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Former NHLer Ryan Smyth injured after ‘blindside elbow’ in men’s senior game

Ryan Smyth

Ryan Smyth #94 of the Edmonton Oilers skates against the New York Islanders at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on October 17, 2013 in Uniondale, New York. The Islanders defeated the Oilers 3-2. (October 16, 2013 - Source: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America)

Former NHL forward Ryan Smyth was injured while playing for the Stony Plain Eagles senior men’s hockey team on Saturday, according to reports..

A veteran of more than 1,200 NHL games, and known mostly for his time with the Edmonton Oilers, Smyth lay “motionless” on the ice after an elbow to the head during an Allen Cup playoff game, per the Eagles.

From the Spruce Grove Examiner:

During Game 1 of the provincial finals in Lacombe on March 11, team captain Ryan Smyth took an elbow to the head from Generals winger Kyle Sheen. The incident occurred midway through the third period just after Smyth scored the go-ahead goal with a backhand rocket.

“Sheen was backtracking Smyth and made a beeline for him right after he released the puck with a blindside elbow to the face, leaving his feet,” Eagles head coach Mike Tavaroli said. “It was a dirty hit; Smytty was down and wasn’t moving. He’s going to be out for a while.”

Sheen was assessed a match penalty on the play and Tavaroli believes the league will step in with supplemental discipline. Sheen has averaged between two and four penalty minutes per game throughout his playing career.

The Eagles have since released a statement, saying Smyth is in “good spirits” and resting at his home in Edmonton.

Smyth played 1,270 NHL games, registering 842 points. He started his career in Edmonton before stops with the New York Islanders, Colorado Avalanche and L.A. Kings.