Smid Q&A

[sureLoss]

https://www.nhl.com/flames/news/qa--...id/c-284803604

CALGARYFLAMES.COM: This opportunity to stay in hockey and get a front-office education must help ease things, no?

SMID: Especially earlier … it's so weird. You're on the player's side and then kind of overnight you're behind the closed door in meetings. They're talking about your former teammates and friends, but you have to cut that cord. I'm still friends with guys. But you can't tell them what's going on behind the closed door or what's said behind the closed doors. It's eye-opening. Now I see it from the other side. There is so much more that goes into things. It's really eye-opening. I'm glad that Brad gave me the opportunity to see it from the other side and see if there's a future there.

CALGARYFLAMES.COM: How do you define your role, and is it easy to?

SMID: A little bit of scouting. I've skated with the injured guys a few times. I've gone to the farm team … I really enjoy going to Stockton and working with the younger guys. I didn't play the longest in the NHL, but 10 years … you have some kind of experience and I've gone through ups and downs and through injuries. I think I can give them my input on things … especially the young guys. We have some really good prospects and they've been listening. I go on the ice with them and show them a few things. It's really a satisfying job. I like to do that. I know how hard it can be. Being young and coming from Europe it's a hard adjustment. We have a few guys like that. It's good to talk to them and give them a few things to think about. Then stuff around the locker room … talking to the trainers if there's a message to be said to players or what players need … kind of in-between the management and the player's side.

CALGARYFLAMES.COM: This time off, has it allowed you to improve physically? Are you making progress?

SMID: I feel good. The neck … it's the mental side. You have good days and then some bad days. Because I'm not taking any contact … I don't really feel any pain anymore. If I sleep funny I still feel it once in a while. Most days are pretty good. I still keep in shape. I still work out. That's what my surgeon told me … not to let myself go. I need to support my neck with muscle. I've stayed in shape. I work out almost every day. That helps the mental side, too. You get away from stuff and give yourself two hours of hard work and it's refreshing.

CALGARYFLAMES.COM: What drives you to keep pushing and keep remaining optimistic about the potential to play again?

SMID: It gives me hope. I'm not ready to call it quits yet. I know there's a big possibility that I might retire fully. But there's a chance that I might play hockey again. That's going to depend on doctors and my surgeon … if he's going to give me a green light. Until then I want to do everything I can to stay in shape, be prepared mentally for both outcomes. It kind of drives me. Going to work out, coming here … you never know. The workout part is good for me mentally, but also preparing me if I can step back on the ice. Coming here every day and being around the team and seeing the stuff on the other side prepares me for the other outcome. Either way I hope I'm going to be more ready than I would be if I didn't do anything.

[Ozy_Flame]

Glad to see they're preparing him for a post-hockey career. Can't be easy as a 30-year old knowing that it may be the end of the line, but when your employer goes to bat thinking about your long-term health and success, you can't be upset at that. Classy move by teh Flames organization.

[killer_carlson]

Classy move, yes, but not one that would be made to every player in the same situation.

A lot of credit goes to Smid here. By many accounts he is a natural leader and holds teammates accountable during practice. He presents as a true pro - example asking for the conditioning stint last year.

I think this guy always presented as having post career management/coach/scout material. I think the opportunity just came earlier than anyone expected.

I'm glad we've got him and not the Oilers. I'm a fan.

[browna]

Seems like a great guy. And was tough as nails on the ice too pre and post the Oilers screwing up borderline criminally, and letting him play with a serious neck issue back when. It's long past the point of needing to continually point how blatantly backward that organization was under the egomaniac Lowe, and pretty much still is.

Otherwise Smid would still be playing, and probably at a much higher level than he was the last few years. Rest assured, even if he was at a higher level, the Oilers still would've traded him for the flavour of the week, (or at least, to make space for the flavour of the week).

[Jetfire]

I thought he always gave a pretty solid effort when in the lineup, and especially respect him for the time he came back from an extended injury period and personally requested time in the minors so he wouldn't hurt the big team being rusty.

[hummdeedoo]

Really liked what Smid brought to our team - Tough, physical and consistent. He's really what our defensive lineup could use right now.

Good luck to him!

[Hack&Lube]

The Flames are also value for the millions they are still paying him on his contract. Not sure if they have to pay him a management salary on top of that though, to keep NHLPA rules kosher.

[Mightyfire89]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

The Flames are also value for the millions they are still paying him on his contract. Not sure if they have to pay him a management salary on top of that though, to keep NHLPA rules kosher.

Kind of a cynical take, even though you're probably correct that it could be part of it. This sort of thing doesn't happen for many guys who are still owed money by any given sports organization.

There must be something there for them to do this.

[MarkGio]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

The Flames are also value for the millions they are still paying him on his contract. Not sure if they have to pay him a management salary on top of that though, to keep NHLPA rules kosher.

Insurance company probably pays Smid. He's under contract tho, so the Flames have to do something with him

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by MarkGio

Insurance company probably pays Smid. He's under contract tho, so the Flames have to do something with him

The Flames don't have to do anything with him. Pronger - as far as I know - never did anything. Savard didn't do anything. The team has the responsibility of making sure the player gets paid, and that the player receives appropriate medical treatment.

I am guessing Treliving must have seen something in him during his conversations with Smid. Good on him for giving Smid an opportunity to stay as a real part of the organization, instead of a guy who is staying home and is only involved during the odd rehab time.

[devo22]

Pronger also did some scouting for the Flyers. I remember them making some cool behind the scenes videos from the draft weekend a few years ago and I remember him being in all those scout meetings ahead of the draft. It was the Monahan draft year IIRC.

[MarkGio]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

The Flames don't have to do anything with him. Pronger - as far as I know - never did anything. Savard didn't do anything. The team has the responsibility of making sure the player gets paid, and that the player receives appropriate medical treatment.

I am guessing Treliving must have seen something in him during his conversations with Smid. Good on him for giving Smid an opportunity to stay as a real part of the organization, instead of a guy who is staying home and is only involved during the odd rehab time.

Pronger was a busy scout. But it depends on the player too. Some guys get depressed and don't want to scout. Some guys have a family and don't want to travel. Others might not be physically capable -- such as those with concussion problems and puke anytime they did any sort of physical activity. Do the Flames HAVE to do something with Smid? No, but what moron turns down free labour if it's presented?

Trevy knows Smid has nothing else to do and the more time Smid spends trying to convince his medical staff he's good to play, the bigger the risk it is on the Flames as a hockey club. So Trevy wants Smid to accept life without hockey, and what better way to do that than to offer him a job doing exactly that? A job that Trevy doesn't have to pay extra for?

Smid is getting paid by insurance and could either retire (lose money), find another career (and breach his contract), sit around all day waiting for his contact to expire, or work for the organization. He knows he has 60+ years of his life left. Of course he wants the skills to have a back-up career, and all he's ever done in life is play a game on ice, so it's not like he's got the resume to be a stock broker. This is a no brainer from both parties, and Smid can continue to dream about the possibility of making a comeback.

Maybe its some great act of compassion worth praising that Trevy gave Smid modified duty, but chances are it's just business as usual.

[Locke]

Well, the team may not be obligated to do something with the player but the player probably wants to do something.

[lazypucker]

It sure sucks for Smid who still wants to play hockey but can't, and the Flames is training him to take an office position. It is like those flight attendants from the Asian airlines - once you are over 30 and you are no longer young and pretty, the airline will take you off the plane and transfer you to a non customer-facing desk position....

[smiggy77]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

The Flames are also value for the millions they are still paying him on his contract. Not sure if they have to pay him a management salary on top of that though, to keep NHLPA rules kosher.

Yeah further to MarkGio's point above, they do have an insurance policy and would I believe Smid falls under it, but only 80% of his salary. Found this on HockeyForum:

http://www.foxsports.com/nhl/story/s...surance-062812

The NHL has a league-wide insurance plan that covers the clubs in case a player suffers a long-term injury or is disabled. After a player misses 30 consecutive games for the same injury, a team can apply for insurance and be reimbursed 80 percent of that player’s salary — a program the Pens could have tapped each of the last two seasons to get back much of Crosby’s salary.