He recorded 61 points in 52 games that season before requesting a trade and subsequently being dealt 15 games into the 200001 season to the Windsor Spitfires. Under new head coach Paul MacLean, Spezza thrived by finishing sixth in Hart Trophy voting for league MVP that season. After beginning his major junior career at the early age of 15 in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Spezza was selected second overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators, eventually serving as their team captain following the departure of Daniel Alfredsson. Prior to the end of the lock-out, Heatley asked to be traded from Atlanta in hopes of leaving reminders of the tragic crash behind. And he kind of always had an idea where I was, added Heatley. "When I looked (Heatley) in the eye, I knew the minute he walked out the door that I had to trade him," GM Bryan Murray said a short time later. Daniel "Dany" James Heatley (born January 21, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger. At age five, Spezza was chosen for a Minute Maid commercial. He was so good offensively that he could get away with a lot of stuff. Heatley signed with German club, the Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) on September 17, 2015. [4] On August 23, 2005, the Thrashers sent him to the Ottawa Senators for Slovak star Marin Hossa and veteran defenceman Greg de Vries. In 2008, he surpassed Marcel Dionne as Canada's all-time leader in goals and Steve Yzerman as the all-time leader in points for the World Championships. That's hard for a coach to accept. Previously, he spent seven years as an afternoon talk show host for TSN 1200 in Ottawa and as a contributing writer for TSN.ca. He amassed 687 points in 686 games with Ottawa, making him the only point-per-game player who suited up in more than 500 games for the Senators franchise. The 36-year-old Spezza credits his close friendship for Heatley as for one of the reasons why the trio was so lethal. [32] He finished his tenure with the Ducks with no points in 6 games, but recorded 7 in 25 games with Norfolk. But the Senators lost to Anaheim in the Stanley Cup Final in five games and things took a downward spiral from there. [52][53], Spezza participates in numerous activities outside of hockey, especially the "Spelling with Spezza" program. [31] On February 28, 2015, Heatley was traded to the Florida Panthers along with a 2016 third-round draft choice for Tom Fleischmann. Catalyzed by a rejuvenated offence, Ottawa finished the season with the best record in the Eastern Conference and the second-best in the league. Spezza says he can't remember exactly when the trio was put together, but they clicked quickly. [7] Spezza went on to record an OHL career-high 116 points in 66 games that season. In addition, Murray said that head coach Clouston was hurt by Heatley's remarks. Every day, every practice, every game was fun. I just think the playmaking of Spezza and the scoring of Heatley scared a lot of opponents.. The trio made up what was affectionately called "The Pizza Line" because the line's scoring exploits normally meant free pizza for fans in attendance thanks to a promotion with Pizza Pizza. Molloy went as far as to blame the Senators' organization for Heatley's decision, claiming "This is an organizational thing. Having missed the playoffs once more with the Thrashers, Heatley participated in the 2004 World Championships in the Czech Republic. Spezza contributed to all of his team's goals for a career-high six-point game. Alfredsson could see that Spezza was ready to buy into the team concept and take his game to the next level. [17] The 200809 season, however, was met with decreased production for Heatley and the top line as well as an 11th-place finish for the Senators in the Eastern Conference, well out of playoff contention. The first is that Heatley slept with Spezza's wife. Heatley dominated with 11 points to lead all tournament scorers, earning his second-straight MVP award. And while hes certainly connected to Torontos franchise these days, its undeniable that Spezzas most glorious years were spent in Ottawa. Apparently, one of the players on the Ottawa Senators had slept with Heatley's fiancee. Internationally, Spezza represented Canada at three World Junior Championships and two World Championships. WebJason Spezza (born Jason Anthony Rocco Spezza on June 13, 1983) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who currently plays for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). At the end of the day, who knows if these sources are any better than Eklund's back alley tipsters, but it's a rumor that I had previously heard, saw it makes it's way around forums, and now saw it again today in a separate blog. With the Presidents Trophy-winning Senators facing elimination down 3-1 in their series against New Jersey, Martin inserted Spezza into the lineup in a desperate attempt for an offensive spark. My next conversation with him will be away from the emotion of playoff time to see what we can do and what we have to do.. Im glad he could go out the way he did. The now retired Heatley got in touch with Mendes to express gratitude for his inclusion, as well. The other version is better - if you like tabloid news. This is what he had to say about making the team and being placed on a line with Jason Spezza & Daniel Alfredsson: pic.twitter.com/QwFTyuQY3z, "I would say it's an honour to be part of the team," Heatley said. [2] He went on to lead the Buffaloes to the bronze medal at the 1998 Air Canada Cup, where he finished as both Top Scorer and Tournament MVP. The line was consistently among the highest-scoring in the NHL after its formation in 200506, with the trio combining for a total of 296 points that season. The Alfredsson, Spezza and Heatley line was dominant, leading the NHL in playoffs points, all tied at 22. Spezza joined fellow NHL stars John Tavares, Tyler Seguin, Patrice Bergeron, Ryan Smyth and Matt Duchene in the Canadian line-up,[50] helping Canada defeat host team HC Davos to capture its first Spengler Cup title since 2007. "(Heatley's) mother is very upset. If that's the case, it sort of makes sense that he didn't go to the wedding but it doesn't make sense that the wedding still continued. Despite his consistent playoff production with 76 points in 97 career playoff games Spezza could never slay that Game 7 dragon that first reared its ugly head against New Jersey in the spring of 2003. [51], At the 2015 World Championships, where Canada won the gold medal for the first time since 2007 with a perfect 100 record, Spezza was named best forward and a member of the all-star team; he was the tournament's leading scorer. He also led the team in shots on goal with 24. Spezza made his debut with the Maple Leafs in the following game on October 5, against the Columbus Blue Jackets. And I dont know if Spezza had played a ton of defence before joining us. ", "Dany Heatley welcomes trade to Minnesota, ready to become Wild's go-to scorer", "2011-12 Minnesota Wild Roster and Statistics", "Report: Minnesota Wild's Dany Heatley to have shoulder surgery - NHL.com - News", "Wild gets big win in Columbus; Dany Heatley to undergo shoulder surgery | Russo's Rants", http://www.torontosun.com/2014/03/29/the-fall-has-been-quick-and-hard-for-the-minnesota-wilds-dany-heatley, "Dany Heatley signs with Anaheim Ducks - NHL Free Agency 2014", "Ducks' Heatley clears waivers (Updated)", "AP Source: Ducks place Heatley on waivers", "Panthers trade Fleischmann to Ducks for Heatley, pick", "Atlanta's Heatley named MVP after record-tying effort", "Bruins' Savard chosen to replace injured Heatley in All-Star Game", "Heatley scores three as Canada dominates Slovenia 5-1", "Hockey Canada: Heatley moves past Yzerman to become all-time points leader for Canada", "Canadian Olympic Hockey Team: 2010 Roster Released", "Getzlaf, Perry score in Canada's 8-0 victory", "Transfer Coup: Dany Heatley in DEL with Thomas Sabo", "Felony charge dropped for Thrashers star's plea", "Minnesota Wild star Dany Heatley sues ex-agent, others for $11-million", "Phillips joins Heatley, suing former agent", "Dany Heatley wins $6.5 million suing former agent", "NHL player agent accused of defrauding Dany Heatley, Chris Phillips of $12 million", "Charges stayed against late former NHL player Stacey Don McAlpine", "EA Sports Replaces Heatley With Sakic On "NHL 2004" Cover", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dany_Heatley&oldid=1126899689, Ice hockey players at the 2006 Winter Olympics, Ice hockey players at the 2010 Winter Olympics, National Hockey League first-round draft picks, Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey players, German expatriate sportspeople in the United States, Canadian expatriate sportspeople in the United States, Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Germany, Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Switzerland, German expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland, Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Russia, AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans, Articles with dead external links from July 2022, Articles with permanently dead external links, Articles with dead external links from November 2017, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in Canadian English, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2008, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2015, Olympics.com template with same ID for Olympic.org, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, All-Star Game record for most goals in a game (4, tied), All-Star Skills Competition record for shooting accuracy (2004) 4-for-4 (shared with, Ottawa Senators franchise record for most points in a season (105), Ottawa Senators franchise record for longest point-scoring streak (22 games), Ottawa Senators franchise record for most points in one post-season (22, tied with, First Ottawa Senator in franchise history to score 50 goals in a season, First Ottawa Senator in franchise history to score back to back 50 goal seasons, Team Canada's all-time leading point-scorer 69 (as of 2010 Winter Olympics), Biographical information and career statistics from, This page was last edited on 11 December 2022, at 21:13. [6] After one season with the Battalion, he was required to enter the OHL Priority Draft and was selected by the Mississauga IceDogs in the team's second season in 19992000. The program recognizes the importance of spelling. On December 21, 2005, Heatley was chosen by Team Canada to participate in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin his first Olympic games. [46][47] Spezza contributed 2 assists in 7 games as Canada captured a bronze medal. Try a week on us. It ended up behind the net. He managed a career-high 34 goals and finished with 87 points in 67 games. Previously, he worked for 12 years as a television reporter and host with Rogers Sportsnet and has also served as a feature columnist for both The Ottawa Citizen and Todays Parent magazine. With lofty expectations for the playoffs, they were eliminated in the second round by the Buffalo Sabres. [20] Ultimately, no trade occurred. He scored four points as Canada was defeated in the quarter-finals by Slovakia. In his first game back in Atlanta as a Senator, he was frequently booed, indicating that Thrashers fans felt snubbed by Heatley's previous trade request. Playing minor hockey in the Alberta Midget Hockey League (AMHL) for the Calgary Buffaloes, Heatley tallied 91 points in 36 games in 199798 to earn the Harry Allen Memorial Trophy as the league's top scorer. Will the truth come out? At the end of the 2009-10 season, there were whispers that Spezza was the next one asking for a change of scenery. If that's the case, it sort of makes sense that he didn't Daniel "Dany" James Heatley (born January 21, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger. Heatley wanted to play his own game, his After the season had concluded, it was revealed that Heatley had been battling multiple injuries during the season, and especially during the playoffs. Toronto Maple Leafs centre Jason Spezza joined Ian Mendes and Lee Versage on TSN Radio 1200 Ottawa's The Drive after being included in TSN's Ottawa Senators All-Time 7 team alongside longtime linemates Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson. Beginning the 200708 season in the final year of his contract, on November 2, 2007, Spezza signed a new seven-year, $49million contract with the Senators effective from the 200809 season through to the 201415 season. As Heatley intended to play college hockey in the United States, he joined the Junior A ranks in 199899 with the Calgary Canucks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) to maintain his NCAA eligibility (as opposed to playing major junior). Anaheim Ducks and Florida Panthers (20142015), By Associated Press, San Jose Mercury News. WebDany Heatleyis a German-born Canadian former professional ice hockey winger. He returned to action on May 19, 2013, for the third game of Ottawa's Eastern Conference Semi-final series against Pittsburgh. We had a really good combination of a pure goal scorer, a pure playmaker and then I contributed a little bit of everything, says Alfredsson. [16] Late that season, on February 9, 2008, Spezza scored his first NHL hat-trick during a 61 Senators victory over the Montreal Canadiens. McAlpine was later arrested and charged with fraud, money WebJason Spezza and Dany Heatley Photos Photos - Dany Heatley #15 of the San Jose Sharks carries the puck up ice while being chased by Jason Spezza #19 of the Ottawa As the wedding date got closer, Heatley finally found out and called off the wedding. I'll start with the disclaimer: there is no concrete evidence (and there wouldn't be for this type of thing) but there are sources.