In eight campaigns with the Edmonton Oilers, Ladislav Smid experienced plenty of bad blood in the NHL’s Battle of Alberta.
As it turns out, his contempt for Calgary — and, just to be crystal-clear, we’re talking before the rugged rearguard was traded to the Flames in November 2013 in a rare swap between provincial rivals — paled in comparison to how his Edmonton-born better-half felt about Cowtown.
“My wife told me it’s an ugly city,” Smid recalled of Ashley’s reaction to the news. “She was obviously jealous, right? She will admit it now, too. She loves Calgary now, and she wants to stay here.