Broadcaster Blog: Scott Hartnell Retires

It came out Tuesday on

Scott gave the team something it had been lacking: size up front. He began on a line with an original Predator, Ville Peltonen and a fellow rookie, Greg Classen. He would score two goals that year, including his first in Boston, but he made an impact. He was an abrasive (to the Preds' opponents) and a fun-loving player.
Scott developed into a 20-goal scorer after the arrival of Paul Kariya in the summer of 2005. Kariya taught him to go to the front of the net with his stick down on the ice and that helped turn Hartnell's career around.

The Philadelphia Flyers were more than happy to take Hartnell (and defenseman Kimmo Timonen) in the summer of 2007. With the Flyers, Hartnell scored 20 goals in three seasons and 30 two more times.
He was a big part of the Flyers team (under head coach Peter Laviolette) which advanced to the Cup Final in 2010 against Chicago. In three subsequent seasons in Columbus, he twice hit 20 goals and played in his 1,000th NHL game. Timonen made sure he was there for the occasion to celebrate with him.
Last season, in what turned out to be his finale in the League, he was always a delight to be around. He understood his role on the team and played it to the hilt. His all-out style of play over his career led to one of his nicknames ("Hartnell Down") but he was appreciated League wide.
It encompassed 18 years, by far longer than the average NHL career, but it still seems as if it has gone by so quickly!