The Edmonton Oilers Set To Retire #94 on Oct. 5th
Aug 17, 2020 16:25:33 GMT -5
canes435, Old Greg, and 1 more like this
Post by Seattle Kraken GM on Aug 17, 2020 16:25:33 GMT -5
~Rogers Place - Edmonton, AB~
The Edmonton Oilers announced today that the organization will be retiring its 8th jersey number in franchise history and raising Ryan Smyth's #94 to the rafters alongside other Oilers Legends Al Hamilton (3), Wayne Gretzky (99), Jari Kurri (17), Mark Messier (11), Grant Fuhr (31), Paul Coffey (7) & Glenn Anderson (9).
Widely known as the Heart & Soul of the Oilers, in 15 seasons & 971 games in an Oilers uniform, Smyth amassed 296 goals, 335 assists for 631 points, with 126 goals coming on the powerplay earning him the distinction of being considered to be a powerplay specialist & tying the franchise record for powerplay goals now shared with Glenn Anderson, who, ironically, hit Smyth with a car when Ryan was a stick boy for the Oilers during training camp in Banff back in the '80s. Smyth also holds the Oilers record for the fastest hat trick in Oilers history scoring 3 goals in 2:01 in a game vs. San Jose in 2006; surpassing Wayne Gretzky's mark by of 2:18, by 17 seconds, that stood for almost 16 years. He also helped lead the Oilers to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals that same year... AND, in his final game, officially served as Oilers Captain... FINALLY!!!
Smyth is also a member of the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame, being inducted in 2017, as well as the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2020, after representing Canada 12 times and winning gold 6 out of those 12 times; serving as Captain in the World Championships 6 times, earning him the nickname "Captain Canada". This also earned him the distinction of being the first player in hockey history to win gold medals in every major international tournament; winning gold in the Olympics, World Championships, World Cup, World Juniors & the Spengler Cup. He was also awarded the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2018. And, let's be honest.... Smytty also had the best "flow", maybe behind Ron Duguay & Jaromir Jagr.
Known for his success banging home a greasy rebound or simply tipping the puck into the net while screening the goalie in front of the crease, Smytty is also one of only two Oilers players to have his own "office" designation on the ice; or in all of hockey for that matter; playing in 1270 NHL games total, between the Oilers, Kings, Islanders & Avalanche, scoring 386 goals, 456 assists for 842 points, and among his many international accolades, the Edmonton Oilers are pleased to announce that on Oct. 5th vs. the LA Kings, we will be retiring Smytty's number 94 and sending another Oilers Legend to our rafters, where he belongs.
Week 1: Oct. 5th @ Rogers Place vs. LA Kings 7:30 MDT.
#94 #CaptainCanada #Legend #ThankYouSmytty