By Sheri Monk

Saturday Night means Hockey Night in Canada, an honoured tradition upheld for generations. Last Saturday, it was Canada vs Canada – a match highly valued under the NHL’s frenzied franchise procreation. For diehard fans, the good ole hockey game is always special. But for Maple Creek’s Zack Smith, the night was unforgettable – he scored his first NHL goal.
“It was pretty unreal. I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity to score my first one being in Montreal. It’s a pretty crazy building to play in with the fans and how passionate they are about hockey there. And then being able to score on Hockey Night in Canada too was pretty cool because all my family and friends got to see it,” said Smith in an interview from Boston.
And see it they did. His parents – Colleen Dean and Dean Smith – were reportedly inundated with congratulatory calls after the game.
Smith’s success wasn’t just any goal – it was a shorthanded one. And with defense injuries abounding on the team, it was well-publicized that Smith’s penalty killing skills would be called on and tested. And in the hockey world, there’s no better way to kill a penalty than by defeating it with a goal.

“It’s not too many guys that had their first goal while shorthanded, so that made it even more special,” Smith said.
The Senators are having the game sheet and puck framed as a momento of the occasion and Smith said he was enthusiastically congratulated by the team after the game. The Senators defeated Montreal 4-2. Coming off a 3-0 shut-out (pulled off by newcomer goalie Mike Brodeur) against the New York Rangers, it seems some new blood may just have won the Senator’s mojo back.
The fourth of a five-game road trip, Smith had been called up from the Binghamton Senators five games ago, his first five of this season. Last year, he was called up for one game, his rookie year after being drafted.
The Senators have been plagued by injury and the road trip started dismally for the team, though Smith had been consistently gaining ice time, experience and confidence. In an interview after his first game this season just over a week ago, Smith said his status on the team is a day-to-day thing. And it still is, but with one goal, one fight and a grueling road trip under his belt, the NHL ground he’s walking on has become less like cloud nine, and a little bit more solid. At least from an outsider’s perspective.

“I’ve improved every game, I’ve made strides and every game, I’m getting more confident. It shows by the amount of minutes I’ve been playing too, it’s been a steady increase since the first game I was called up. It gets better every game. I feel more confident handling the puck out there and I think the coaches are getting more confident in me too.”
There are still a couple of critical senators on the sidelines with injuries, so Smith’s chances to shine may continue for a while yet. But he’s happy to take it one game at a time. Last night, the Senators wrapped up their road trip in Boston, but results weren’t available by press time. On Wednesday, Smith and the team will return to home ice to face off against the Chicago Blackhawks.
“My phone has been pretty busy the last two days with people congratulating me and it’s pretty unreal the amount of support I’m getting from friends and family back home.”