Former Edmonton Oilers captain Jason Smith charged with assault
Jason Smith, former captain of the Edmonton Oilers has been charged with assaulting his wife and daughter. Smith is also facing charges related to the confinement of his wife during the same incident. The alleged assault took place on August 10 in Calgary.
Smith was released by Calgary police with the stipulation that he will not contact with the alleged victims, or his in-laws. Smith, currently living in Calgary for the summer, cannot be within five blocks of the families’ homes. The Smith family has a residence in Greely, Ontario, as well as a home east of Calgary. According to his lawyer, “he is abiding by a court order and right now can’t live with his family.”
Smith’s bail conditions state that he is prohibited from consuming alcohol and non-prescribed drugs. He is also not permitted to have weapons in his possession. His lawyer had the no contact condition relaxed so that Smith could send a birthday card to his daughter.
No details of the incident were released, but Smith’s lawyer, Alain Hepner, described the charges against the former NHL defenseman as “devastating” to Smith and his family. Hepner did not go into any details, but did state that no serious injuries resulted from the incident. Hepner said that he would contest the charges against his client. He also offered the following, “what’s conjured up by the allegations is not an accurate reflection of what will surface in the court case.”
In the end, Smith’s lawyer had the following to say; “I think the issue is to reconcile and address family issues, when anyone’s nuclear family unit involves even a hint of damage anyone would feel bad.”
Smith played 15 seasons in the NHL, spending time with five teams. He is tied with Wayne Gretzky as the longest tenured captain of the Oilers, wearing the “C” for five seasons. He was also the captain of the Philadelphia Flyers during the one season he spent with the team.
The case returns to court on September 17.
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