Hartnell’s Hair Continues To Work Nerves And Untangle Defenses

It’s hard to imagine the Philadelphia Flyers new generation without Scott Hartnell and his long, curly locks. When he comes to mind you aren’t supposed to imagine beautiful flowing strands but instead the hair of a rugged, tough individual strapping up his skates and going to work every day for a team synonymous with his play style. For those of you just now catching on to the work ethic of Flyers captain Mike Richards, you may want sit this one out.

Yes, Hartnell isn’t going to blaze down the ice and deke both defenders before making the netminder look foolish. If anything his breakaways and shootouts have become a running gag around the league. Hair resembling that of a clown’s bursting forth from under his helmet, Hartnell’s reputation among those following other teams in the NHL has taken on a life not far from his hilarious counterparts. Scott may be funny as his recent feature on “Day In the Life…” on the NHL Network suggests, but when he is wearing his orange and black there may be no force more fearsome in the entire league. Despite his inability to hit paydirt on breakaways this grinder has a scoring touch. You’ll find him more often than not causing disruptions in front of opposing goalies and wreaking havoc for defenders along the boards. That’s when he gets the type of hard work goals most players never dream about. Yes, you heard me correctly. While many players likely go to bed with dreams of a certain Rick Nash goal floating around in their heads, this guy just dreams of smashing in other players’ faces: “Welcome to Flyers hockey. Today I, Scott Hartnell, will be your guide. Please be sure that your helmets are strapped correctly and your mouth-guards are in their proper position.”

His full-tilt style of hockey has certainly caught the eyes of many clubs, and if you haven’t watched a Flyers game you probably haven’t noticed how much he does for his team. He won’t light the lamp often, and when he does they will be dirty goals like his mid-air tip in tonight at home against the Buffalo Sabres off a centering pass from Claude Giroux that bounced up and hit the shaft of his stick. Or if you aren’t satisfied by his hard work there take another look at his second goal of the night that ricocheted off Buffalo tender Patrick Lalime to Scott Hartnell’s chest where he bumped it soccer style in mid-air over Lalime to the waiting Mike Knuble. If it wasn’t for the puck already passing the line Knuble would’ve gotten credit for another goal, and Hartnell’s extra effort would have gone down as just another assist. Let it never be said that number 19 is not willing to do whatever it takes, no matter how strange, to shove his team into the win column.

For further proof of Hartnell’s uncanny ability to inspire his team I set the scene to the third period of a Flyers game as they visit the Carolina Hurricanes on December 11th, 2008. The Flyers enter the final period down 5-1 to a surging team led by Eric Staal who even netted his team’s 5th goal thinking that it would nail shut the coffin on the Flyers’ hope for victory. Hartnell already had the Flyers’ first goal of the game as well as a momentum shifting fight in the 2nd period, but Philadelphia had yet to translate their frustration to the scoreboard. It was then in the third that Scott stepped up once again to score his 2nd of the night. It was followed quickly by his 3rd making it his 4th hattrick in the calender year of 2008. His work was not done yet though. All through the third period he battled as his teammates Scottie Upshall and Simon Gagne were able to tie the game. Eventually the Flyers would win in the shootout making it the biggest deficit ever overcome in the third period in Flyers’ history. The next day his effort didn’t even make the night’s three stars on NHL.com. Instead the league opted for a shutout, another player’s hattrick, and the Penguins’ Petr Sykora with his first career hattrick. Did getting gipped by the NHL make Hartnell frustrated? Possibly, but it’s very unlikely. I’m sure he was grinning to himself under his goofy hair at practice the next day as he prepared for the next game.

His insane effort to spark the Flyers to their greatest comeback ever did not get any airtime on the league’s most important news avenues. This wasn’t the case though for his bizarre effort to stop a Ryan Malone breakaway in the home effort against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Hartnell had broken his stick and was too tired at the end of his shift to catch Malone, so instead of sitting back to watch the winger swoop in for a potential game winning goal Hartnell used whatever option he had available; that option happened to be his glove. The now legendary event was in fact a penalty by league rule even though the glove did not touch Malone, the puck, or Biron who was in net for the Flyers that night.

Malone was awarded the penalty shot with 15 seconds left to go in a 3-3 hockey game, and Hartnell was ridiculed by the announcers. Hockey fans everywhere would let him have it for the next couple of weeks, and even now months later it is not likely that anyone who witnessed it will forget the odd event. The result would go Hartnell’s way as Biron was able to thwart Malone’s attempt given extra opportunity. Did Hartnell plan all of this out? Probably not. He was just doing anything he could to save his hockey team’s chances to win the game. It could’ve ended much worse for the Flyers than an overtime game winner by Mike Richards, but who knows what would have happened had Scottie decided not to put that effort into his play. As always a penalty taken because of effort is far better than a lazy penalty. That night the hockey gods favored the Flyers, and as the overtime period began Hartnell, after his “stupid” penalty, was right there on the first shift.

Later on to add to the legend the Flyers’ AHL affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms, would host a charity event where fans could toss gloves on the ice for charity. The event was a bigger success than anyone could have ever imagined, and Scott Hartnell himself joined in the festivities. On top of the event Scott still had to deal with his teammates in practice who would tease him by purposefully letting him go on a breakaway only to chase after him and throw their gloves just as he is about to shoot. It’s hard to be number 19, the NHL’s chosen clown.

But could it just be coincidence that the Flyers seem to win games when Hartnell is giving every ounce of effort he has to win the game? Though there are bound to be losses in this league no matter who is on the ice, there are three games right there that the Flyers would have lost without number 19 dressing that day. I bet if you were to look down the list of the games the Flyers have won this year you would find quite a lot more.

So I ask you again, is it just coincidence that this funny guy with goofy hair seems to lead the Flyers to victory, or could it be that there is something more to Scott Hartnell; something that most of the league is missing? He’s not just wearing orange and black to pester other teams’ players though that’s always a plus. Right now he is on pace for a career year. He couldn’t score on a breakaway to save his life, but he is one player that any team in the league would take right now, no questions asked, getting rid of almost anyone they had to drop in order to add him to the lineup.

One last time I will ask. Is it just coincidence, or is this funny man not so funny when you’re staring at him coming at you across the blueline?

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