers dressing room. There were tears, but he held it together, concluding his address with a humble request: “I want to enjoy these next two days and have a moment I’ll never forget.”
He got it, all right, made even sweeter by the addition of a single letter.
Last to emerge when it was time to play, the 38-year-old moseyed on out, the ‘C’ sewn proudly to his chest. Ryan Smyth, Captain Canada: For one night, anyway, the 15th captain in club history.
Credit to Andrew Ference and the Oilers doing this right. It was a moment like no other.
“That came about after warm-up,” Smyth said. “Coach [Dallas Eakins] came into the room and went through the starting lineup by individual and then he came to me and said, ‘I want you to play the best game of your life.’ Obviously I started breaking down and then Andrew Ference came over and handed the jersey to me with the ‘C’ on it.
“It will be a hard moment to take this jersey off.”
A number of video messages played on the scoreboard throughout the night. Glen Sather, Jason Smith, Doug Weight and Shawn Horcoff were among those who made an appearance, congratulating their long-time teammate on an incredible career.
Then, the cherry – a chorus of ‘Smytty, Smytty!’ chants rumbling throughout the night. Without question, it was the most electric atmosphere since the 2006 playoffs.
Smyth came into the night tied with Glenn Anderson as the team’s all-time leader in power play goals with 126. He had several opportunities and over seven minutes with which to work – including a league-wide, season-long shift of 5:36 – but he was unable to cash the record-breaker.
He finished the night with game-high 23:46 in ice time.
“I obviously wanted to get that goal,” Smyth said. “It would have been a fitting night to do it, but I’m still honoured to share [the record] with Glenn.”
Added Oilers winger Jordan Eberle, laughing: “We were trying so hard. We were shooting everything to get the puck in that area so he could tip it.
“It was special to be a part of a night like this. Smytty is a class act and he means so much to the city. You saw that in the atmosphere tonight – it was incredible. I had goose bumps the entire game. It’s got to be tough, to handle all that and have to play a game. It was distracting for me, so I can’t even imagine how hard it was for him.
“He handled it gracefully and played extremely well. He went out with a bang.”
Apropos to a curtain call and a post-game reception line, even. You couldn’t have scripted it any better.
“There are players in this league where there’s a certain ‘wow!’ factor and you can tell people one day that you got a chance to play against them,” Eberle said. “A guy that pops into my mind right away: Teemu Selanne, who we played the other night. But Ryan – Ryan’s a guy that you can brag about having played with. He’s a special guy.”
Indeed he is. Farewell, Ryan. And thank you for the memories.