Dany Heatley Shuts Everyone Up Before Senators Reunion

Everybody took their shots at Dany Heatley this summer -- brave commentators, agenda-filled NHL players and managers (anonymously, of course), wiseguy writers (guilty!). Let's face it: he was an easy target.

Drilling holes in the integrity of an athlete when he's not playing is simple. But when you're a world-class player in midseason form, that's another matter.

Heatley's San Jose Sharks are hosting the Senators tonight, and no one outside the citizens and journalists of Ottawa, Ontario has a bad word to say about him in the World Wide Pre-Game Show.

"To be completely candid with you, Dany hasn't said a word about it to the team. We're all human, so it's probably fair to say deep down he'd like to win this one, but he's not making it about him."
-- Sharks Assistant Coach Jay WoodcroftThat's because Heatley is back on the ice, scoring lots of goals as everyone knew he would. He has 18 in his first 28 games with San Jose. Barring injury, he'll score between 40-50 this season. Imagine the uproar from the peanut gallery if the sniper had lost his touch on the way to San Jose. He didn't, so the expert opinions on his character have been muted. That's the way it works in sports, just as a couple of swings of the bat in October forevermore stopped the crucifixion of Alex Rodriquez.

Good for Heatley, as long as he doesn't demand another trade.

Tuesday's visit of the Senators to the Shark Tank makes for a fun story. Will Ottawa's big boys take a few runs at their city's Most Wanted? (No, not when Joe Thornton is his center). Do the Sens want this game more than any on their schedule (No. They'd still rather beat the Maple Leafs and Canadiens any day). What's coach Cory Clouston's game plan to defend Heatley? ("Boys, let's be real. Let's try to win this game, but if nothing else, do all of us a favor and make sure that little turd is not First Star.")

Of course, this tilt would be more electrifying if the game was in Ottawa. Senators fans are often a placid bunch, but bring them the helmeted head of Alexei Yashin or Dany Heatley and they turn into Philadelphia fanatics. Unfortunately, the Scrooges in the NHL office did not gift us this season with a Sharks trip to Canada's capital.

So we try to make as much drama as we can. It's what we do.

Hey, Jay Woodcroft, Sharks assistant coach ... has Dany made it clear he really wants this game?

"To be completely candid with you, Dany hasn't said a word about it to the team," Woodcroft told FanHouse in a brief phone conversation Tuesday after his team's morning skate at HP Pavilion. "We're all human, so it's probably fair to say deep down he'd like to win this one, but he's not making it about him."

Okay, fair enough, Jay. But you really want to win this one for Dany, right?

"We need a win and a strong performance, but not because of one player," said Woodcroft. "This is our first game at home since a real shaky one against Chicago (a 7-2 San Jose whupping). "We're going to be in our home rink a lot for the next few weeks, so we want this game against a good team like Ottawa to set the tone."

Let's try one more angle. Milan Michalek, the one guy your Sharks gave up that's producing -- he's got 13 goals already. Bad guy, right? And Jonathan Cheechoo, you want to see him rubbed out, too. Come clean, Jay.

"Ha! No, the entire organization is really happy for Milan and Cheech," said the San Jose assistant. "They're terrific young men who started their careers here and endeared themselves to our fans and the community. Everyone here has been rooting for those guys."

Let the vicious grudge-match begin!

Okay, maybe next time in Ottawa.