Tyler Smith - Biography [1/2]

[DrHexDex 68]

Chapter 1: Early Life

Tyler Smith was born on September 29^th, 1996 in Pontiac, Illinois. A very small town out in the middle of nowhere. For as long as he can remember Smith fell in love with the sport of hockey when he watched the Detroit Red Wings win the Stanly Cup back in 1998 and again in 2002. His mother told us that she remember watching him mock play goal tenders on the TV, diving for invisible pucks. From that moment on Smith knew that he wanted to be a goalie, because he viewed it as the last line of defense for a team. He can either save them big time and secure a W, or blow it all and choke.

 

Chapter 2: Frozen Rivers

After years of saving up money Smith was finally able to buy his own pair of used pads and hit the ice for the very first time when he was 10 years old. For Smith, it was a very frustrating experience, nothing like what he saw on TV. The flashy saves, the rebound recoveries, or the breakaway stops. It was more of falling over his own skates in the crease and letting easy pucks through his five-hole in. Of course this was played back on frozen rivers since Pontiac at the time lacked any sort of rec center with an ice rink so he didn’t get many chances to improve on his game. Frustrated, Smith thought about hanging up the pads and skates but his mother talked him out of it and he continued to play every winter when he could. Smith slowly went from tumbling on the ice, to being able to make sliding stops and become flexible enough to play butterfly.

 

Chapter 3: Playing With a Small Crowd

Smith attended Bloomington High School, in Bloomington, Illinois. This was his first taste of real hockey and what playing on a team really meant. Smith experienced early 4 A.M. morning practices to 12 A.M. late night away games. It was easy for him to adjust to the demanding schedule of the hockey season but at the end of his freshman year he finally adjusted to the harsh schedule and fell into a rhythm. Smith started developing his work out routine in his sophomore year of high school. Along with this he learned the importance of dieting and weight management. His junior year is where he started to shine as he started mastering the Hybrid stance of stand up and butterfly mixed. Finally during his senior year he led his high school to the State Cup, bringing it home to Bloomington for the 4^th time in his school’s history. It was around this time that he started receiving offers from colleges to come and play for them but the big question on his and the towns mind was: Who is he going to play for next?

 

Chapter 4: Picking the Right School

After winning the State Cup for his high school Smith received countless offers from not only his home state but the country as well. While rumors of him leaving Illinois to go play in Minnesota started popping up during the summer vacation on Twitter, Smith kept very quiet about who he was actually going to play for as to not seem like he playing favorites over social media. We found out through his mother that he would only bring up the teams he thought about playing for at the dinner table with her and the rest of his siblings. After what seemed like the longest 3 months of his life Smith finally made an announcement over twitter that he was going to stay in Illinois and play at Illinois State University. While some were stunned that he didn’t go to Seattle or Minnesota more were pleased that he stayed at home in hopes of bringing more trophies in.

 

Chapter 5: Dorms are overrated; Home is Where the Heart is.

Smith played all 4 years of college for the Illinois State University Redbirds. Through his freshman year Smith was seen in and out of the practice ice, most of the time getting there before the trainers even unlocked the doors. He earned the title of ‘Gym Rat’ for his extreme dedication to improve his game for himself and the team. It was also reported during his freshman year Smith got into his very first fight, against a rival, the Illinois University Fighting Illini. Smith was reported to have 2 broken knuckles, which benched him for 2 weeks. While rumors were spread about what instigated the fight from being slashed after the whistle, to just general insults, we talked to his head coach that the fight actually started due to being poked in his facemask multiple times after a whistle. Smith only one national title for Illinois State University through his 4 years there but he and the town seemed satisfied with his results. Smith decided to enter the AHL draft where he was picked up in the 2^nd round as an early pick for the Bloomington Blue Jays.

Chapter 6: Blue Jays Singing

Smith played 3 seasons with the Bloomington Blue Jays, where he only brought home one cup. While most people are unaware of why he left Bloomington we were able to sit down with him and find out why.

“Playing in Bloomington was a great experience for me, but I craved something much bigger than the AHL or a small time team. Don’t get me wrong, I love this city, the state and the people but it was time for me to tackle bigger and better things. I never received any call ups to the NHL and I wasn’t about to sit around for another 3 years and wait for it. While it is sad for the town that I left I know that those who truly supported me accepted the fact that I had to leave. The VHL seemed like the right league for me, so that’s why I went.”

 

Chapter 7: The VHL and the Future

While Smith was drafted in the VHLM to the Halifax 21^st Smith was reported to be happy with the pick and was very excited to play for an expansion team. Will Smith continue a great road ahead? Or burn out like a super nova? Only time will tell for this young Goalie.

Edited August 14, 2018 by DrHexDex

[Cornflakers 73]

I really like this format, if it's ok, I want to do my BIO in this homage.

 

Review -

The word count is a smidge over minimum, it is well written, interesting, without tangents.

I'd like to see some graphics perhaps salted in there.

And as per guidelines perhaps a defined title?

 

Other than that super well done mate.

 

Edited August 15, 2018 by Cornflakers