Espen Knutsen
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Espen Knutsen (born January 12, 1972 in Oslo) is a former Norwegian ice hockey player. He played five seasons in the NHL, and is to date the only Norwegian to have played in the NHL All-Star Game. In his native Norway, Knutsen is also known by the nickname "Shampoo" (his father is a hairdresser). He is 6 feet tall (183 cm), weighs 187 lb (85 kg), shoots left and played the centre position during his professional career.
After being drafted by the Hartford Whalers in the 10th round (204th overall) in 1990, Knutsen remained in Europe until 1997, playing for his hometown team Vålerenga, and later Djurgården of the Swedish Elite League. In 1996, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim acquired the rights to Knutsen, and he made his debut with the Ducks in 1997. After a disappointing season (playing in part for the AHL Cincinnati Mighty Ducks), Knutsen returned to Djurgården.
Knutsen got a second chance in the NHL in 2000, when he was signed by the Columbus Blue Jackets on the recommendation of assistant coach George Kingston, who had previously coached the Norwegian national team. In a very good first season, Knutsen tallied 53 points (11 goals, 42 assists) in 66 games. His numbers dropped a little the next season, but was nonetheless named in the World team (as an injury replacement) in the 2002 All-Star Game. The 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons were disappointing for Knutsen, who spent large parts of the seasons on the injured list. He left the NHL in early 2005, shortly after being assigned to Columbus' AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, and once again returned to Djurgården.
Although widely considered one of the best Norwegian ice hockey players of all time, the lasting legacy of Knutsen's NHL career might unfortunately be his involvement in an 2002 accident in which a puck he shot was deflected by Calgary Flames defenseman Derek Morris and sailed into the stands at Nationwide Arena, striking 13-year old Brittanie Cecil in the head, resulting in her death. Knutsen would later help set up a charity in Columbus to honor Brittanie's memory. Also as a result of the tragedy, protective nylon mesh nets above the glass behind both goals were made mandatory at every NHL arena from the start of the 2002-03 season.
Knutsen retired due to injury in July 2005. At the news of his retirement, the director of Djurgården called him one of the greatest players in the history of the club. After his retirement, Knutsen moved back to his native Oslo, where he lives with his family. He is currently head coach at Vålerenga, the team where he started his career.
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[edit] Career statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1990-91 | Vålerenga Oslo | Norway | 31 | 30 | 24 | 54 | 0 | |||||||
| 1994-95 | Djurgården | Elit | 30 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1995-96 | Djurgården | Elit | 32 | 10 | 23 | 33 | 50 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1996-97 | Djurgården | Elit | 39 | 16 | 33 | 49 | 20 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | ||
| 1997-98 | Cincinnati Mighty Ducks | AHL | 41 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 18 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1997-98 | Anaheim Mighty Ducks | NHL | 19 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1998-99 | Djurgården | Elit | 39 | 18 | 24 | 42 | 32 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1999-00 | Djurgården | Elit | 48 | 18 | 35 | 53 | 65 | |||||||
| 2000-01 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 66 | 11 | 42 | 53 | 30 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2001-02 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 77 | 11 | 31 | 42 | 47 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2002-03 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 31 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 20 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2003-04 | Djurgården | Elit | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2003-04 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 14 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2003-04 | Syracuse Crunch | AHL | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2004-05 | Djurgården | Elit | 15 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 12 | |||||||
| NHL Totals | 207 | 30 | 81 | 111 | 105 | |||||||||
