Subj : Senators History: Revisiting Jason Spezzas First Career Hat Trick
To : All
From : The Hockey Writers - Main
Date : Wed Feb 17 2021 04:40 am
February is a good month for Jason Spezza. On Feb. 4, four weeks into the
2020-21 season, the 37-year-old hit the ice for the Toronto Maple Leafs and
recorded his eighth career hat trick. He scored using an old school slap shot,
a wrist shot from the face-off dot, and a beautiful move to cut around the lone
Vancouver Canucks defenseman, which opened the ice for him to swing around and
tuck the puck past the sprawling goaltender.
Thirteen years earlier in February of 2008 (Feb. 9 to be exact), Spezza scored
his first career hat trick with a similar display of offensive skill against
another Canadian opponent. He no longer plays for the Ottawa Senators and is
quite happy playing for his hometown team in Toronto. Nevertheless, let's look
back at the night of his first three-goal game and, coincidentally, a career
high for points in a game for the 2001 second-overall Senators draft pick.
�Spezza Shines
Spezza played parts of 11 seasons with Ottawa and had his share of highs and
lows with the team. There were high expectations placed on him as an
exceptional player in the Ontario Hockey League and after strong stints in the
American Hockey League between appearances with the Senators. He lived up to
those expectations but also dealt with a back injury (among others) that kept
him out of more games than perhaps he would have liked. He also served as
captain of the Senators after Daniel Alfredsson left in free agency.Jason
Spezza, early in his career with the Ottawa Senators, celebrates a goal with
Zdeno Chara and Wade Redden. (Photo by Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images)
Oddly enough, before Spezza scored a hat trick, he had already played around
300 NHL games, put up 90- and 87-point seasons while playing 68 and 67 games in
those seasons, respectively, and set a franchise record for 71 assists in a
season (which still stands). It took a few years for him to get on the
scoresheet with three goals in one game, but when he did, he made sure to even
it out with three assists as well.The Hat Trick
It was a quick start to the night for Spezza. The Montréal Canadiens were in
Ottawa for a Canadian matchup that seems commonplace now but was not as
frequent then. In the 10 games around the Feb. 9 meeting (five games before,
five games after) Ottawa only played another Canadian team twice. Perhaps it
was the opponent or just the fact that it was a big game for a hockey audience
tuning in on Saturday night. Either way, he was clearly ready to go. Twenty-two
seconds into the first period, Spezza deflected a point shot past Cristobal
Huet for his first goal. Huet had a rough night and didn't make it five minutes
through the game before being replaced by rookie goaltender Carey Price.Spezza
with early linemate Dany Heatley. Daniel Alfredsson rounded out this excellent
trio. (Photo from shutterbug 989)
One minute and twenty seconds later, Spezza added his second of the night by
tapping in a loose puck after a Dany Heatley shot. He was feeling good and his
linemates (Alfredsson and Heatley) were right behind him. Alfredsson was
returning after missing some games due to a hip injury and had a solid game
himself with two goals and three assists. With 58 minutes and 18 seconds left
to go in the game, Spezza had a decent chance at adding a third goal for his
first career hat trick. He added an assist to his point totals before the early
goalie change in the first period.
Halfway into the second period, Spezza added another assist, and, shortly
after, his hat trick goal. It came on the power play and was set up by Heatley
and Alfredsson. This line put up a combined 15 points that night and were
dominant in the 2007-08 season. Spezza added an assist on an Alfredsson
power-play goal in the third period, capping a six-point night for Spezza and
helping Ottawa beat the Canadiens 6-1. That night still stands as his career
high for points in a game and is an excellent showing if it remains so. He also
put up a career high in points that season with 92 points in 76 games.
Unfortunately, the Senators exited the playoffs quickly in a four-game sweep at
the hands of Sidney Crosby';s Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins went on to
lose in the Stanley Cup Final to the Detroit Red Wings.Making the Most of His
Time
Worthy of note in this game is Spezza's ice time. The third period alone
against the Canadiens saw 38 minutes in penalties handed out between the teams,
with most revolving around an aggressive meeting between Ottawa defenseman
Wade Redden and Montréal forwards Sergei Kostitsyn and Francis Bouillon. The
second period was also filled with Montréal power plays. This meant that
Spezza sat on the bench for a large portion of the game. He played only 13:37
and still contributed six points. His ice time in this game looks closer to his
average ice time now as a third and fourth line, second power-play specialist
with the Maple Leafs. In 2007-08, however, this was well below average for him
(20:40 per game, the highest season average of his career).Toronto Maple Leafs
forward Jason Spezza (THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Spezza only played 12:17 in the game in which he scored his eighth career hat
trick. This is still more ice time than his average over his time with the
Leafs (10:40 per game). What's remarkable is that he only played 1:20 longer,
which could have been a long shift, power-play stint, or two solid shifts, on
Feb. 9, 2008, and added three more points. His first and eighth hat trick were
years apart and his role has significantly changed, but what stands out in
these two games is his skill and contribution in what minimal ice time he had.
His skill is what made him a highly sought-after pick, a two-time All-Star, and
a consistent threat on the ice. It's also what is keeping him in an NHL lineup
today.
The post Senators History: Revisiting Jason Spezza';s First Career Hat Trick
appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
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