Dany Heatley

Dany Heatley is a Canadian winger on the San Jose Sharks.

Heatley was drafted 2nd overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in 2000. He played 2 years of college hockey at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, before joining the Thrashers in 2001, when he won rookie of the year with 67 points. He finished the next season with 89 points, and gained recognition as one of the game’s top young players. Unfortunately, in 2003, near the start of the season, Heatley lost control of his Ferrari and got in a terrible accident, which killed his friend and teammate Dan Snyder. Although Heatley could have been charged with vehicular homicide, through a plea deal, he received 3 years probation. After a poor second half of the season in 2004, Heatley spent a year in Russia during the lockout, after which he requested a trade from Atlanta. In 2005, he was traded to Ottawa, where he quickly became popular after playing with star winger Daniel Alfredsson and center Jason Spezza. Heatley and Alfredsson would be the first NHL players to score in a shootout, as they won Heatley’s first game with the Senators in a shootout over Toronto. He continued his strong play, recording points in his first 22 games. He would finish the year with 50 goals and 103 points, only to better those numbers in 2006-07, finishing with 105 points as he helped the Senators reach the Stanley Cup Finals. Heatley has been an NHL All-Star 4 times, and won All-Star Game MVP in 2003. Heatley’s numbers tailed off a bit in 2007-08 and 2008-09, and during the 2009 offseason, Heatley was the hottest item on the market after he demanded a trade from Ottawa. After a summer of failed deals and stalled negotiations, Heatley was traded to San Jose for Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo. Heatley got off to a terrific start, scoring 18 goals and 28 points in his first 25 games, as he was paired with superstar Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau on what is arguably the most skilled line in hockey.