Smith to Honor Grandparents with Help from Teammates | FEATURE

There are only a select few on the planet who know what it’s like to be teammates with Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Luke Hughes, or Jesper Bratt, and Brendan Smith is one of them.

But now he’s extending the invitation for you all to experience, in some small way, the opportunity to call NHL players your teammates.

On Jan. 7, Smith will be hosting his first Kan Jam in support of the Jam Kancer in the Kan Foundation with proceeds donated to The Breast Center at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center. Spots for the event are almost all filled up, with just three teams remaining of the 32 teams available, with each team paired up with a member of the New Jersey Devils, officially making you teammates.

“It's upbeat, it's a great way to chat because you're playing a game, so it's I think that's one of the best parts," Smith said, "And more than anything the event doesn't happen without the guys, so no matter what, for them to be there for me, to support me is huge. And then with that, I feel that it's an exposure that no fans can get, that you can just rub elbows, play a game with them, and a game that like nobody really plays. You're on the same kind of playing level, and you get to hang out with each other and kind of ask questions that you've never been able to ask."

The Kan Jam will give participating fans a relaxing - yet competitive - environment to spend some casual time with your favorite Devils players. Let’s be honest, it’s not like you’re playing hockey against these guys, so you might even have a chance to beat your favorite player at a game. Smith is excited to bring the Kan Jam to New Jersey and to Devils fans.

"A lot of times in the certain [meet-and-greet] situations, you're talking about the game," Smith added, "This way you can ask them about whatever. I think it's a really cool event that I don't know if I've ever been a part one in 13 years other than this kind of event. It's really cool."

The desire to give back and raise awareness is inherently rooted in Smith’s childhood. His grandfather Lester Smith Sr. and grandmother Joyce Smith played an instrumental role in his and his brother's lives. Joyce passed away from breast cancer in 2004 and Lester Sr. passed away, also from breast cancer, in 2015. Smith sees this event and the support he’s had from the Devils organization and his teammates as not only showing up for him but for his grandparents as well.

He credits his grandparents as a major factor as to why all three Smith boys, older brother Rory and younger brother Reilly, all play a sport at a professional level. Brendan and Reilly both play in the NHL, while his oldest brother Rory is a professional lacrosse player in the National Lacrosse League. Lester Sr. and Joyce would help with the divide-and-conquer with Smith's parents, of raising three boys and supporting their dreams of becoming professional athletes. Often each brother had their practice at a different time and different location and Gramps, as Smith affectionately refers to his grandfather, would make sure to be one of the drivers.

No grandson left behind.

“They've meant so much to us," Smith said, "My grandfather was a truck driver, and then he drove us everywhere because we had three boys and we had to share them, so mom one place, my dad at other and Gramps another, so without them, Rielly and I, and my older brother playing in the NLL, we truly believe we wouldn't have gotten to the success that we've had without them. And (Kan Jam) is kind of a way to give back for what they've done for us because everything that we've reached starts with them.”

While Gramps was the driver, Smith explained, all the support really started with Grandmother Joyce, because she kept everything running behind the scenes.

"My grandmother and I were really tight," he shared, "I loved her old stories, and always would tell me about my dad and my aunt and all my relatives. I love the history part, which is I think a great part to just keep and pass it on. Like, how do you know where you're going, if you don't know where you've been, kind of thing.

“She was just very warm," Smith added, "She always took care of us and always fed us and always had Gramps prepared and always made sure Gramp was prepared so that we were prepared. She was kind of the mastermind.”

Off-days for NHL players really do come few and far between and as a 13-year NHL veteran, Smith understands how precious those days are. So, when he got the thumbs up from all his teammates that they’ll be there to support his event on Jan. 7 and give up their free time, he was filled with gratitude.

“I think that is one of the greatest things," Smith said, "To have the guys, on their off day, take their time to just support myself and my family, it speaks volumes of what the hockey world is all about. It's that brotherhood and I think that's what makes that camaraderie so great and so much better than other sports.”

It's also the type of support he received from his grandparents. Lester Sr. was a truck driver, but he would happily jump in his truck to drive the boys around. Now, as an adult, that's not something that is lost on Smith.

"It's funny because you think back on it, it's like sometimes you want to get away from your job, but he was still (driving), just because he loved us and wanted to support us," Smith said, "He was a funny man, he got really pulled into Reilly's team, their coach accepted Gramps being there all the time, they made him feel very welcome. The funny thing about Gramps was that maybe Reilly would score one goal, but Gramps would be like 'Oh, he had four'. He was always a great supporter, maybe a little fictitious at moments, but he was the man."

"For me to be able to give back means a lot."

For Smith, who in every aspect is a team-first guy, is without words as his current teammates help support Smith give back in honor of his other team: his family members who helped him reach the pinnacle in pro hockey.

"To have everybody show up for me, there's no words to describe that," he said, "I'll be in their debt forever because of that.”