Dany Heatley Opens Up About Pizza Line Reunion

The picture is simple, but it holds an iconic place in Senators history.

Daniel Alfredsson, Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza – the trio that formed Ottawa’s ‘Pizza Line’ – are standing shoulder-to-shoulder on the blue line during the national anthem.

They are lined up in numerical order in their crisp white jerseys, with each player holding a helmet in his hands. It’s a poignant snapshot of the most dominant line in franchise history.

And with the trio set to reunite at Canadian Tire Centre next week, at least one member of the line admits he sees that iconic photo on a regular basis.

“I have that picture in my office and I look at it every day,” says Heatley. “So to get back with those two guys will be awesome.”

Speaking to Sens 360 this week, Heatley opened up about his upcoming reunion with Alfredsson and Spezza that will take place ahead of Thursday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings. The ‘Pizza Line’ will reassemble for the first time in 15 years, walking together to centre ice to drop the puck for a ceremonial faceoff that will certainly evoke nostalgia inside the Canadian Tire Centre. Fans can still join the night with tickets available here.

“I think it’s going to be a little emotional,” says Heatley. “Those are some of the best years of my life. I’m looking forward to getting back to the arena, seeing the boys and seeing the fans again. We scored a lot of goals in that rink.”

Heatley and his linemates scored at such a prolific rate on home ice, they earned their unique moniker by delivering free pizza to Ottawa fans. In the early stages of the 2005-06 season, some fans referred to the unit as the ‘CASH Line’ – an acronym that stood for Captain Alfredsson, Spezza and Heatley.

But the ‘Pizza Line’ soon became the dominant nickname for the trio because the club had a sponsorship deal with a pizza chain where fans would earn a free slice of pizza if the Senators scored five goals in a home game during the 2005-06 season.

In the club’s first three home games that season – against Buffalo, Toronto and Boston – they scored at least five goals on each occasion. The pizza chain quickly had to pivot and increase the threshold to six goals scored to unlock the free slice of pizza – a fact Heatley chuckles about to this day.

“I do still think about that because it’s pretty incredible, right? To score five is tough. And we were doing it at a pretty good clip,” says Heatley. “I liked the CASH line too. But I think the media got a hold of the ‘Pizza Line’ and there was a sponsorship too.”

At the apex of the line’s dominance, Heatley produced a pair of 50-goal seasons – the only ones in franchise history. In 2006-07, Heatley established a franchise record by recording 105 points. Later that spring, the ‘Pizza Line’ line led the NHL playoffs in scoring, with Alfredsson, Spezza and Heatley finishing 1-2-3 in that category.

It was only fitting that Heatley and Spezza were the first two players to leap into Alfredsson’s arms in the corner of the rink in Buffalo when the captain scored the overtime goal to send Ottawa to the Stanley Cup Final in 2007.

“What a time for us. Alfie had such a great playoff that year and for him to score and put us in the final was huge,” says Heatley. “Seeing how crazy the city went, is something I’ll never forget.”

Placing three individually talented offensive players together doesn’t always work out with this degree of success. Chemistry is a finicky thing to achieve – especially when supremely talented players all want the puck on their stick.

But Heatley says the fit with Spezza and Alfredsson was natural from the outset.

“We didn’t have to think out there. Look at the types of players we were. I was the finisher, Spezz was the playmaker and Alfie did a little of both. That’s the simple way of looking at it. But I think it was more complex than that. We all just seemed to really click,” explains Heatley. “Especially the chemistry, not just with one guy in Spezz, but with two guys in Alfredsson. You don’t always get that. Maybe you never get that in a career. But the three of us knew each other. We always knew where we would be. And we were good friends off the ice too. It’s something I’ll always cherish.”

After his consecutive 50-goal campaigns, Heatley produced another 80 goals over his next two seasons in Ottawa. He likely could have threatened some franchise records if his stay in Ottawa was longer than four seasons, but alas, he requested a trade in the summer of 2009.

Heatley knows his departure was contentious and understands it may still be a sore point for some fans even 15 years later. He says he’s prepared to answer the inevitable questions on that front when he speaks to the local media on Thursday.

“I’ve got a few things to say, but I’ll deal with it when we come to town,” says Heatley.

But he wants Ottawa fans to know that his trade request never had anything to do with the city or the fan base.

“The way it went down, a lot of things were out of my control. That’s the biggest thing I want to convey to people. It wasn’t anything against people in Ottawa or the fans,” says Heatley. “Those were four of the best years of my life and arguably the best four years of my hockey career. So I’m just excited to be back and in that atmosphere.”

Heatley’s legacy as a lethal sniper is alive and well with the younger generation. Thanks to a series of online spoof videos, the catch phrase ’50 in 07’ has gained traction with those who aren’t old enough to remember that Heatley scored 50 goals in 2006-07.

“I hear that all the time. I was just in San Jose for Thornton’s night and the young kids on the Sharks were saying, ’50 in 07’. So it’s still out there,” laughs Heatley. “The guy did a good job with that. But I keep saying it should be ‘50 in 06’ and ‘50 in 07’ because I did it twice.”

Heatley says his mind also races back to Ottawa whenever he hears Glenn Frey’s ‘The Heat Is On’ – which is the song that blared through the arena’s sound system whenever Heatley scored on home ice.

“We scored a lot of goals, so it’s tough to get that song out of your head,” says Heatley. “You don’t hear it very often – maybe on an oldies radio station – but I always think of Ottawa when I hear that song.”

Heatley – who now serves as a pro scout with the Philadelphia Flyers – will arrive in Ottawa next week with his wife and two daughters. His family has never been to Ottawa and he’s eager to spend a couple of days showing them around the city that he once called home.

And he’s especially keen on reconnecting with Spezza, Alfredsson and a few other of his teammates to share some laughs and some stories on Thursday night.

“I still remember everything. I remember the games and all those big moments. I’m excited to jog up some more memories when I go back,” says Heatley. “Those were some of the best times of my life.”