Reilly scored the Stanley Cup clinching goal in Game 5 versus Florida Panthers
"Unbelievable"
That was the one word New Jersey Devils defenseman Brendan Smith spoke as he watched his younger brother Reilly lift the Stanley Cup on his television. The 34-year-old was not one of the 19,058 in attendance at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday. Instead, he was at his home in New Jersey with his wife Samantha and children Ryenn and Nolan.
In a runaway game that resulted in a 9-3 victory for the Vegas Golden Knights, Smith, along with the rest of the family, was able to soak in the moments leading up to Reilly becoming a Stanley Cup Champion. The Devils' blueliner wasted no time sharing a congratulatory message to his brother on his Instagram page.
"I am so proud of my best friend and brother to have finally reached the top of the mountain! You have never quit especially losing every best of 7 series for the Stanley Cup finals in the basement to Rory and I ahah. It's been awesome to learn and grow up with you! To watch you mature and develop into an NHL legend/fantastic father and uncle before my eyes is remarkable. You have made us all so proud and deserve every bit of it. Gramps would be so proud!"
The younger Smith brother finished the game with a goal and assist and collected 14 points throughout the postseason. Reilly shared in an interview with Dan Rosen of NHL.com that Brendan has been his biggest role model in hockey and has always given him great advice.
"An outside eye really helps," Brendan explained to Rosen. "After they beat Dallas in Game 6 [of the Western Conference Final], we FaceTimed for about 30 minutes and went over what he thought and what I thought. I might have changed his opinion on a couple of things, but in the grand scheme, it was just an exciting moment for him to get back to the Final. We broke it down a little bit."
Brendan has one year remaining on his contract with New Jersey and is still searching for his own Stanley Cup. He emerged as one of the Devils' vocal leaders this past season and became a key piece of the puzzle that general manager Tom Fitzgerald is putting together. Undoubtedly, he will be even more motivated when the 2023-24 season begins after spending the summer celebrating with Reilly and the rest of his family.