Robertus Reacts: Heatley for Hossa & DeVries

Last week, as I put the finishing touches on my Rangers Review, the Ottawa Senators announced they had traded Marian "Stop Calling Me Maid" Hossa and Greg "Rules" DeVries straight up for Dana Heatley.

When Dana Dany Heatley first came into the league, the young Canadian was hailed as the savior of the game. He was lauded for his humility, his brashness, his exuberance; he was smart, he was well spoken (that backhanded compliment handed out to athletes, as though most are monosyllabic), he knew his hockey, his place at the table. Before Sidney Crosby, Heatley was the savior, he was the future, he was The Man. Paired with Russian sensation Ilya Kovalchuk on a young and exciting Atlanta Thrashers team, the sky seemed limit; when he scored four goals in the 2003 All Star Game (tying Gretzky, Lemieux, Mike Gartner, and Vincent Damphousse), the sky was torn away. The Danny Heatley Era had begun. Heatley was awarded the Calder Trophy for Rookie of the Year, and finished his sophmore year with 89 points in 77 games. It seemed a new day had dawned.

That summer, the day turned night:

Following a pre-season team function on September 29, 2003, Heatley and teammate Dan Snyder were driving home when they were involved in a serious accident which would change both their lives.
Atlanta police said Heatley's Ferrari was travelling at approximately 130 kilometres an hour on a narrow two-lane road when he lost control, spun off the road and smashed into a brick and wrought iron fence.
The force of the impact split the car in half. Both player were thrown into the road. Tests revealed alcohol was not a contributing factor in the accident.
Snyder, who wasn't scheduled to start the new season due to ankle surgery, suffered a severe skull fracture and slipped into a coma while Heatley's injuries were less severe, a broken jaw and torn ligaments in his right knee.
Six days after the accident, Snyder succumbed to his injuries and died without ever regaining consciousness

The crash was eerily reminiscent of the accident that killed Flyers goaltending phenom Pelle Lindbergh, but sadder still, because Heatley survived, and has been forced to live with the responsibility (real or imagined) of that night. By all accounts, the Thrashers organization and fans flocked to their player, cheering and supporting him, reaching out with collective open arms, showing the best face of a franchise and fan base. But, as is often the case with hauntings, Heatley felt the need to escape, and so it goes.

Will the trade work for both teams? Statistically, it seems a wash -- although Hossa has not endeared himself to Senators fans, he has quietly been a point-per-game player over the past two seasons, and Greg DeVries adds some veteran presence to a blue line anchored by the afforementioned Tomas Kloucek.

However, all I can say for certain is that Dany Heatley, the future, will play this season in Ottawa, far from Atlanta and, I hope, September 2003.

Coming Soon! Robertus Reviews The New York Islanders, and the Long Cold Winter Toronto.