Vorstellungsrunde » Diamondbacks regained the lead in the fifth when David

EDMONTON -- Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Smyth is calling it a career after tipping in shots and absorbing spine-jarring jolts standing in front of goalies for 18 NHL seasons. Smyth said Friday his body was still willing, but with his young children getting older, his mind was wandering. "The mental side of the game, I didnt have it at times," Smyth told a news conference at Rexall Place, with his family on hand. "Ive got a wonderful family that I miss out on a lot of their stuff. That (became) a factor. "There comes a time in my life where you have to turn the page." The 38-year-old known for his famous mullet was also a stalwart on Team Canada. He was drafted sixth overall by Edmonton in 1994 and spent most of his 18-season career in Albertas capital. He mixed grit with a scoring touch and became the face of the post-Wayne Gretzky Oilers, leading the team to a Stanley Cup final appearance in 2006. Smyth thanked everyone from former teammates to the Oilers massage therapist in a speech that saw the scrappy forward fight back tears. Sitting beside him at the news conference was Oilers general manager Craig MacTavish. "There are many players that have worn the Edmonton Oilers jersey, but there are no players who wore the jersey that had more passion than Ryan Smyth," MacTavish said. Smyth has 386 goals and 456 assists and 974 penalty minutes in 1,269 games heading into Edmontons Saturday season finale against the visiting Vancouver Canucks. He added 59 points (28-31) and 88 penalty minutes in 93 career playoff games. He also earned the nickname "Captain Canada" for his loyalty to Canadas mens national team. The team is preparing a tribute to the Banff, Alta., native during Saturdays game. Asked what hell miss the most about the game, Smyth said the it will be the journey itself. "Being on the ice surface, the adrenalin, the excitement, obviously your teammates," he said. "Ill for sure miss the guys." What was the highlight, he was asked. "Probably playing a thousand games and coming back and being an Edmonton Oiler." Teammates said he will be remembered as a blue-collar workhorse who made his living with a big stick in front of the net, deflecting and tipping in point shots and passes while taking a hellacious beating. Oilers winger David Perron said he grew up idolizing Smyth. "He was always around the net being greasy and scoring goals that everyone was like, How did that go in? Oh, Ryan Smyth scored again. At the end of the year hed have 30-40 goals," said Perron after practice Friday. Oilers goaltender Ben Scrivens said Smyths trademark goals come from a mix of skill and guts. "Hes always in position but never stops the puck, and it makes it really difficult to see pucks because no matter which way you look it seems like hes there," said Scrivens. "Its a talent he acquired through hard work and just sacrificing his body." Smyth played at least 40 games as an Oiler in 14 of his 18 seasons. He blossomed in his first full season with the team in 1996-97, when he had 61 points (39 goals and 22 assists) in 82 games. Smyth was a steady force up front in Edmonton early in his career. The six-foot-two 191-pounder played a key role in the Oilers 2006 Stanley Cup run. Smyth had 16 points (7-9) in 24 games that post-season as the Oilers dropped a seven-game series to the Carolina Hurricanes. He was shipped to the New York Islanders at the trade deadline during the 2006-07 season. Long-term contract negotiations between Smyths agent, Don Meehan, and Oilers then general manager Kevin Lowe went to the 11th hour but the two sides couldnt reach a deal. With Smyth due to become a free agent that summer, Lowe didnt want to risk losing him for nothing in the off-season. Smyth said goodbye to Edmonton during an emotional news conference at the city airport. He played two seasons with Colorado and two more with Los Angeles before he asked Kings GM Dean Lombardi for a trade in 2011. A deal was finalized in June of that year. He has provided some veteran leadership on a young Oilers squad over his last three seasons. Saturday will be Smyths last chance to set a team record for power-play goals. Smyth and Glenn Anderson have 126 each, one ahead of Gretzky. Internationally, Smyth played at two Winter Games, helping Canada win gold at the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002. Smyth also won gold at the World Cup of Hockey in 2004 and represented Canada at seven straight world hockey championship during his prime. Authentic Shaun Dion Hamilton Jersey .com) - The Ottawa Senators will try to keep their slim playoff hopes alive when they face the Chicago Blackhawks who are trying to secure their place in the post-season. Authentic Adonis Alexander Jersey . 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Authentic Chris Thompson Jersey .Y. -- Dwane Casey admitted hed been concerned about his young Raptors team who had zero experience playing in close-out games -- what awaited them with the vastly-experienced Brooklyn Nets, and how theyd react.LOS ANGELES -- Paul Goldschmidt and Miguel Montero homered to help Bronson Arroyo win his third straight start and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-3 Sunday, preventing a three-game sweep. Arroyo (7-4) allowed a run and five hits in five innings. Josh Beckett (4-4) was charged with four runs -- three earned -- and five hits through seven innings with six strikeouts and no walks for the Dodgers. Goldschmidt hit his 15th home run in the first inning and Montero hit his 10th in the ninth inning, a two-run shot off Chris Perez. Some absentmindedness by the Dodgers helped the Diamondbacks during a two-run seventh inning that increased the lead to 4-1. Montero ended up with one-out infield single after second baseman Dee Gordon fielded his routine grounder and had neither first baseman Adrian Gonzalez nor Beckett covered the bag. Aaron Hill followed with a single to left field and continued to second as Matt Kemp tried to throw out Montero at third. Gordon then charged Martin Prados slow grounder with the infield playing in -- and ran past the ball as it skidded into short-right-centre. Both runners scored and Prado was credited with one RBI. A fielding error by Arizona shortstop Didi Gregorius on Jamie Romaks leadoff grounder in the seventh gave the Dodgers some life. Lefty Oliver Perez, who came in with a scoreless streak of 11 innings over his previous 13 appearances, walked No.8 hitter Drew Butera before pinch-hitter Justin Turner doubled over the head of left fielder Cody Ross. Butera was hoping to score behind Romak, then slammed on the breaks aftter he was held up by coach Lorenzo Bundy.dddddddddddd But Gregorius took the relay from Ross and threw to Prado for the tag on Butera before he could scramble back to the bag. Perez then hit Gordon with an 0-2 pitch, but the D-backs escaped the inning still clinging to a 4-2 lead as Evan Marshall struck out Hanley Ramirez and retired Yasiel Puig on a tapper back to the mound. Brad Ziegler escaped the Dodgers eighth unscathed after retiring Romak on a double-play grounder with runners at the corners. The Dodgers tied it in the second when Gonzalez drew a leadoff walk and scored on Romaks groundout. The Diamondbacks regained the lead in the fifth when David Peralta doubled with two out, stole third and sprinted home on Becketts first wild pitch of the season. Ramirez added an RBI double in the ninth for Los Angeles. NOTES: Ziegler has induced 85 double-play grounders since the start of the 2008 season, the most among relievers. ... For the second time in two games, Montero threw out Puig trying to steal second base in the first inning with Gonzalez at bat. Puig has been caught seven times on 14 steal attempts. Montero entered this series having thrown out only six of 39 runners. ... Sixteen of Goldschmidts 79 big league homers have come in the first inning, more than hes hit in any other frame. Goldschmidt has 13 homers, 44 RBIs and a .321 average against Dodgers pitching. The home run and RBI totals are his best against any club. ... The Dodgers have only six home runs in 417 at-bats and 482 total plate appearances over their last 13 games. Gonzalez has gone 23 games without one and Puig is in a 16-game home run drought. ' ' '