The Moose Jaw Warriors are excited to announce that on Friday, February 6th they will retire Ryan Smyth’s number 28, making his the fourth jersey retired in franchise history.
“On behalf of the Moose Jaw Warriors Board of Directors, Management, Coaches, Players, Staff, and our fans, we would like to congratulate Ryan Smyth on the retiring of his Warriors number,” comments Moose Jaw Warriors Governor and President Chad Taylor. “Ryan played the game with heart, determination, and character, all of which are what we feel best describes what it takes to be a Moose Jaw Warrior. February 6th will be a memorable and special night Ryan Smyth and his family, the Moose Jaw Warriors, and the fans.”
“I’m extremely honoured and ecstatic about this, it’s where my roots started,” said Ryan Smyth. “Junior hockey is a huge stepping stone to the pros and Moose Jaw was a huge part for me. Thank you.”
Smyth was drafted by the Warriors in the 2nd round, 21st overall, in the 1991 WHL Bantam Draft. He went on to play for Moose Jaw from 1992 to 1995, in 188 regular season games he had 110 goals, 114 assists, finishing with 224 points, and sits 12th on the Warriors All-Time scoring list. His best season was 1993-1994, in 72 games he had 50 goals and 105 points. He is one of ten players in Warriors history to score 50 goals in a season, and one of 13 players to record 100 or more points in a season. In 1994 he was drafted 6th overall by the Edmonton Oilers, he is the second highest Warrior drafted to the NHL.
After leaving Moose Jaw, Smyth went on to play 1270 games in the NHL with Edmonton, the New York Islanders, Colorado, and Los Angeles. He retired from professional hockey after the 2013-2014 season, he finished with 386 goals, 456 assists, and 842 points.
Smyth earned the nickname “Captain Canada” for the many times that he represented our country in international competitions. He won gold medals at the 1995 World Junior Championships, the 2002 Winter Olympics, the 2003 and 2004 World Championship, and the 2004 World Cup. He served as captain of Canada’s World Championship team for a record six years (2001-05 and 2010), he is Canada’s all-time leader in games played at the tournament. He played 90 games for Hockey Canada and is the only player in hockey history to win gold at the Olympics, World Cup, World Championships, World Juniors, and Spengler Cup.
Smyth joins Kelly Buchberger, Mike Keane, and Theoren Fleury as the only Warriors to have their numbers retired.
(MJ Warriors Hockey Club)
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