A Line Of Perseverance Youngest Smyth Develops Into Standout With Chiefs Portland At Spokane

With lesser brothers, in a different family, perhaps, Jared Smyth might feel the long shadow of sibling rivalry.

Older brothers have, after all, set a pretty high standard.

Ryan Smyth, 22, plays with the Edmonton Oilers.

Kevin Smyth, 25, overcame a horrible injury - he lost an eye two years ago when a puck hit him in the wrong place - to extend his career with the Tacoma Sabercats.

Jared has a similar if less dramatic run of perseverance with the Spokane Chiefs, who tonight take on the Portland Winter Hawks in the Arena. Smyth and his linemate, Daniel Bohac, are the pleasant surprises in Spokane’s sputtering start. Twelve pounds stronger than last year, Smyth came in more confident with the same exciting acceleration.

“No one would have thought at the beginning of the year that Smyth and Bohac would be our best players,” Coach Mike Babcock said. “But they are.”

Jared, the latest developing Smyth brother, has begun to live up to expectations. Of course anything he does might fall short.

Ryan, 22, was the sixth pick overall in the 1994 NHL draft, the first choice of the Oilers.

Jared at 19 is undrafted.

Kevin, 25, had a run with Hartford of the NHL before settling in with Orlando of the International League, where two years ago he was struck by the puck that could have ended his career.

That he is playing through such a severe limitation is another source of pride in a family that takes care of its own.

Kevin Smyth, for example, swung through Spokane last week, unannounced, for a Chiefs game. Afterward, it was dinner and a warm chat with his younger brother, with a few pointers thrown in for appetizers.

Cut in on the D a little sooner. Backcheck a little harder. Push their forwards into your D.

“It surprised me,” Jared Smyth said. “It was great. Not everybody has brothers who’ve been through the system. It’s easier having them there, not harder. They’re always there to talk to. They know the ropes. They pass it on to me, and it’s made it easier.”

What about pressure to measure up?

“There’s no pressure that I have to do as well as they’ve done,” Smyth said. “I don’t worry about that.

“We compete a lot - push each other in the summer - but there’s no fighting, like in some families. I feel very fortunate.”

Babcock, who coached Ryan Smyth in Moose Jaw and has had Jared for three seasons here, says, “Jared developed later than his brothers. He’s come to grips with that, and the comparisons, but he doesn’t want to be compared to anybody. He’s a world-class skater. With this year and a chance to play another season here at 20, he can be a dominant player.”

Before Ryan Smyth signed this year, he was a holdout who worked out with the Chiefs.

“The only time I played with them was out in the backyard,” Jared Smyth said. “When Ryan came down here it was exciting to skate with him. I’d never really got to do that with him.”

The speed, skill and experience came together in a game against Prince George, when Smyth broke free to beat goaltender Scott Myers with the Chiefs skating short-handed.

Smyth is yet another Chief from the fertile hockey proving grounds of Red Deer, Alberta. Three hockey-playing sons keep parents Jim and Dixie Smyth on the move.

“They were here for my first game of the Memorial Cup last year, then flew out to watch Ryan in the playoffs,” Jared said. “Then they were back here for the rest of the Memorial Cup. They’re all over.”

The elder Smyth owns a car rental agency. It’ll come as no surprise to the fan who’s watched Jared Smyth struggle from a hard-luck rookie to a scoring leader that the family-owned agency is Avis.

They’re ones who try harder.

As Babcock puts it, “You don’t have to hook battery cables up to this guy. He’s ready to go all the time.”