No one has been with the Vancouver Canucks organization longer than Stan Smyl. Now, the 65-year-old former captain of the Canucks is stepping back from an active role in the organization, though he will remain a club ambassador.
On Thursday, the Canucks announced that Smyl will be stepping down from his role as Vice President of Hockey Operations, though he will still represent the Canucks at community, business, and charity events.
"When I moved to Vancouver in 1978, I could not have imagined the positive journey it would become over the next 40-plus years,” said Smyl in a statement. “This team and community have meant everything to me and my family. We are truly grateful for all of the relationships and experiences we have shared together."
The Canucks drafted The Steamer with the 40th-overall pick in the 1978 NHL Entry Draft and he went on to play the seventh-most games of any player taken in that draft, putting up 673 points in 896 games. Even before he was drafted, Smyl was a legend in Vancouver, winning two Memorial Cups with the New Westminster Bruins. In his second Memorial Cup, Smyl led the tournament with 14 points in just 5 games.
Smyl became the heart and soul of the Canucks, epitomizing their gritty, blue-collar identity in the eighties. At his very first training camp, Smyl announced his presence by running 6'3" defenceman Harold Snepsts into the boards so hard that Canucks head coach Harry Neale said, “If the glass hadn’t been there, Harold would still be flying.”
Snepsts didn’t seem to take it personally. The next day, the defenceman cheerfully said, “That Stan Smyl is just the type of guy we need.”
Unsurprisingly, Smyl quickly won over the fans in Vancouver, who appreciated his never-say-die approach to the game.
“My work ethic probably helped me get to where I did,” Smyl said years later to the Vancouver Sun’s Mike Beamish after his playing career was over. “I didn’t get there on my scoring ability or my talents or my stats. I never gave up. It’s something I’m pretty proud of. I guess, basically, I played with a lot of heart. I never took the easy way out. It took me a long ways.”
Smyl's crowning achievement as a player came when he led the Canucks to the 1982 Stanley Cup Final. Quite by accident, he was named captain just before the start of the playoffs, then he put up 18 points in 17 playoff games as he led the team on a Cinderella run. He remained captain for the next eight seasons before handing off the "C" to Trevor Linden.
Even after he retired, Smyl stayed with the Canucks, taking a step back from sitting on the bench to standing behind it as assistant coach from 1991 to 1999. After that, Smyl wore several hats. He was a head coach for several years for teams in the Canucks' farm system, he was a director of player development and senior advisor in the team's front office, and he oversaw their college scouting for a stint, with the signing of Chris Tanev out of the Rochester Institute of Technology coming under his purview.
Smyl even had a brief stint as general manager of the Canucks, stepping in when Jim Benning was fired. Smyl's run as general manager only lasted four days, but it was remarkably successful: the team went undefeated in his tenure with a two-game winning streak — their longest of the season at that point.
Through it all, Smyl's passion for the Canucks remained unabated.
"This is my team. My only team. I will always do what’s best for this organization. I will always step up when asked to help,” said Smyl when he stepped in as general manager. “There is pride in wearing this Canucks jersey. There is also a huge responsibility that comes with pulling on that jersey.”
Smyl was the living embodiment of that responsibility and pride as a player and that responsibility and pride has continued throughout his time with the Canucks. As he steps into a well-deserved retirement, Canucks fans can only say, "Thank you Stan."
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