Gretzky calls to invite Smyth, Fogolin to join the Edmonton Oilers Hall of Fame

Ryan Smyth's #94 is not being retired by the Oilers, but the fan favourite will enter the team's new hall of fame in November, along with two-time Stanley Cup champion Lee Fogolin.

A selection committee, which includes Wayne Gretzky, chose Smyth and Fogolin to be the first members, joining automatic inductees: Gretzky, Al Hamilton, Jari Kurri, Grant Fuhr, Paul Coffey, Mark Messier, Glenn Anderson, Kevin Lowe, Glen Sather and Rod Phillips, who all have banners in the rafters of Rogers Place.

"I owe it all to my teammates. This is for them too," Smyth said Tuesday. "I'm humbled by it and extremely ecstatic to get the call from Wayne."

The gritty and often-mulleted winger known affectionately by many as "Smytty" said being an Oiler was a childhood dream. He called his relationship with the fans "precious" and spoke glowingly of playing at home in an "electrifying rink," especially during the 2006 playoffs.

"The Oiler fans are the best fans in the game…I was this little kid growing up in Banff, Alberta, wanting to be an NHL player for the Edmonton Oilers, and I lived my dream and I couldn't be anymore honoured and humbled right now," Smyth said.

Drafted sixth overall by Edmonton in 1994, Smyth was traded away in 2007 amid a disagreement with the team on what he should be paid in a new contract. The decision to cut ties at the time is something then-general-manager Kevin Lowe said Tuesday he wished he'd handled differently.

"It's definitely a regret in my career because of the way things unfolded, the disappointment he had, the disappointment the fans had," Lowe told reporters. "At the time we thought we were doing the right thing for the organization, but sometimes you gotta think beyond what you think is the obvious."

Fogolin, a rugged defenceman who often recorded more than 100 penalty minutes in a season, said he was "humbled" to be included along with such great players. He named Lowe, Gretzky, Paul Coffey and Mark Messier as guys he loved playing with and learned a lot from.

"I'm the luckiest guy in the world to be able to come over here and play with this group," Fogolin said. "I can never remember going in the dressing room and not having a smile on my face. It was just such a great group and I owe them everything."

Fogolin scored 44 goals and added 195 assists in 924 NHL games with the Oilers and the Buffalo Sabres. He retired in 1987 after briefly returning to Buffalo, the team that drafted him.

Smyth scored 386 goals and added 456 assists in 1,270 NHL games with the Oilers, New York Islanders, Colorado Avalanche and L.A. Kings. He retired in 2014 after being traded back to Edmonton in 2011.

The Oilers inaugural hall of fame ceremony will be held at Rogers Place on Nov. 3.