Edmonton’s ‘Battler’ Mike Smith writing compelling Battle of Alberta story

Frank Seravalli
Frank Seravalli(frank_seravalli)
May 26, 2022, 12:23 EDT
Edmonton’s ‘Battler’ Mike Smith writing compelling Battle of Alberta story

CALGARY, Alberta — Mike Smith is a man of a few absolute truths.

You can almost set your watch to one of them for the Edmonton Oilers netminder, at least in these 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs. 

Every five games or so, Smith makes a monumental mistake – not a routine single or double, but he gives up a jaw-dropping, upper-deck grand slam.

In Game 1 against the Los Angeles Kings, it was the pizza served up the middle by one of hockey’s best puckhandling goaltenders of all-time.

In Game 1 against the Calgary Flames, Smith was wearing a ballcap on the bench just six minutes in after allowing three goals on nine shots, including two in the first 51 seconds.

And then there was Game 4 on Tuesday night, when Rasmus Andersson’s clearing attempt hit the twine from 132 feet away, to the shock of Smith and Rogers Place.

If that is true, then these are also Smith’s truths:

1) The 40-year-old Smith is writing one of the most compelling stories of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

2) Smith has unquestionably been the better goalie in the Battle of Alberta, going toe-to-toe with Vezina Trophy finalist Jacob Markstrom.

There is also no question that Smith has squeezed every drop of motivation out of this matchup, against his former team, against the goaltender that the Oilers attempted to sign ahead of him in free agency in 2020. He feeds off it like a shark smells blood.

Remember when Smith was asked last spring whether he took any extra satisfaction out of putting the final nail in the Flames’ playoff hopes?

“Yup,” Smith responded, with a bleep-eating grin.

“To say Mike Smith is very competitive, that’s probably an understatement,” friend and former partner Marty Turco told me last year. “He will use any motivation he can find. He loves to prove people wrong.”

Smith has also proven a few things false.

Like the Dallas Stars thinking it was a good idea to take Jason Bacashihua four rounds ahead of him in the same Draft in 2001. Or more recently, that Smith’s wiry, 6-foot-5 body couldn’t hold up to the rigors of the NHL this season. Or that his 40-year-old self was tired to start this series.

He’s been able to flush it all – all of the doubt, all of the criticism, all of the mistakes.

“It resonates with the group,” said coach Jay Woodcroft Wednesday. “He’s a true pro, someone who can shrug off maybe one that he’d want to have back. [Andersson’s goal] is just one of those unique plays that happens, sometimes it happens at this time of year.

“What I liked about it was how we stuck together and held through a stormy sea.”

Simply put, “Schmiddy” battles. You can almost hear Dave Tippett saying his name that way, too.

x-Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 on Twitter“SCHMIDDY BATTLES LFG!!! Shop: https://t.co/ESfmMgtndG #oilersnation @nationgear”twitter.com

In a lot of ways, Smith’s rollercoaster postseason resembles his regular season.

After two wins to start the campaign, Smith missed the next 10 weeks with an injury. When he returned, he played three games (0-2-1) with an .877 save percentage, then sat out another five weeks. Smith struggled at times, going on an 0-4 run with an unsightly .837 mark.

GM Ken Holland resisted the urge to acquire a goaltender, though questions about Edmonton’s goaltending persisted all the way until Smith righted the ship.

From April 3 until the end of the regular season, Smith may have been the best netminder in the league. He finished the year with an 8-0-0 stretch at .963.

He is the ultimate gamer.

“This year didn’t go 100 percent smooth for Mike Smith,” Woodcroft said. “There were moments that he had to work through and he just kept getting better and better.”

Despite the gaffes, Smith is 7-3 this postseason with a .931 save percentage and two shutouts. That has matched his career postseason save percentage of .931, making him nothing if not consistent. The way he re-entered Game 3 after being pulled by the concussion spotter was like watching a gladiator enter the Roman Colosseum. Rogers Place roared.

If the way Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and the Oilers picked him up in Game 4 was any indication, it made clear one more absolute truth: his teammates want to win for him.

“One of the best characteristics, I would say, about Mike Smith is that the people in front of him – they really want to play for him, not just with him,” Woodcroft said. “I think that’s a good quality for a goaltender is when his teammates really want to dig in for him. He’s a popular teammate, a true pro.”

It’s not hard to see why. Smith has grinded it out until age 40 for these exact moments.

“I think with Mike Smith, there is no bluff, there’s no pretense, there’s no artifice,” Woodcroft explained. “He is who he is. He is very comfortable in his own skin, and that resonates with the rest of his team.”

And maybe that’s the most important absolute truth. That Smith has stayed true to himself, writing the best kind of story told – a true one – warts and all.

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