"The sports homecoming is an often irresistible manoeuvre, soaked in sentimentality, but short on logic, business sense and much else.

Fans respond to the mere possibility of a return of their departed hero with unbridled passion, which is understandable. Pro sports operators sell their heroes very well.

Even more powerfully, fans fall in love with players on their own and sometimes stay in love with them even when their favourite is traded away.

In the case of Ryan Smyth, the Oilers marketing department didn't have to do much work, if any.

As Joe Thornton once said of the man dubbed Captain Canada for his distinguished service with Team Canada at the world hockey championship, "He's what a Canadian hockey player is, he's what a Canadian hockey player looks like, how he acts."

No argument here. A fine son of the Rocky Mountain resort town of Banff, Smyth was perfect for the post-glory years Oilers -a tough, reliable, fan-friendly digger and scorer with a blue-collar work ethic and the most genuine post-goal celebration in the game.

Fans at Rexall Place got to see that smile on a regular basis.

The news item generated Monday by the estimable Bob McKenzie of TSN that Smyth would prefer to play out the final year in his current Los Angeles Kings contract back in Edmonton went viral in minutes, if not seconds, as well it should.

So viral did it go, finally, that Journal colleague Jim Matheson's piece, quoting Smyth saying this was news to him, hardly dented the popular zeal to bring back the left-winger, to help out the young kids, and heck, maybe even be captain again.

It could be a fit, although Oilers general manager Steve Tambellini didn't seem too excited about the prospect during his Tuesday morning, pre-draft news conference.

"As far as Ryan, yes, I'm aware of the stories," Tambellini said. "He's a good person."