Ryan Alexander Borden Smyth (born February 21, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player 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. He has been one of the owners of the BCHL Spruce Grove Saints since 2017.
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 drafted 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. He announced his retirement on April 11, 2014, after 19 seasons in the NHL.
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, World Juniors, and Spengler Cup. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2024.
Moose Jaw Warriors (1992–1995)
Smyth played in the junior ranks with the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Beginning in 1991–92, he debuted in two games with the team, recording no points. The following season, he notched 19 goals and 33 points over 64 games as a rookie. In 1993–94, he improved to 50 goals and 105 points over 72 games, becoming a top NHL prospect. During the subsequent off-season, he was selected sixth overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1994 NHL entry draft. Some Oilers' scouts wanted to draft Ethan Moreau (future Oilers captain), in part because he was a linemate of the Oilers' fourth overall selection, Jason Bonsignore (who only ended up playing 79 NHL games, 21 of those with the Oilers). Sather, however, went with the opinion of scout Lorne Davis and selected Smyth instead.
Following his selection, Smyth returned to the WHL for one more season with Moose Jaw, recording 41 goals and 86 points over 50 games in 1994–95. He helped the Warriors qualify for the playoffs for the first time in his tenure with the team and added 15 points over 10 post-season games. Smyth had his number 28 retired by the Moose Jaw Warriors in 2015.
During his final junior season, Smyth was briefly called up to the NHL by the Oilers. He made his debut on January 22, 1995, in an away game against the Los Angeles Kings. Playing in three games total, he did not record any points. The following season, he tallied his first goal, on November 24, 1995, against Trevor Kidd of the Calgary Flames while on the power play. He went on to record two goals and 11 points over 48 games as a rookie, while also spending time in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Oilers' minor league affiliate, the Cape Breton Oilers. He recorded 11 points over 9 AHL games in 1995–96.
Smyth spent the entire 1996–97 season with the Oilers and improved to 39 goals (a career-high) and 61 points over 82 games. At the beginning of the season, on October 8, 1996, he recorded his first of five career hat tricks. With 20 power-play goals, he tied Wayne Gretzky's team record, set in 1983–84. In the 1997 playoffs, he added 10 points in 12 games. Despite a strong second NHL season, he struggled in the next two campaigns with 33- and 31-point efforts. In 1999–2000, he returned to form with a 28-goal, 54-point year. The following season, he recorded a career-high 39 assists and 70 points, ranking second in team scoring to team captain and first-line centre Doug Weight.
As Weight was traded in the off-season to the St. Louis Blues, Smyth took on a larger role as offensive leader on the team. For the remainder of his tenure with the Oilers, he remained in the 50–60 point range. During the 2001–02 season, he ranked third in team scoring with 15 goals and 50 points to Mike Comrie and Anson Carter's 60 points, despite playing in 21 games less than them due to injury. The following season, he appeared in 66 games and increased his offensive totals to 27 goals and 61 points. It marked the first time in his career that he led the Oilers in scoring, edging Todd Marchant by one point. During the off-season, Smyth filed for salary arbitration after initially failing to come to terms on a new contract with the Oilers. On August 14, 2003, both sides avoided arbitration by signing a two-year contract.
Playing a full 82 games in 2003–04, Smyth tallied 59 points (23 goals and 36 assists) to lead the Oilers in scoring for the second straight year. During that season, Smyth spent several games as the Oilers' captain while active captain Jason Smith was out with an ankle injury. Due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Smyth spent the season inactive. As NHL play resumed the next year, he approached career-high totals with 36 goals and 66 points. With several young players emerging on the team's roster, Smyth ranked fourth in team scoring, behind Aleš Hemský, Shawn Horcoff and Jarret Stoll. His 19 power-play goals came within one of the team records he previously set in his second year with the Oilers. Although Edmonton entered the 2006 playoffs as the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference, Smyth helped the team on a run to the Stanley Cup Final with 16 points in 24 post-season games. During the second round against the San Jose Sharks, he was hit in the mouth with a puck as a result of a clearing attempt from defensive teammate Chris Pronger. After losing three teeth and needing stitches, Smyth returned in the third period and went on to set up Shawn Horcoff's game-winning goal in triple-overtime. The win reduced San Jose's series lead to 2–1, helping the Oilers eventually advance to the Conference Finals in six games. After eliminating the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the third round, the Oilers were ultimately defeated in seven games by the Carolina Hurricanes in the Final. Had the Oilers won the Stanley Cup, Smyth would have joined the Triple Gold Club along with Chris Pronger and Jaroslav Špaček.
Early the following season, during a game against the San Jose Sharks on October 12, 2006, Smyth broke an Oilers record for the fastest three goals scored in one contest. With the Sharks leading 4–2 in the third period, he recorded a hat trick with two goals on the power play and one more on a 5-on-5 in two minutes and one second, breaking the previous team record set by Wayne Gretzky on February 18, 1981, by 17 seconds. It was Smyth's fifth career hat trick as Edmonton went on to win the game 6–4. In the final year of his contract, Smyth was enjoying one of the most productive seasons of his career. As a result, he was chosen for his first NHL All-Star Game in 2007. With the Oilers unable to extend his contract before the NHL trade deadline, Smyth was dealt away to the New York Islanders in exchange for prospects Robert Nilsson and Ryan O'Marra, as well as a first-round selection in the 2007 NHL entry draft. It was reported that Smyth was asking for a long-term deal worth at least $5 million a season to remain in Edmonton. The move was made to ensure the team did not lose Smyth for nothing, as he became an unrestricted free agent in the off-season. At the time of the trade, he was scoring at a point-per-game pace with 31 goals and 22 assists over 53 games.