OILERS' `OLD GOAT' SMITH RELISHES THE OPPORTUNITY
Team's goalie at the top of his game at age 39 and he needs to keep that up for the playoffs
On the Indispensable Scale going into the playoffs, Connor Mcdavid is a 10, obviously, with Leon Draisaitl probably 9.5, and Mike Smith is a 9.
Knock on a truckload of timber that the Edmonton Oilers' Masterton trophy nominee stays hale and hearty and healthy throughout Wednesday's game in Montreal, which should be his last meaningless 60 minutes. There really is no reason for Smith to start the final game against Vancouver here Saturday, and roll the dice at getting bowled over in the crease by J.T. Miller or Bo Horvat, who play fair but always hard.
Smith might have seven or eight days between league and playoff starts if he doesn't play Game 56, so he might have to weigh rest versus some rust. But it makes sense to play Mikko Koskinen and Alex Stalock 30 minutes each, especially Stalock, who had a heart scare before Minnesota's January camp, got claimed by the Oilers in March and hasn't been in a game since last August's playoff, when he was the Wild's starter.
Smith will be starting every Oilers game in the playoffs, even if there are back-to-backs. They're riding their 39-year-old horse for as long as they go, and putting him back in the barn wet because Koskinen's seasonal stats (13-12, .899 save percentage and 3.14 goals-against average) aren't challenging Smith's Vezina-type 20-6-2, .924 and 2.28.
“It'll depend on what Mike wants to do to get ready. There will be a conversation between Dustin (Schwartz, goalie coach), myself and Smitty,” said coach Dave Tippett, opting for democratic, not autocratic.
Smith got a total night off Monday in Montreal as Koskinen started and Stalock dressed for the first time as backup.
“You don't want your layoff to be too long, but you don't want to put yourself into a position where there's a risk of injury,” Smith said. “We've talked and we'll go with the flow.”
Smith has had only one long playoff run, in Arizona playing for Tippett in 2012 when they got to the Western Conference final. At 39, the clock's ticking on winning a Cup. But he's playing on a team with Mcdavid and Draisaitl, along with Darnell Nurse, Adam Larsson and Tyson Barrie on D, and the longest-serving Oilers player in Ryan Nugent-hopkins.
“We've seen some great growth with this team over the last two years,” said Smith, who has played only 25 post-season games, while Hall-of-famer Patrick Roy played 247.
“I've had opportunities in my career to be on good teams. When I was in Tampa, we went to the (Eastern) Conference final (in 2011), and while I didn't play a lot, I kind of resurrected my career because I got two games and played well in the conference final,” Smith said. “And the first year I went to Arizona, I played the majority of playoff games (16). I could feel what it was like to be that close to your childhood dream.
“In Tampa, Marty St. Louis told me after we lost to Boston in Game 7, when we were out for a couple afterwards, that, `We have to play 82 more (league) games to get to the level of playoff hockey.' He just nailed it. There's nothing like it, and all the experiences you get are valuable. Never take them for granted.”
Especially at Smith's age. Mcdavid is only 24 and Draisaitl 25. It's not like Smith has three or four more good years left. He doesn't have a can of patience packed in his goalie bag along with his mask and skates.
“To be honest, I don't think anybody has that. Your goal at the start of the season is to make the playoffs and we've done that, but you don't go, `OK, we're fine now.' You only get so many opportunities to compete for the Stanley Cup. Your career goes by fast,” Smith said. “I can remember as a 24-year-old being in the league for the first time and guys saying it's right now. I was thinking, `OK, old goat, I've got lots of time left.' But now that I'm the old goat, I'm trying to say the same thing to these younger players.
“It doesn't come around as often as you think it does.”
Smith has played 641 league games, so while his birth certificate says 39, there aren't a lot of hard miles on him. Marc-andre Fleury in Vegas has played 883 and he's 36. Is 641 a lot for a goalie?
“Not enough,” Smith said with a laugh. “I haven't really thought that much about it. You're just taking it one game at a time and enjoying the ride.”
Fleury was in the league at 20, Roy at 21.
“Everyone has different paths to get to there. I learned a ton about being a pro with my four years I played in the minors. There might have been a couple of years where I felt I deserved to play with the big club, but I spent the early part of my career finding out who I was and what kind of goalie I could become,” Smith said.
“My first agent, Mike Gillis, used to tell me it's an endurance race, not a sprint. It has been one for sure, and I've kept that in the back of my mind.”