Here was a memorable one vs Grimson. I remember this in particular because Smyth hadn't been playing much and came into this game and tangled with Grimson, despite not being in game shape. Grimson gets the better but Smyth got a few licks in. Interesting Grimson declined Berube to tackle Smyth.
And a bonus fight, where Smyth played for Quebec and he fought Richard Zemlak who had a cup of coffee with the Flames.
A story from his minor league days, showing his veteran leadership
In the morning, Smyth had caused chaos when he determined the Canadiens had tarried too long during their morning skate and were cutting into the Leafs’ allotted time. Wearing only half his equipment, he headed onto the rink with his stick and a bucket of pucks and proceeded to fire slapshots at what he saw as procrastinating Fredericton coaches and players, sending them scurrying to their dressing room. Then he came back and informed his teammates the ice would be ready for them presently.
Quote:
Two weeks ago, on learning Smyth’s cancer was terminal, (Danny) Markov tweeted “My dear friend, great teammate, roommate, mentor, man with a huge heart, Birddog-Greg Smyth, who always supported me, if not (for) you I would not survive my first year in Canada… Please pray for Birddog.”
That pretty much says it.
When taking the measure of Greg Smyth, gone far too soon, don’t do so in games played or penalty minutes or crazy stories.
Measure him by the respect of his teammates and opponents. Measure him by his friends. You’ll find he was much bigger than you ever realized.
Terrific guy, from what I remember. One of those role-players who understood their role, accepted it, and had a sense of humour about it.
I'll never forget when he was interviewed on the radio – by Peter Maher himself, I think – shortly after joining the Flames. He was asked what the biggest highlight of his career was to date. ‘That's easy,’ said Smyth. ‘It would have to be the time I scored the goal.’ That's right, he had only one (1) goal in his NHL career to that point – and he could joke about it on the air.
Very sad to hear this news. But I bet he went down slugging and smiling.
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Back in the early 90s, some genius thought that the reason hockey wasn't more popular in the States was because the helmets made it difficult to differentiate the players (ignoring the fact that hockey helmets don't cover the players' faces, and that football is the most popular sport in the States and their players wear full face masks).
After much debate, the league and PA agreed to give players the option to stop wearing helmets if they signed a waiver.
Smyth was the only player in the league who took them up on the offer. There were still a few guys playing who had always played bare-headed, like MacTavish and Doug Wilson, but Smyth was the only one who had previously worn a helmet who decided to try playing without one. That only lasted a few games before he put the helmet back on.
That's the thing I'll always remember about Smyth's time with the Flames.
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RIP Former Flame #6 GREG SMYTH
Rip
