Jason Spezza

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Jason Spezza of the Ottawa Senators has been one of the most talked about hockey players in Canada since his exceptional play at the peewee level at the age of 15. Spezza played in the OHL that year for Brampton and became the youngest player ever to participate in the 1999 OHL All-Star Game. He played for Canada in the World Junior Championships the following year, joining Wayne Gretzky, Jay Bouwmeester and Eric Lindros as one of only four players to take part in that event at the age of 16.

Scouts around the NHL were submitting raving reports of Spezza’s achievements and he was quickl picked up 2nd overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. His NHL debut against the Boston Bruins saw him earn an assist and his first goal came only 5 days later against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Expectations of the 6.3 210 lb star increased as the Senators performed better and better and the hope of a Stanley Cup is high in Ottawa going into the 2007-08 season; much of that hope rests of the big shoulders of Jason Spezza.

Mathieu Dandenault

Although he is was known as one of the Montreal Canadiens’ most solid defensemen, Mathieu Dandenault was originally drafted 49th overall in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft by the Detroit Red Wings as a power forward. A 107 point season with Sherbrooke of the QMJHL the following year left Scotty Bowman and the Wings with high expectations.

Dandenault played his first NHL season in 1995-96 with the Red Wings, playing 34 games as a forward. 1996-97 saw a move to defense for the season while 1997-98 saw a switch back to forward. 1998-1999 saw the solid placement of Dandenault on the blue line.

Mathieu spent 8 seasons playing as a offensive-minded defensive before becoming one of the Canadiens’ most promising playmakers and goal scorers in the 2007-08 season.

“There were really two ways of looking at it,” Dandenault said. “I could ask for a trade and probably play defense anywhere I ended up or I could do what I’m doing and help this team. I figured why not switch? I had done it before in my career and it was my natural position. I just wanted to help any way I can and if this would help the team, then I was happy to do it.”

Since settling in with Montreal, team mates and staff have nothing but glowing reviews for the well-adjusted player, citing the “vibes” he brings to the dressing room and the chemistry he displays on the ice with his line mates.

Sidney Crosby

Sidney Crosby was born on August 7th, 1987 in Halifax, Nova Scotia to parents Troy and Tina Crosby. Three years prior to Sidney’s birth Troy was a goaltender freshly drafted into the National Hockey League by the Montreal Canadiens though he wasn’t able to play due to a series of injuries. Mother Tina worked in a local grocery store in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia where the family lived and began raising Sidney.

Troy’s love for the game was immediately passed onto his son and Sidney began showing a strong interest in the sport at the young age of 2. After spending many days shooting a puck at the dryer in his basement, Sidney was given his first pair of ice skates at 3 and a dream was born. By the time he turned 5, Sidney’s parents were working extra hours to allow for the extra money needed to have Sidney playing competitive hockey and that all began at Cole Harbour Place, the local rink that spawned Sidney’s budding career.

Sidney played hockey consistently throughout his childhood years, practicing devotedly with close friend Jackson Johnson, a multi-talented player Sidney met while playing. By the time he turned 14 Sidney was invited to play in the local midget league with boys 17 and older due to his skill level. Though many thought that the transition and uneven playing field would hurt Crosby’s growth as a player he proved himself beyond any doubt by racking up 44 goals in just 31 games during the 2001-2002 season in which he played AAA as a midget. The Gretzky comparisons began and the press started keeping close tabs on the soon-to-be superstar. In a move reminiscent of Mario Lemieux, Crosby attempted to join the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League via the league’s entry draft but was turned down due to his age - Sidney had just turned 15.

Unable to play even semi-professionally until he turned 17 Crosby journeyed with friend Jackson Johnson to Fairbault, Minnesota to train at the Shattuck-St. Mary’s School, the top hockey school in the United States. In the school’s competitive league play Sidney managed 72 goals in 57 games, setting a pace that had been unmatched in hockey for many years.

Following his stint in Minnesota, Crosby returned to Canada to compete in the World Junior Championships as the team’s only player under the age of 18. A goal in Canada’s game versus Switzerland also gave him the distinction of being the youngest player to ever score for Canada in a World Junior competition.

After turning 16 Sidney was incited to the QMJHL entry draft, being picked up as the number one choice by the Rimouski Oceanic. Sidney’s aggressive style of play lead him to net a whopping 8 points in his first game with the Oceanic, nearing a record set previously by Derryl Snyder (he managed 10 points in one game in the QMJHL). In his first 59 games as a major junior Sidney scored 54 goals and assisted on 81 others. This rampant pace earned Crosby the league’s scoring title and 6 awards, including league’s Most Valuable Player.

The National Hockey League lockout of 2004-2005 forced Sidney to wait an additional year for the entry draft that he knew would see him don an NHL jersey for the first time. The entire hockey world knew that Crosby would go first overall and the gamble rested solely with the team who won the lottery to secure first pick. Nine days prior to the draft the Pittsburgh Penguins secured the pick and Sidney, eventually signing him to a 3-year deal worth over 10 million dollars. Although Sidney posted fairly impressive numbers and was named rookie of the month in October, the Pens went on to lose their first 13 games - one of the worst starts for any team in NHL history. Head coach Ed Olczyk was replaced with Michel Therrien and Sidney was named alternate captain. Line changes ensued and Crosby, his idol Mario Lemieux and the rest of the Penguins team prepared to make a change in the standings. Unfortunately that December saw Lemieux diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat; given his earlier bout with cancer, Mario decided to retire immediately. Team morale dropped and Pittsburgh continued to have trouble winning games, a trend that overshadowed Crosby’s amazing abilities.

Circumstance continued to trouble Sidney. Wayne Gretzky decided not to invite him to play for Team Canada at the Winter Olympic Games and the Pens continued to struggle, finished the season second-to-last and missing the playoffs by a large margin. Crosby did post 102 points that season with 39 goals and 63 assists, making him the youngest player in NHL history to hit the 100 point mark. Despite that landmark number, Crosby still failed to win the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, losing the award to equally impressive rookie Alexander Oveckin who had finished the season with 106 points.

Saku Koivu

Saku Koivu was born on November 23rd, 1974 in Turku, Finland. After spending 3 seasons with the TPS Finnish hockey league from 1992-1995 and winning two Finnish championships in the process, Koivu was drafted by the Habs in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft as their first-round pick. He was named Player of the Year during his third and final season with TPS and began playing for the Canadiens during the 1995-1996 season.

After posting an impressive array of stats during his rookie season, Koivu suffered a knee injury in his second year while leading the league in scoring (13 goals and 25 assists for a total of 38 points). Saku would go on to miss 22 full games that season but still managed 56 points by the end of 1996.

Koivu continued his excellent play and was honored with the title of 27th team captain on September 30th, 2000. He remains to this day the longest running team captain in Canadiens franchise history.

In September of 2001 Koivu was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, causing his to miss nearly the entire 2001-2002 season. Hard work and perseverance helped Saku to a remarkable recovery and he was able to return for the playoffs that season. After helping to lead the Habs to an upset first round victory over the number one ranked Boston Bruins, Saku was awarded the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for his courage and bravery both on and off the ice that season.

After returning to Finland to play for his old team during the NHL lockout of 2004-2005, Koivu returned to Montreal to rack up an impressive 75 points in the 2006-2007 season. He registered his 500th career point that season with an assist on a goal by Michael Ryder during a 4-2 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers and received a standing ovation from the 21,273 fans in attendance that evening. His launching that year of the Saku Koivu Foundation for cancer research saw him awarded the King Clancy Trophy in 2007.