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15 Years Later: Evaluating Dany Heatley’s Impact on the Ottawa Senators

By Zain Bhanji

OTTAWA - FEBRUARY 26: Dany Heatley #15 and Mike Fisher #12 of the Ottawa Senators celebrate a goal against the San Jose Sharks in a game on February 26, 2009 at the Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Canada. (Photo by Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images)
OTTAWA - FEBRUARY 26: Dany Heatley #15 and Mike Fisher #12 of the Ottawa Senators celebrate a goal against the San Jose Sharks in a game on February 26, 2009 at the Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Canada. (Photo by Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images) /
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VANCOUVER – DECEMBER 9: Daniel Alfredsson #11, Dany Heatley #15 and Jason Spezza #19 of the Ottawa Senators line up during the National Anthem before the NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at General Motors Place on December 9, 2005 in Vancouver, Canada. The Canucks defeated the Senators 3-2. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)
VANCOUVER – DECEMBER 9: Daniel Alfredsson #11, Dany Heatley #15 and Jason Spezza #19 of the Ottawa Senators line up during the National Anthem before the NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at General Motors Place on December 9, 2005 in Vancouver, Canada. The Canucks defeated the Senators 3-2. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images) /

Heatley’s Immediate Impact

15 years ago, Dany Heatley received an opportunity to wipe his slate clean in the nation’s capital after being involved in a fatal car accident as a member of the Atlanta Thrashers which resulted in the death of teammate and close friend Dan Snyder.

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Following a lengthy legal process and increasing animosity between him and the Atlanta Thrasher management (which spanned from the 2003/04 season to the end of the lockout season), Heatley and his representation requested “a change of environment” to start over and put his off-ice events behind him.  Not only did Heatley receive an opportunity to integrate himself into a new community, but he was fortunate to go to a team that was ready to win.

The former Calder Trophy winner instantly fit right into the Senators mould in the 2005/06 campaign, slotting in as the missing piece to the iconic CASH line featuring Captain Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, and Heatley himself. In their first season together, the trio established themselves as a nightmare for defence pairings to play against, producing a combined 296 points between the three of them, eventually leading Ottawa to a first-place finish in the Eastern Conference. The combination of Spezza’s two-way play and speed with Alfredsson’s gritty, yet finesse style of play, was complimented perfectly by Heatley’s scoring prowess, which gave opposing teams numerous headaches and worries, especially when trying to exit their own zone. The CASH line was lethal both off the rush and on the forecheck, with Heatley being a regular benefactor of a one-time pass from his line-mates, who worked effortlessly to get him the puck in high-chance scoring areas.

As part of the CASH line, Heatley claimed multiple franchise records in his first year with the club, which included being the first Ottawa player to record 50 goals in a single campaign, and scoring a franchise-best 23 power-play goals in a single season. Heatley also became the first Senator to reach the 100 point mark in one season, in which he also claimed the franchise point streak record for 22 straight contests earning a spot on the scoresheet (which now stands as the 20th longest point streak in league history).

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