Scott Hartnell

Scott Wesley Hartnell (born April 18, 1982) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets.

Hartnell was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, but grew up in Lloydminster, Alberta.

Prior to entering the NHL, Hartnell played two seasons of Canadian Junior-A hockey for the Lloydminster Blazers of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL).

He then spent two seasons playing for the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League (WHL).

This line helped lead the Flyers to their first Stanley Cup Finals since 1997.

Hartnell played in all 23 games for the Flyers and scored eight goals (including two in game six of the finals) and nine assists, good enough for sixth on the Eastern Conference-winning Flyers with 17 points.

In the 1999–2000 season, Hartnell, as captain, led the team with 82 points and was named team MVP.

He was also chosen to play for Bobby Orr in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Top Prospects Game.

Hartnell was the sixth overall pick in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft by the Nashville Predators.

Considered a gritty power forward at 6ft 2in tall, the left winger was the youngest player in franchise history to play for the Predators, as well as the youngest player in the NHL in the 2000–01 season.

Hartnell's first NHL game was played in Japan against the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of a two-game set planned by the NHL to raise international interest in the League.

Hartnell has stated that this game marks his favourite NHL moment.

Through six seasons with the Predators, Hartnell played in 453 games, accumulating 93 goals and 118 assists.

During the 2003–04 season, Hartnell had three game-winning goals, two of which came in overtime.

In his first career playoff series against the Detroit Red Wings in 2004, he tied the team high with three points (one goal and two assists).

During the 2004–05 NHL lock-out, Hartnell helped Vålerenga win the Norwegian Championship, scoring 12 goals in 11 playoff games.

In the 2005–06 season, Hartnell accumulated a career-high 25 goals and 23 assists for a total of 48 points.

Additionally, Hartnell scored his first career hat-trick on February 4, 2006, in a game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The first two goals of the trifecta were scored against Adam Munro, with the final goal coming against Craig Anderson.

The following season, Hartnell continued to produce similar offensive numbers, also setting franchise records for career penalty minutes (461) and for the fastest two goals by an individual (23 seconds).

All of this was despite a broken foot, which resulted in Hartnell missing all of March.

On June 18, 2007, Hartnell, along with Kimmo Timonen, were traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a first-round pick previously acquired from Nashville for Peter Forsberg.

Hartnell almost immediately signed a six-year contract worth $25.2 million.

In his first season with the Flyers, Hartnell was one of a series of five Flyers suspended for questionable on-ice hits.

Specifically, Hartnell was suspended for two games as a result of a hit on Andrew Alberts of the Boston Bruins.

Additionally, Hartnell's offensive production slowed initially.

On January 8, 2007, in a game against the Atlanta Thrashers, Hartnell scored his 100th career goal.

Two days later, Hartnell was credited with his first career natural hat-trick.

He scored three goals in a row in a 6–2 victory over the New York Rangers, all against Henrik Lundqvist; The first and third were scored at even strength, while the second came on the power play.

He managed yet another hat-trick on January 19, 2008, including the game's winner, and an assist against Rick DiPietro of the New York Islanders.

The 2008–09 season was successful for Hartnell.

Playing mostly on the left wing of centre Jeff Carter, he posted a career-high in all offensive categories, scoring 30 goals and 30 assists for 60 points in 82 games.

However, Hartnell also led the NHL in minor penalties that season, with 54.

The season also saw him score two hat-tricks within nine days of each other; the first came against the Carolina Hurricanes on December 11, 2008, with the second coming against the Washington Capitals on December 20.

After a disappointing 2009–10 regular season that saw Hartnell's numbers dip to 44 points (14 goals and 30 assists), Hartnell came alive in the playoffs when placed on a line with Daniel Brière and Ville Leino.

Hartnell continued to produce on a line with Brière and Leino through the 2010–11 season with 24 goals and 25 assists in 82 games.

However, the Flyers struggled in the second half of the season and found an early playoff exit.

Hartnell himself struggled at the beginning of the following season, with only two points in his first seven games, but would heat up after being placed on a line with Jaromír Jágr and Claude Giroux.

While he registered his first point as a Flyer in the home opener, his first goal (an empty netter) did not come until the 16th game of the season.

However, his scoring began to increase around mid-season.