Ryan Smyth | |||
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Smyth in 2014 with the Edmonton Oilers
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Born |
Banff, Alberta, Canada |
February 21, 1976 ||
Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
Weight | 191 lb (87 kg; 13 st 9 lb) | ||
Position | Left Wing | ||
Shot | Left | ||
Played for |
Edmonton Oilers New York Islanders Colorado Avalanche Los Angeles Kings |
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National team | Canada | ||
NHL Draft | 6th overall, 1994 Edmonton Oilers |
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Playing career | 1994–2014 |
Smyth has represented Canada on numerous occasions |
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Medal record | ||
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Ice hockey | ||
Representing Canada | ||
World Championships | ||
2003 Finland | ||
2004 Czech Republic | ||
2005 Austria | ||
World Cup | ||
2004 Canada | ||
Winter Olympics | ||
2002 Salt Lake City | ||
World Junior Championships | ||
1995 Canada | ||
Spengler Cup | ||
2012 Canada |
Ryan Alexander Gordon Smyth (born February 21, 1976) is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger who played most of his career for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was especially known for playing in the style of a power forward. Smyth announced his retirement on April 11, 2014, after 19 seasons in the NHL.
During his junior career, Ryan Smyth spent three years with the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League (WHL), scoring 105 points during the 1993–94 season. Smyth was then selected 6th overall in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers. That year he played only three games for the Oilers, as he stayed for the majority of the year in Moose Jaw. He spent 12 seasons with Edmonton before being traded to the New York Islanders in 2007 due to failed contract negotiations. Becoming an unrestricted free agent in the subsequent off-season, he signed a five-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche. After two seasons with the team, he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in July 2009. On June 26, 2011, he was re-acquired by the Edmonton Oilers for Colin Fraser and a seventh round pick in 2012.
Smyth has represented Canada in international competition on numerous occasions. He has won gold medals at the 1995 World Junior Championship, 2002 Winter Olympics, 2003 and 2004 World Championships, and 2004 World Cup. Having served as captain of Canada's World Championship team for a team record six years (2001–05 and 2010), he has earned the nickname "Captain Canada." Smyth is also Canada's all-time leader in games played at the tournament. He played a record 90 games for Hockey Canada while becoming the only player in hockey history to win gold in all of Olympics, World Cup, World Championships (2x), World Juniors, and Spengler Cup. Both on- and off-the-ice, Smyth was renowned for his commitment to the Edmonton community and his passionate dedication to the game of hockey.