On December 26, 2010, in a 31 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, Spezza was checked from behind into the boards by Penguins defenceman Kris Letang. In the playoffs, Spezza saved an elite performance for a pivotal Game 5 at Madison Square Garden. So I think we were all hungry.. However, after veteran Joe Sakic announced his retirement and Ryan Getzlaf declared that he required more time to recover from injury, Spezza was invited to fill in one of the vacant spots. Check out the latest pictures, photos and images of Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley. Alfredsson could see that Spezza was ready to buy into the team concept and take his game to the next level. As a junior, Spezza represented Canada's national junior team three consecutive years. So I was disappointed with how my one year as captain went, but thats hockey and you learn from it, Spezza said after the trade in 2014. I didnt just wake up one day and decide I wanted to ask for a trade. [56], The couple have four daughters. And then from that point on, we had unbelievable chemistry. Updated: December 02, 2010 But when Jacques Martin was there, his approach was, You have to buy in before you get more ice time. And there was a little bit of head-butting there., When he was the final cut from the roster at the end of training camp in the fall of 2001, Martin infamously quipped,This is a mans league, and hes still a boy.. Spezza, Heatley, and Alfredsson each finished the spring with 22 points in 20 games. If that's the case, it sort of makes sense that he didn't Heatley finished the tournament with a staggering 12 goals and eight assists in nine games, however, Canada was defeated by Russia in overtime of the gold medal game. 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. Heatley recorded 12 points in 10 games. It feels like that number should be 150, laughed Heatley when told about the statistic. He registered two goals and three assists in five games before a back injury sidelined him. Spezza spent five seasons in Dallas and once again, he seemed to elevate his play during the postseason. The Senators announced on January 31, 2013, that Spezza would be out of the Ottawa line-up for a minimum of two months (and possibly longer) as he required surgery for a herniated disc in his back. 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. Two time Stanley Cup A restricted free agent at the time of the trade, Heatley immediately signed a three-year, $13.5 million contract with the Senators. 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. He won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's Rookie of the Year, for which Kovalchuk was also nominated. Drafted at No. But the teenager soon gave his first glimpse of greatness at the NHL level in the 2003 playoffs. [43] On February 28, 2010, the team defeated the United States to win Canada's eighth gold medal in Olympic men's hockey. "[44] Spezza's loyalty to his hometown Maple Leafs factored into his decision, stating that he believed that it was best for the on-ice product for him to retire and open opportunity for young offensive players. [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. I just felt that we had to move him. [4], In August 2012, it was revealed that Heatley had filed an $11 million lawsuit against his longtime agent and business adviser Stacey McAlpine, McAlpine's parents Gerald and Eugenia, and several companies. There is something that cant be explained. Having missed the playoffs once more with the Thrashers, Heatley participated in the 2004 World Championships in the Czech Republic. Winners received a poster of Spezza and a pair of tickets to an Ottawa Senators' home game. Further complicating matters was the partial no-trade clause in Heatley's contract which limited the number of teams Ottawa could negotiate a potential deal with. The following year, Heatley led Team Canada in scoring (seven goals and ten points) at the 2003 World Championships in Finland, en route to his first gold medal. I just think the playmaking of Spezza and the scoring of Heatley scared a lot of opponents.. [37] The next year, in 2001, Heatley scored three goals and five points as Canada won a second-straight bronze. On July 9, 2014, Heatley signed a one-year deal as a free agent with the Anaheim Ducks worth $1 million. [42] Spezza, who had a reputation as a clean player that had never been suspended or fined once in his 19 seasons in the NHL appealed the decision, with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman reducing the suspension to four games on December 17.[43]. [29] On December 11, 2014, Heatley was assigned to the Ducks' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals. After a lockout delayed the start of the 2012-13 campaign, Spezza suffered a back injury that required surgery limiting him to only five regular-season games. He later played for the Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs. 1-2-3 in Stanley Cup playoff scoring with 22 points apiece. The following season, he continued on the same pace with Heatley and Alfredsson before suffering another injury. Recording 70 goals and 126 points in 60 games, he was named AJHL and Canadian Junior A Player of the Year. Ultimately, he went unclaimed and cleared waivers to remain with the Maple Leafs. Team captain Daniel Alfredsson admitted days earlier that a scenario in which Heatley showed up in Ottawa as an unhappy camper would create a massive media headache for the rest of the team. [54] He also contributes to Ronald McDonald House Charities. During the 200405 NHL lock-out, Heatley initially played for the Swiss team SC Bern. Heatley managed just one point. [13] Spezza was also awarded the Les Cunningham Award as league MVP.[14]. In his playoff debut on May 21, 2003, Spezza assisted on the game-winning goal in Game 3. In the lock-out-shortened 201213 season, Heatley recorded 11 goals and 10 assists in 36 games with Minnesota. Heatley and the Senators followed up another strong regular season going all the way to the Stanley Cup finals, but finished short in five games against the Anaheim Ducks. "Me and Dany were best of friends," Spezzasaid. In the summer of 2009, Heatley was invited to Team Canada's Olympic tryout camp in Calgary, where he was booed on the ice by fans. Much of that was due to the success of the Pizza Line. 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. The now retired Heatley got in touch with Mendes to express gratitude for his inclusion, as well. Spezza played 19 career seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 2002 to 2022, and is currently a part of the Toronto Maple Leafs' front office. That wouldnt surprise me one bit, says Alfredsson. And he was really feeling it that year. Originally drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers second overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the National Hockey League (NHL) rookie of the year in 2002. [10] Despite scoring, Heatley and the Senators suffered an 83 defeat to his former Thrashers teammates. However, due to the fallout from Heatley's crash shortly afterwards, EA switched the cover photo to Joe Sakic,[54] although many copies of the game were shipped with his photo on them. "I hadn't played much with Alfie before - Todd White kinda played with Alfie in my early years," Spezza said. Spezza is the main reason Heatley has had back-to-back 50-goal seasons and all the while he lets Spezz take all the criticism during the bad times. McAlpine was later arrested and charged with fraud, money "[19], Senators' fans were blindsided by the request, and across the league observers were both puzzled and angry. But it wasnt always an easy road for Spezza in Ottawa. He asked to get out (of Atlanta) and he went to a team that he obviously approved of and had some success. So I feel very happy that he can go out with his head held high. 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. WebDaniel Alfredsson played together with Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley, forming the CASH line. [18], In an interview with reporters after the request had been made public, Senators' then-General Manager Bryan Murray stated that he was "shocked and disappointed" at Heatley's request. 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. He signed his first professional contract with the Senators, a multi-year deal, on September 5, 2001.[10]. You're not supposed to be able to pull moves like that at 22. Spezza and some of the other guys like (Chris) Kelly, (Ray) Emery and (Brian) McGrattan hadnt established themselves as full-time NHLers. (Craig Melvin / NHLI via Getty Images). Spezza appeared in six of the Senators seven pre-season games that fall, a sure sign that management wasnt quite sold on his NHL readiness just yet. And indeed, Senators' star Jason Spezza wed Jennifer Snell on Saturday at Notre Dame Basilica on Sussex Drive with a bevy on curious onlookers waiting outside. Many assumed Spezzas playoff heroics would earn him a permanent spot in the Senators lineup moving forward. In the following season, Heatley put up the worst full-season point totals of his career, registering only 26 goals and 64 points in 80 games. However, due to the subsequent NHL lockout, Spezza returned to the AHL in 200405. The injury occurred in a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on January 27. He was sentenced to three years probation and the judge ruled that any vehicle driven by Heatley could not have more than six cylinders nor surpass 70mph (112km/h). Spezzas popularity with his ex-teammates is evident even forcing the longest-serving captain in Ottawa history to have a soft spot for the Maple Leafs this spring. [37], On October 5, 2020, Spezza signed a one-year, $700,000 extension with the Maple Leafs. As 200506 was the first year that the NHL implemented the shootout, Heatley became the second player to score in an NHL shootout, scoring against Leafs goalie Ed Belfour, after Alfredsson. Daniel Alfredsson rounded out this excellent trio. His offensive production improved the following season, scoring 33 goals in 75 games as the Stars qualified for the 2016 playoffs as the top seed in the Western Conference. 2 in the 2001 NHL Draft, Spezza had the rare pressure of being a top draft pick who was immediately parachuted onto the roster of a Stanley Cup contender. Is it rumor? [16] Late that season, on February 9, 2008, Spezza scored his first NHL hat-trick during a 61 Senators victory over the Montreal Canadiens. I remember being in junior high school, walking home one day and reading The Hockey News with his face on the cover. WebDany age is 40 years as of in 2021 and his birthplace is Freiburg im Breisgau. Originally drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers second overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the National Hockey League (NHL) rookie of the year in 2002. [51] McAlpine died on March 5, 2018, at the age of 54,[52] and the charges of fraud, theft and laundering the proceeds of crime were stayed two days later.[53]. [11] Heatley's 103 points also tied Daniel Alfredsson for the team lead, together surpassing Alexei Yashin's franchise record of 94 points in a season (achieved in 199899).[12]. [41] Spezza continued his strong play in a depth role before being suspended six games on December 8 for a hit to the head of Winnipeg Jets defender Neal Pionk that occurred three days prior after Pionk injured teammate Rasmus Sandin with a knee-on-knee hit. Heatley was selected for the 2008 game, but had to withdraw due to a shoulder injury he suffered in an earlier game against the Detroit Red Wings. Previously, he spent seven years as an afternoon talk show host for TSN 1200 in Ottawa and as a contributing writer for TSN.ca. [39] Heatley managed three points in six games as Canada, defending its 2002 gold medal, was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Russia. Jason Rocco Anthony Spezza (born June 13, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. On July 1, 2014, Spezza was traded to the Dallas Stars (along with Ludwig Karlsson) in exchange for Alex Chiasson, Alex Guptill, Nick Paul and a second-round pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. And Spezza was coming into the year fresh off winning an AHL scoring title with 117 points in Binghamton in 2004-05. I think those first couple of years I was in Ottawa, we were all kind of trying to prove something. Nice teammate. [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. Spezza contributed to all of his team's goals for a career-high six-point game. Heatley was born in Freiburg to Karin and Murray Heatley, where his father played professional hockey. Incidentally, Heatley's first 50-goal season also marked the first time any Senators player had achieved that mark, setting a franchise record for goals in a season (previously held by Marin Hossa, who scored 45 goals in 200203). "I look back at my four years in Ottawa with nothing but good memories. What I can see is that he got a lot of support in Ottawa. [13] Heatley's 105 points broke the previous franchise record he shared with Alfredsson. Yes. "We had great chemistry as linemates. Follow Ian on Twitter @ian_mendes, Spezza at the 2001 NHL Draft after being selected at No. Heatley was given MVP, Best Forward and All-Star team honours. [4] "I was surprised at it, but I understood it", Atlanta Thrashers' GM Don Waddell said of Heatley's desire to leave Atlanta in the aftermath of Dan Snyder's death. At age five, Spezza was chosen for a Minute Maid commercial. [7], Heatley made a spectacular start with his new team, registering points in the first 22 games of the 200506 season, breaking Marin Hossa's previous franchise record of 13 consecutive games. It ended up behind the net. However, the Senators failed to advance past the first round following their Stanley Cup run the previous season, falling to the Pittsburgh Penguins in four games. His teams went 0-6 in Game 7s over the course of his career, losing two win-or-go-home games with Ottawa (2003 and 2012), Dallas (2016 and 2019) and Toronto (2021 and 2022). [1] He was born to Italian parents Rino and Donna Spezza along with twin siblings Michelle and Matthew, an ice hockey goaltender who most recently played for the Flint Generals of the International Hockey League (IHL). Spezza would soon convert many of his critics by putting together arguably his most dominant and well-rounded season in 2011-12. I one-timed it and it was in the back of the net before anybody else in the rink knew what was going on, says Heatley. In the 200203 season Heatley emerged as an NHL star, recording 41 goals and 89 points in 77 games and finishing ninth overall in league scoring. Spezza's deal was seen as another hometown discount for the salary cap strapped club, stating "if I could take less, I would" to help the team win. 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