Scott Hartnell

Scott Hartnell
File:ScottHartnell.jpg
Position	Left wing
Shoots	Left
Height Weight	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 210 lb (95 kg)
NHL Team F. Teams	Philadelphia Flyers Nashville Predators
Born	(1982-04-18)April 18, 1982, Regina, SK, Canada
NHL Draft	6th overall, 2000 Nashville Predators
Pro Career	2000 – present

Scott Hartnell (born April 18, 1982) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger and Alternate Captain who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). In the 2010 Stanley Cup Final, fans took notice on how often Hartnell was falling. Then the fans began keeping track of his falls. This earned him the nickname "Hartnell Down" and an article in The Hockey News about it.

Playing career

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). In the 1999–2000 season, Hartnell was not only the captain of the Raiders, but he lead 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 6 feet 2 inches tall, the left winger was the youngest player in franchise history to play for the Predators. He was also 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 2 game set planned by the NHL to raise international interest in the league. Hartnell has stated that this game marks his favorite 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 3 game-winning goals, two of which occurred in overtime. In his first career playoff series in the against the Detroit Red Wings in 2004, he tied the team high with 3 points (1G, 2A).

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, he helped Vålerenga win the Norwegian Championship, scoring 12 goals in 11 playoff games.

In the 2005–06 NHL 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. He also set 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 the entire month 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. While he registered his first point as a Flyer in the home opener, his first goal (an empty net goal) did not come until the 16th game of the season. However, his scoring began to increase around mid-season. 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 goals were at even strength, while the second was scored on the power play. He managed yet another hat trick on January 19, 2008, registering 3 goals, including the game winning goal, and an assist against Rick DiPietro of the New York Islanders.

The 2008-09 campaign was a successful one for Hartnell. Playing mostly on the left wing of 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 lead the league in minor penalties that season with 54. The season also saw him score two hat tricks within nine days of each other. First against the Carolina Hurricanes on December 11, 2008 and then against the Washington Capitals on December 20, 2008.

After a disappointing regular season that saw Hartnell's numbers dip to 44 points (14 goals and 30 assists), Hartnell came alive in the playoffs when placed with Daniel Brière and Ville Leino. This line helped lead the Flyers to their first Stanley Cup Final 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 Champion Philadelphia Flyers with 17 points.

Hartnell continued to produce on a line with Briere 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 2 points in his first 7 games, but would heat up after being placed on a line with Jaromir Jagr and Claude Giroux. On December 13, 2011, Hartnell scored his 200th career goal against Washington Capitals goaltender Tomas Vokoun, which also was Hartnell's 6th goal in 6 games.

Hartnell finished the 2011-12 NHL season with a career high 37 goals. In Philadelphia's final regular season game against Pittsburgh, Hartnell mocked a Penguins fan dressed as Hulk Hogan sitting directly behind the Flyers bench. This caused the Flyers organization to create a special t-shirt with Hartnell's "Hogan" gesture on it which was given to every fan in attendance for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals against the same Penguins.

The 2012-2013 season proved to be one of the worst seasons Hartnell had experienced in his professional career. After a year in which he scored a career highs in goals (37), points (67), and +/- (19); Hartnell produced just 8 goals and 3 assists for 11 points on the season. Hartnell was held scoreless in 29 out of the 36 games he played during the season, he missed 12 games with an injury. In addition to his poor scoring, his played caused him to be taken off of his normal line at times which was centered by Flyers captain Claude Giroux. This season resulted in the Flyers missing the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Player profile

Scott Hartnell is a gritty power forward who usually positions himself in close to the net and scores the majority of his goals off deflections and rebounds. Voted Most Horrible looking NHL player in Maxims 2010 NHL superlatives. He does also produce the occasional big hit and will fight if challenged. Though prone to taking minor penalties he is also a defensively sound player, capable of killing penalties and usually either plus or even at the end of most nights. He is however also considered one of the worst players on breakaways and has trouble scoring on penalty shots or in the shootout.

Hartnell is also known for his long, bushy hair. On March 26, 2009, the Flyers held "Hartnell Wig Night" where fans attending the game were given wigs resembling his hair. Hartnell has also displayed bizarre on-ice and off-ice behavior from time to time. He stole the glove off Rangers forward Chris Drury during a game on January 31, 2008. Another glove related incident happened on December 2, 2008, when Hartnell threw his glove at Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ryan Malone in an attempt to stop a breakaway, resulting in a penalty shot for Malone.

In the closing seconds of a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 9, 2009, Hartnell and Penguins defenceman Kris Letang engaged in a scrum, resulting in a 2-minute minor for roughing for Hartnell. After the fight, Letang left the ice holding his hand and told the referee that Hartnell had bit him on his hand. The NHL reviewed the broadcast footage of the incident, finding "no clear video evidence" of the biting and declined to suspend Hartnell for the incident.

A previous Penguins related incident showcased Hartnell's good nature in an interaction with a Penguins fan taunting him with an orange wig and Flyers #19 jersey bearing the name "Fartsmell" in a game played in Pittsburgh on March 22, 2009. Hartnell autographed that jersey (signing it "To my biggest fan!! Your bud Scott Fartsmell 19") as well as giving his game-used stick to that fan.

Personal life

Hartnell currently resides in the Old City section of Philadelphia. His parents, Bill and Joy Hartnell, are both teachers in Lloydminster, Alberta. He spends his summers in Brainerd, Minnesota. Hartnell's nickname is Bird Dogg.

Hartnell has appeared in a video supporting You Can Play, a campaign dedicated to fighting homophobia in sports.

In 2012 Scott Hartnell appeared in the movie This is 40 alongside James van Riemsdyk, Ian Laperriere and Matt Carle.

Philanthropy

In early 2012 Hartnell founded the #HartnellDown Foundation as a way to provide support to charities that support hockey, children and communities around the US and Canada. It started as a Twitter following to keep track of the number of times Hartnell would fall down during the NHL season. When Hartnell himself joined Twitter, rather than taking offense, he embraced the catchphrase and began to sell merchandise that had it printed on it with the proceeds going to Hartnell's favorite hockey-related charities. At the 2012 NHL all-star game Scott Hartnell donated $1,000 to charity for every #hartnelldown that occurred during the competition.

Awards and accomplishments

• 2011 NHL All Star
• 2009 NHL Poker Champion
• Played in the NHL YoungStars Game in 2002.
• GET-ligaen champion with Vålerenga in 2004-05.
• Norwegian Champion with Vålerenga in 2004-05.
• Playoff MVP with Vålerenga in 2004-05.

Records

• Nashville Predators' franchise record for career penalty minutes (544).
• Nashville Predators' franchise record for fastest two goals scored by an individual (23 seconds).

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1997–98	Prince Albert Raiders	WHL		1	0	1	1	2		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	Prince Albert Raiders	WHL		65	10	34	44	104		14	0	5	5	22
1999–00	Prince Albert Raiders	WHL		62	27	55	82	124		6	3	2	5	6
2000–01	Nashville Predators	NHL		75	2	14	16	48		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Nashville Predators	NHL		75	14	27	41	111		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Nashville Predators	NHL		82	12	22	34	101		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Nashville Predators	NHL		59	18	15	33	87		6	1	2	3	2
2004–05	Vålerenga	GET		28	17	12	29	103		11	12	7	19	24
2005–06	Nashville Predators	NHL		81	25	23	48	101		5	1	0	1	4
2006–07	Nashville Predators	NHL		64	22	17	39	96		5	1	1	2	28
2007–08	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		80	24	19	43	159		17	3	4	7	20
2008–09	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		82	30	30	60	143		6	1	1	2	23
2009–10	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		81	14	30	44	155		23	8	9	17	25
NHL totals				679	161	197	358	1001		52	15	17	32	102

International

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1999	Canada	4N		3	0	0	0	4
2006	Canada	WC		9	1	0	1	4
Junior int'l totals				3	0	0	0	4
Senior int'l totals				9	1	0	1	4

External links

• Scott Hartnell's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Scott Hartnell's biography at Legends of Hockey
• Scott Hartnell's NHL player profile
• Scott Hartnell at TSN.ca