Thank You Smid

It was a wild night Friday night in Edmonton to say the least. The Oilers dealt heart and soul defender Ladislav Smid to Calgary for two prospects and signed goalie Ilya Bryzgalov to a one year contract. It was unexpected and well, bold, by the Oilers to pull both those moves on Friday night.

We also thought, for about an hour or two, that Ales Hemsky was on his way out as well, but that ended up not happening. It looked like the skilled winger would join Smid on the way out and would head to Philly in a package that would bring back forward Wayne Simmonds, but that hasn’t happen, yet.

Let’s forget about most of the moves from Friday night and focus in on one move in particular, the trading of defender Ladislav Smid. I’m a young guy, only 19 years in age, and have only been an Oilers fan for about 14 years. One of the most notable Oilers in my fanhood has been Ladislav Smid, a man who has been a heart and soul guy.

Smid has been one of those defenders who has tugged on the jersey night in and night out and fought for the Orange and Blue. He’s left it all on the ice, and given 115% when he was asked to give about 80%. He was there through the ugliest years of the franchise and he always wore a smile on his face. To me, Ladi Smid was the face of the Edmonton Oilers blue line for a long time.

Smid was acquired from Anaheim in the 2006 off-season in the Chris Pronger deal, the one that tore out Edmonton’s heart at the time. Smid developed from highly-touted prospect to decent defender in a quick fashion, and ended up developing into a good shut-down defender for the Oilers.

Smid played every role asked of him throughout the years, whether it was third pairing defender, easy minutes stay at home guy or tough minutes guy with Jeff Petry. He was asked to fill almost every role with the team and he did, with relative ease and a smile on his face.

Not only would Smid fill the role, but he would fill it well. Smid was always a steady guy for Edmonton and always played a decent game. He struggled this year, but outside of that Ladi filled his roles and played awesome hockey. He was one of the few tough players on a soft team, and one of the few guys willing to throw hits or block shots on a young, skilled team.

He bled the colors too. Smid always wore a smile and always seemed so happy to put on the Oilers jersey. He always handled every situation with class and always seemed to take pride in what he was doing, something that was sorely lacking the last four to five years. Smid was drafted a Duck, but brought up an Oiler, and you could tell.

Smid was one of the few guys that brought it every night and was one of the few guys you couldn’t question. I’ll never forget the run he and Jeff Petry had during the 2010-11 season, providing Edmonton with their first legit top pairing on defense in years, it was fun to watch and something I sorely miss to this day. Smid giving up his body and Petry handling the finesse play. It was an awesome combo and one that flamed out too soon.

Smid gave it everything. He blocked every shot, finished every hit, and gave everything he had to win every game he suited up for. He wasn’t the sexy, big time name, but Ladislav Smid personified what it meant to be an Edmonton Oiler.

In the grand scheme of things, Smid’s trade to arch-rival Calgary will be just a small note in Oilers history, but to me, and many other fans, it will be the night one of the heart and soul players left town.

Ladislav, thank you for everything you did. I, and a lot of others, will never forget you and what you did for the Oilers. I wish you the best of luck in Calgary and hope you continue your great career. Thanks for some memories and some great times.