Espen Knutsen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Position | Centre |
| Shot | Left |
| Nickname(s) | Shampoo |
| Height Weight |
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 187 lb (85 kg/13 st 5 lb) |
| Pro clubs | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Columbus Blue Jackets Djurgårdens IF |
| Nationality |  Norway |
| Born | January 12, 1972 , Oslo, Norway |
| NHL Draft | 204th overall, 1990 Hartford Whalers |
| Pro career | 1994 – 2005 |
Espen Knutsen (born January 12, 1972) is a former Norwegian ice hockey player. He played five seasons in the National Hockey League (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 his rights, and he made his debut with the Ducks in 1997. After a disappointing season (playing in part for the American Hockey League Cincinnati Mighty Ducks), Knutsen returned to Djurgården.
Knutsen got a second chance in the NHL in 2000, when he signed with 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 he was nonetheless named to the World team (as an injury replacement) in the 2002 All-Star Game (making him the first Norwegian ever to play in the NHL 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.
In a 2002 game against the Calgary Flames in Nationwide Arena, Knusten took a shot that deflected off of Flames defenseman Derek Morris' stick and struck 13-year old Brittanie Cecil in the head, resulting in her death. Knutsen later helped set up a charity in Columbus to honor Brittanie's memory. Also as a result of the tragedy, the NHL made it mandatory to install protective nylon mesh nets above the glass behind both goals.
Knutsen retired because of 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.
[edit] External links
- Espen Knutsen's NHL player profile
- Espen Knutsen's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
- Norwegian NHL records
[edit] Career statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1990–91 | Vålerenga | Norway | 31 | 30 | 24 | 54 | 0 | |||||||
| 1994–95 | Djurgårdens IF | Elit | 30 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1995–96 | Djurgårdens IF | Elit | 32 | 10 | 23 | 33 | 50 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1996–97 | Djurgårdens IF | 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 | Djurgårdens IF | Elit | 39 | 18 | 24 | 42 | 32 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1999–00 | Djurgårdens IF | 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 | Djurgårdens IF | 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 | Djurgårdens IF | Elit | 15 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 12 | |||||||
| NHL Totals | 207 | 30 | 81 | 111 | 105 | |||||||||
