The indelible moment when Bryan Smolinski faced the Great One and other NHL legends for a series-clinching goal is forever seared into his memory.
Smolinski, a Genoa native who is the most accomplished hockey player the area has produced, now can be called a hall of famer thanks in part to that surreal situation in 1996.
Smolinski, a Cardinal Stritch graduate who played 15 seasons in the NHL, recently was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame as part of the 1996 World Cup team.
The durable center helped Team USA clinch the title against Team Canada in Montreal on Sept. 14, 1996.
“I will always hold on to that,” said Smolinski, who retired in 2010. “I took that with me the rest of my career.”
Smolinski’s most lasting highlight came with less than a minute remaining in the championship game with Team USA holding a precarious 3-2 lead. Team Canada had pulled goalie Curtis Joseph for the extra attacker. That was when coach Ron Wilson scanned his bench of all-stars and his eyes locked on young Smolinski, who was 25 at the time.
“He sent me out there and I remember looking at him and wondering, ‘Are you sure you want me out there with all these great players sitting here?’ ” Smolinski said.
Starring across the faceoff circle was a group of legends, including Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Adam Graves, Paul Coffey and Eric Lindros.
“I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ ” Smolinski said.
The young forward joined the Hatcher brothers [Derian and Kevin] along with Scott Young and Joel Otto to help the Americans hold off the heavily-favored Canadians.
“They won the faceoff and we had a breakdown,” Smolinski said. “But then we got a good bounce and we scored [an empty net goal]. It could have gone either way.
“I remember looking over at Brett Hull wondering what we should do after we won. We threw our gloves off and had some fun. I just followed the pack. We had so many great leaders on that team.
“That was the only [title] I ever had. Being out there in the last minute of that hockey game for a championship was my ultimate moment.”
That statement speaks volumes for Smolinski, who lived out a childhood dream.
Smolinski, who turned 45 on Dec. 27, was selected in the first round of the 1990 NHL draft by the Boston Bruins. He then played a decade and a half with eight different teams.
Former Toledo Goaldigger forward Doug Mahood, who would coach Smolinski during his formative years in northwest Ohio, knew his young prodigy was destined for greatness.
“He was a natural,” Mahood said. “He had it from the word go. When he was 11, you could already see the potential. He was always better than all the older kids. I’d show him something and he'd pick it right up. He was tenacious. I just tried to teach him the right way.”
Nicknamed “Smoke,” Smolinski played in 1,056 NHL games with the Bruins, Penguins, Islanders, Kings, Senators, Blackhawks, Canucks, and Canadiens. He finished with 651 points in his career, scoring 274 goals to go along with 377 assists.
But it was his performance with Team USA in the inaugural World Cup that landed him in the Hall of Fame. In the tournament, Smolinski recorded five assists and was a plus-7. The induction ceremony was held in November in Philadelphia.
“It’s pretty cool. I’m very humbled by it,” Smolinski said. “It’s the ultimate honor just to be in the same conversation of some of those names.”
Roots of greatness
Smolinski was just a typical 8-year-old growing up in small town Genoa when he was impacted by the greatest upset in hockey history, The Miracle on Ice at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid.
“I remember watching the Miracle on Ice and I thought if there ever was a chance for something like that to happen to me, it would be unbelievable,” Smolinski said. “I jumped at the chance to wear that USA jersey. It was very much an honor. What we did was not quite on the same level and not as dramatic, but that was my biggest championship memory.”
Smolinski’s earliest memories of hockey center around the Sports Arena and the legendary Goaldiggers teams of Ted Garvin. Smolinski said his family often attended the rough and tumble games at the old barn on One Main Street in East Toledo.
One of his idols was Mahood, an enforcer who was part of the “Miracle On Main Street” when Toledo won the Turner Cup in 1975. Mahood played three years for the Goaldiggers and was part of the popular line nicknamed “Murder Inc.”
“My dad loved going to the games,” Smolinski said. “My cousin and I would roam around the Sports Arena halls and play hockey in the corners. The coolest thing was that scoreboard. It was really long and I just loved how the numbers looked.”
Smolinski later played youth hockey on the same ice as his heroes. “I loved playing there,” he said.
But it wasn’t long before Smolinski’s emerging talents would move him up to travel hockey, playing at the Triple-A level with Detroit-area teams.
“He just had it,” Mahood said. “He was such a good skater. I never gave him any breaks. I just wanted him to get better. We all knew he could end up in the NHL someday.”
Pursuing dreams
Smolinski was pursued by Major Junior teams, but he always had wanted to play college hockey.
He was recruited by Bowling Green and Michigan but ultimately landed a scholarship to Michigan State. He played in 162 career games with the Spartans under legendary coach Ron Mason. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound center scored 80 goals and had 101 assists (181 points), and helped MSU reach the 1992 NCAA Frozen Four.
“That was when I realized the NHL could be in my future,” he said.
Bryan’s mother and father, Tom and Nancy, were in attendance with him at the draft in Vancouver when Boston chose the northwest Ohio native with the 21st overall pick of the 1990 NHL draft when he still was a freshman at MSU.
“I’m a kid from Genoa, Ohio, and to hear your name was so cool,” Smolinski said. “I think I peed my pants.
“It wasn’t always peachy. My parents made a lot of sacrifices. Leaving home [at a young age] was gut wrenching. There were a lot of missteps, too.”
But the sacrifices all paid off when Smolinski made his NHL debut with the Bruins at the Boston Garden in 1993. Just a few days after finishing his college career he suddenly was teammates with Ray Bourque. He even took the opening faceoff.
Mahood said he remembers it like it was yesterday.
“I went to his family’s house in Genoa,” he said. “Tom had a satellite dish at the time and we had a party.”
Just three years later, Smolinski helped Team USA capture the inaugural World Cup title. Smolinski said he remains good friends with several of his teammates, including Mathieu Schneider, Keith Tkachuk, Mike Richter, and Brian Leetch.
“But it’s very difficult to keep in touch with all of them,” he said. “So it was a little bit of a reunion [at the ceremony]. It was unreal. It was 20 years since 1996 and to see the faces brought back a lot of memories. There are a lot of NHL hall of famers on that team.”
Smolinski also was inducted into the National Polish-American sports hall of fame in 2015.
Mahood said he took pride in following Smolinski’s career.
“There’s a reason he played on so many teams, he was a good pro,” Mahood said. “He could play both ends of the rink. He played the game the right way. You don’t play the game that long if you aren’t really good.
“But I’m even more proud of the way he turned out as a man. He’s a nice, kind person. He’s a good family man.”
Smolinski said he took pride in his knowledge of the game.
“I had a high IQ of the game. I had good hands and I could skate,” he said. “I just wanted to be a well-rounded hockey player.”
Smolinski now resides in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., with his wife and four children. He is retired but coaches his 13-year-old son Max’s youth hockey team. He also plays in alumni games.
“What I miss is the competing. I miss the game and being with the guys,” he said. “I wish we could have played longer.
“It’s all very humbling to look back on.”
Contact Mark Monroe at: mmonroe@theblade.com, 419-724-6354 or on Twitter @MonroeBlade.
First Published January 2, 2017, 5:12 a.m.
