I often joked with Scott Hartnell that my career in broadcasting was following the same path as his career in hockey.
I arrived in Nashville in 1998, and two years later, Hartnell was the Predators' first-round pick in 2000. Who you see today was nothing resembling the outgoing, charismatic forward who was a go-to guy for interviews in the Flyers' locker room.
The reserved 18-year-old straight out of the prairies of Western Canada was more of a shy teenager trying to find his way. He had very little to say and after earning a spot on the Predators six months after the day he was drafted, we had him in studio for a live interview during our 30-minute Sunday wrap-up show.
That Hartnell didn’t know what to say and was hesitant to provide any insight into who he was. Maybe it was the product of growing up in a small town in Alberta, but following that show, we discussed how that was one guy we couldn’t have back. It was a brutal interview. Believe it or not, that Hartnell was at a loss for words.
Two years after my arrival in Philadelphia in 2006, Hartnell followed. The trade that brought Hartnell and his best friend Kimmo Timonen to the Flyers was arguably the biggest reason for the team's turnaround from a dreadful 52-point season in 2006-07.
His personality and style of play perfectly suited the city and the work ethic Flyers fans had grown accustomed to watching. If Danny Briere took a hard hit into the boards, Hartnell usually had a choke hold awaiting his adversary. If the Flyers were desperate for an in-game jolt to get going, Hartnell had no reservations to dropping his gloves.
Those who loved Rick Tocchet in the 1990s certainly endeared themselves to Hartnell.
NHL
A tough guy with a soft touch around the net.
Five 20-goal seasons during his seven years in Philadelphia, including a career-high 37 in 2011-12 as he teamed up with Claude Giroux and Jaromir Jagr. Usually, those goals came in bunches. Over the past 20 years, no Flyer has as many hat tricks as Hartnell’s six.
Hartnell was a constant in the Flyers' lineup, missing just three games in his first five seasons in Philly, and unlike his rookie season in Nashville, he became a can’t-miss personality for cameras. He would occasionally joke that it was his good looks that grabbed the spotlight, and with regards to Braden Holtby and even Andrew Luck, it was Hartnell who brought the neckbeard back to the forefront of sports' best manes.
But perhaps what defined Hartnell more than anything was his susceptibility to falling to the ice at any given moment. That regularity of clumsiness inspired the origin of #HartnellDown. Only a player of Hartnell’s humility could embrace that hashtag and generate something positive out of it. The Hartnell Down Foundation was quickly formed to raise money for charity.
Hartnell gave Philadelphia arguably the best seven years of his 17-year career, and 1,249 games later, he currently ranks in the top 100 all-time in games played. Monday morning, he gave thanks to the fans who helped him along the way.
On June 23, 2014, Hartnell was traded to Columbus in exchange for R.J. Umberger in one of the more unpopular, one-sided trades in recent memory. He was kind enough to do one last interview with anyone looking for one last memorable word.
Afterward, Hartnell and I talked briefly, shook hands and he said, “So I guess you’ll be in Columbus soon,” recalling the similarity in our career paths.
“Not a chance,” I told him.
A smart move on my part. If only the Flyers had felt the same way about Hartnell.