Coyotes' Smith on winning gold with Canada: 'I put a mediocre season to rest'
Mike Smith won more than a gold medal while backstopping Canada at the IIHF World Championship.
He also gained some closure.
The Arizona Coyotes netminder joined his national team in the Czech Republic following a disastrous NHL campaign season. Smith won only 14 games in 62 appearances as Arizona finished at the bottom of the Western Conference.
He fared much better anchoring Canada's stacked roster, going 8-0 with two shutouts and turning aside 160 of 172 shots. The taste of success was beneficial for Smith, who is ready to transition into the offseason on a winning note.
"I learned a lot," Smith told Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic. "I put a mediocre season to rest."
Mediocre is a charitable way to describe Smith's 2014-15 campaign. He had the second-worst even-strength save percentage of any starting goalie and posted the worst goals-against average of his career (3.16).
Smith has four years remaining on a contract with a cap hit above $5.5 million, but the 33-year-old's performance has declined following a career year in his first season with Arizona. The Coyotes will need Smith to carry the lessons from Canada's championship win into next season unless they want to be one of the favorites to land the top draft pick again in 2016.