Jason Rocco Anthony Spezza (born June 13, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. The second overall pick originally belonged to the New York Islanders but was traded to Ottawa (along with Zdeno Chra and Bill Muckalt) in exchange for Alexei Yashin on the day of the Draft. And then to be kind of blindsided, in his way of thinking anyway, by one of your players not wanting to fit in. But Spezzas pursuit for an elusive championship is not over, as he migrates over to Torontos front office. Heatley played a total of 59 games in the 201516 season, tallying 19 goals (including the Ice Tigers' final goal of the season) and 18 assists. It's really a unique feeling to have two linemates that you knew where theyre going to be at all times. [citation needed], Coming off his lowest points total since his rookie season (excluding his shortened 31-game season in 200304), TSN reported that Heatley had filed a request for a trade on June 9, 2009, despite being only one year into a six-year contract extension signed in 2007. In his playoff debut on May 21, 2003, Spezza assisted on the game-winning goal in Game 3. Two time Stanley Cup The 38-year-old Spezza announced his retirement on Sunday and will be joining the Maple Leafs front office to work under GM Kyle Dubas next season. [57][58][59] Spezza and his family resided in the west-end of Ottawa during his tenure with the Senators, but sold the home when he was traded to Dallas. [12] The Senators came within one game of the Finals, losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils. He later played for the Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs. 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). [15] Wingers Alfredsson and Heatley both finished tied for fourth in league scoring with 103 points, while Spezza tallied 90 points despite an injury-shortened 68-game season. "[4], Tom Molloy, a close friend of the Heatley family, stoked the fires in Ottawa with a letter published in the Ottawa Citizen criticizing the widespread negative reaction to the trade request. "Me and Dany were best of friends," Spezzasaid. Spezza, who has maintained a relationship with Heatley, hopes that one day fans in Ottawa will focus on Heatley's contributions to the team, rather than on his exit. The 19-year-old delivered, assisting on Martin Havlats game-winning goal in the third period and then adding an insurance marker of his own to keep the Senators hopes alive. 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. But the Pizza Line moniker soon took hold, thanks largely to the fact that the Senators were forced to change an in-game promotion for free pizza due to the prolific scoring from their newly-formed unit. I reached out to Dany Heatley today, after he made the All-Time Sens team on @TSNHockey. 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. Alfredsson recalls that coaches would often break up the trio to try and spread the offensive wealth, only to return to the formula that usually led to success. However, Heatley's time with the Thrashers was derailed when he was at the wheel in a car crash in September 2003 that killed his teammate Dan Snyder. Long before they connected to become two-thirds of the most prolific scoring line in Ottawa Senators franchise history, Dany Heatley vividly recalls learning about Jason Spezza. Is it a story that's built on leaky paper mache? On December 2, 2010, in his first return to Ottawa, Heatley was frequently booed. [10], After one more OHL season split between the Spitfires and the Belleville Bulls, resulting in a 105-point season, Spezza began his professional career in the American Hockey League (AHL). [25][26], The 201314 season saw Heatley's production decline dramatically, as he recorded only nine goals and 19 points in his first 55 games. The suit, filed in the Calgary Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta, alleges that the defendants lured Heatley into several real estate ventures across Canada and the United States with promises of huge returns that never materialized. If a few things broke Ottawas way (Dominik Haseks Olympic injury comes to mind), its Heatley represented Team Canada in six World Championships, two Olympics and one World Cup of Hockey, as well as two World Junior Championships. Try a week on us. Heatley signed with German club, the Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) on September 17, 2015. That wouldnt surprise me one bit, says Alfredsson. I got an impression that he was quite unhappy at the end, Murray told the media in April of 2010. I think the coverage he felt he got and the fan reaction a couple of times left him kind of wanting a little bit. Prior to the trade request, these concerns had been brought to the attention of management during the Senators' year-end meetings. Spezza finished with one goal and six assists for seven points in the six games. He was confused by Heatley's decision to force a trade from Ottawa, saying "I'm surprised because he signed a long-term deal (with Ottawa) and was playing in a market that seemed to embrace him." After a slow start to the 200607 season, Heatley recorded 50 goals once more (second in the league to Vincent Lecavalier's 52 goals) and 105 points (fourth in the league). One of my favourite goals, which nobody else will remember, was there was a shot from the point that went up high in the air. [27] Approaching unrestricted free agency, speculation began that his NHL career might be over and that he might move to Europe to continue his hockey career. [38], On January 17, 2021, the Maple Leafs placed Spezza on waivers after 3 games for salary cap reasons. [31] On February 28, 2015, Heatley was traded to the Florida Panthers along with a 2016 third-round draft choice for Tom Fleischmann. [22][23] Spezza was ultimately not a finalist for the award, finishing sixth in voting. [4] NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly suggested that the Senators may have grounds to file a grievance, as Heatley's contract stipulated the team pay a bonus (due July 1, 2009) of US$4 million, as the Edmonton trade if completed would have spared the Senators that expense. Dany Heatley has recently asked the Ottawa Senators for a trade. Heatley competed in two World Junior Championships during his two-year career at the University of Wisconsin. Heatley managed just one point. In many ways, this goal provided an emphatic punctuation mark to end the debate about Spezzas place in the NHL. 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.. WebHaving traded centres Radek Bonk and Todd White off-season, the Senators started Spezza on the first line between Dany Heatley and rookie Brandon Bochenski, who was On October 30, 2018, in a 41 win over the Montreal Canadiens, Spezza played in his 1,000th career NHL game. After the season had concluded, it was revealed that Heatley had been battling multiple injuries during the season, and especially during the playoffs. Heatley made $8 million that year.[22]. Although many people might find it odd that Dany Heatley is still requesting a trade - or that he ever demanded one originally - but once you realize this is a very Chris Pronger-like (Edmonton Oilers) situation, it starts to make more sense. 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. Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson reflect on Jason Spezzas time with Senators By Ian Mendes May 30, 2022 30 Long before they connected to become two However, Heatley's time with the Thrashers was derailed when he was at the wheel in a car cras Many of his then-current and past teammates were in attendance, including Ray Emery, Antoine Vermette, Brendan Bell, Chris Phillips and Chris Neil, as well as Senators owner Eugene Melnyk. They went to the (2007 Stanley Cup) finals. Heatley made his NHL debut with the Thrashers in 200102, leading all rookies in points (67) and assists (41) and was second in team goal-scoring (26) behind Ilya Kovalchuk. The 200809 season was a disappointing one for both Spezza and the Senators. And are not friends. I enjoyed it when Pizza Pizza moved the threshold from five goals to six goals. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. 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. [33], On July 1, 2019, as a free agent, Spezza signed a one-year, $700,000 contract for the 201920 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs,[34] the team he supported as a child. Though he managed to remain injury-free and played in all of his team's 82 games for the first time in his NHL career, his point production decreased. Following the Leafs' elimination in the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, Spezza announced his retirement after 19 seasons in the NHL. It was less of a trade demand and more of a request, but Murray granted those wishes by sending Spezza to the Dallas Stars on July 1, 2014. Its something I took very seriously, being the captain especially on a Canadian team and somewhere I had been for a long time. [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. 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. Ottawa was plagued with injuries to its superstars all season. He scored four points as Canada was defeated in the quarter-finals by Slovakia. The following season, he continued on the same pace with Heatley and Alfredsson before suffering another injury. Sports writers across Canada criticized Heatley's behaviour, calling him a "brat", "pathetic", and "reprehensible". 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). And I think me and him were the only ones to see it. However, during a game against the San Jose Sharks in April, an altercation with former teammate Marc-douard Vlasic dislocated Heatley's left shoulder, requiring surgery that ended his season. WebRumors speculated from basic reasons such as him being unhappy with head coach Cory Clouston, to Heatley sleeping with the fiancee (now wife) of teammate Jason Spezza. 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. His 71 assists established a team single-season record and was second in the league behind Joe Thornton of the San Jose Sharks (96 assists). The 36-year-old Spezza credits his close friendship for Heatley as for one of the reasons why the trio was so lethal. Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. I think hes got a lot of years involved in hockey going forward., (Top photo of Daniel Alfredsson, Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2008: Andre Ringuette / NHLI via Getty Images). [42] Heatley helped lead Team Canada to an 80 win in the first game of the 2010 Olympic tournament by scoring two goals. Heatleys first assist on a Spezza goal produced one of the most exhilarating and memorable goals in Senators history. Since arriving in Ottawa from the Marin Hossa trade, Heatley had appeared in 208 consecutive Senators games, until suffering a separated shoulder on January 12, 2008, in a collision with Detroit Red Wings forward Dallas Drake, sidelining him for 11 games. 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