“A FEW ALRIGHT GOALS”
By Lowetide
12 years ago
As time goes by, the things we cherished in our youth fade. We have the memories, and those are most dear. It’s important then that we spend some time this 11-12 season with ol ’94 and hold him in our minds-eye as he is: determined, gritty, fierce and devoted to being an Oiler playing this beautiful game. Ryan Smyth is an all-time Oiler great. Full stop.
There may have been more skilled left wingers along the way, but none approached the game with the combination of skill, grit, heart and desire displayed by Ryan Smyth. His Oiler career is approaching the "coda" stage but it’s hard to tell based on the effort level each night. His birth certificate and his place among Oiler greats on the all-time lists gives us the best indication of just how strong he’s been for such a long, long time.
Career Games Played as an Oiler
- Kevin Lowe (1037)
- Mark Messier (851)
- Glenn Anderson (845)
- Ryan Smyth (803)
- Kelly Buchberger (795)
- Jari Kurri (754)
- Shawn Horcoff (717)
- Craig MacTavish (701)
- Wayne Gretzky (696)
- Charlie Huddy (694)
Goals
- Wayne Gretzky (583)
- Jari Kurri (474)
- Glenn Anderson (417)
- Mark Messier (392)
- Ryan Smyth (277)
- Paul Coffey (209)
- Craig Simpson (185)
- Esa Tikkanen (178)
- Doug Weight (157)
- Craig MacTavish (155)
Assists
- Wayne Gretzky (1086)
- Mark Messier (642)
- Jari Kurri (569)
- Glenn Anderson (489)
- Paul Coffey (460)
- Doug Weight (420)
- Kevin Lowe (310)
- Ryan Smyth (299)
- Ales Hemsky (289)
- Charlie Huddy (287)
Points
- Wayne Gretzky (1669)
- Jari Jurri (1043)
- Mark Messier (1034)
- Glenn Anderson (906)
- Paul Coffey (669)
- Doug Weight (577)
- Ryan Smyth (576)
- Esa Tikkanen (436)
- Shawn Horcoff (421)
- Ales Hemsky (406)
In a very real way, Smyth’s climb up these lists represents a dream come true, a storybook ending for a kid who bled copper and blue (and orange). It is possible that he could climb even higher on all of these lists, save the goal scoring. We’ll blame the era for that one.
The Smyth memories are almost endless. He was on that late 90s team that shocked Dallas and Colorado, plus he was a huge part of the Stanley ’06 Oilers. For me, Smyth was a breath of fresh air because he approached the game’s history with respect and wasn’t full of himself. An example of his humility and enthusiam is reflected in this October 1996 article:
I know it’s been a long time since he arrived, hell Ryan Smyth was drafted a few months after my son was born and that guy is approaching 6 feet now. However, I think it’s important that we pay close attention to that veteran left winger several times this season–the season of the kids–and do our absolute best to hold those memories for as long as we can.
WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?
When my kids were small, I scored tickets right down by the glass. The kids spent the night being fascinated by Smyth’s ability to pursue the puck along the wall, tell the ref to "get out of the way" and still find time to pass the puck to a linemate. Someday, your grandkids might ask what it was like to see Ryan Smyth play. If I’m blessed and have grandchildren, I’ll tell them he scored a few alright goals.
And then a bunch more after that.
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