Smith's Leading By Example

Every Thanksgiving, Kenny Smith invites his teammates who can’t make it home for the holiday to come to dinner at his family’s home in Stoneham, Mass.

In the summer, he is known for grueling, eight-hour workouts in the gym and rink.

And in the dressing room at Bright Hockey Center, he knows when it’s all right to joke around, and when his talented team needs to focus.

“He is,” said teammate and blockmate Rob Fried, “the consummate captain.”

And, as his teammates will tell you, the best part about Smith’s leadership is that it comes to him so naturally.

“Kenny is the perfect person to have as our captain,” senior forward Tim Pettit said. “He is a serious person that everyone listens to, but at the same time he knows how to keep the game fun and make sure that guys enjoy themselves while giving 100 percent.”

Smith is a coach’s dream: talented, hard-working and dedicated. As the Edmonton Oilers’ third-round pick in 2001, he has NHL ambitions, and his off-season regimen is a big reason why.

“During the summer, he was constantly shuttling between the weight room, the track, on-ice training camp and summer league games,” Fried said. “[But] he never complained and always had fun with workouts. During team sprints, he was always at the head of the pack.”

This fall, Smith returned to Harvard in the best shape of his career—something that both his teammates and coach Mark Mazzoleni noticed.

That, combined with the maturity and leadership qualities he exhibited in captaining the U.S. Under-17 and Under-18 teams before coming to Harvard, make quite a captain.

“Kenny is extremely mature and gets along with anyone and everyone,” Fried said. “He is always up to hang out with teammates. He is an extremely bright and mature individual who cares about his teammates above all else.

“Kenny knows exactly when to be your friend and when to be your captain.”

Smith is well aware of the impact a good captain can have, as he was mentored by Peter Capouch ’02, the 5’6, 165-pound defenseman known for his intelligence and grit.

Smith missed the first half of his freshman season with a leg injury, but returned to play the rest of the year in the team’s No. 1 defensive pairing with Capouch.

Capouch, whom Mazzoleni called the best captain he’d ever coached two years ago, mastered the art of anticipating plays and being in the right position.

With Capouch’s help, Smith refined his skills and learned more about his position.

“Peter was a tremendous player. He made me better and taught me a lot,” Smith said. “Hopefully I can combine his skill with a 6’2 frame.”

Though Capouch was not by his side last season, Smith helped maintain Harvard’s strong defensive corps while posting a career-best four goals and 11 assists. He also tallied the Crimson’s lone goal against perennial powerhouse Boston University in last year’s Beanpot.

The way Smith borrowed from Capouch’s approach is one of many examples of him learning from older teammates. As an eighth grader at Austin Prep, he became the youngest player ever to play varsity hockey.

“I just kept my mouth shut and watched what the other guys were doing,” Smith said. “I tried to emulate the older guys.”

His play that year caught the attention of Bill Hanson, legendary head coach at Catholic Memorial High School, one of the premier hockey programs in Massachusetts.

“He went from being the big fish in a little pond to being a little fish in a big pond,” Hanson said. “But he brought an awful lot of talent and showed a maturity young kids don’t often have.

“I thought he was a little too serious about hockey at the time, but he was obviously preparing himself for a job.”

Smith played hockey at Catholic Memorial during his freshman and sophomore seasons. During his stay, the Knights went 24-0 and advanced to state and national championship games.

Following that, Smith joined the U.S. National Team Developmental Program in Ann Arbor, Mich. The change made hockey the main focus in Smith’s life, allowing him to play in increasingly competitive game conditions.

“It took my game to a whole new level,” Smith said. “I went from playing 24 games a season to playing 80 games, and was able to learn the little intricacies of the game.”

Though Smith’s experience at the USNTDP made the transition to college easier, he almost didn’t come to Harvard. Smith was reluctant to attend, but his pre-frosh college visit made all the difference. In that short time, he enjoyed spending time with hockey players, and he was impressed with the attitude of the coaching staff. He was excited about their commitment to compete at the highest national level.

And now, Smith has the chance to take them there.

“[Our class] has one chance left, one more Beanpot and one more shot at a national championship that will leave a real positive mark on this program,” he said. “We didn’t come here to challenge for the league title and then bow out in the first round of the [NCAA] tournament.

“We came here to win a national championship.”

As Harvard pursues what would be its first national championship since 1989, the Crimson’s younger players will seek to emulate him, just as he learned from Capouch two years ago.

And it’s happening already.

“So far, Kenny has been an unbelievable captain,” freshman defender Dylan Reese said. “He not only leads by speech, but by work ethic as well. I’ve tried to do a lot of things he does.”