Dany Heatley is a former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 13 seasons. He was born on January 21, 1981, in Freiburg, West Germany, and grew up in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Heatley began his hockey career playing for the Calgary Royals of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) before moving on to play for the University of Wisconsin Badgers.
Heatley was drafted second overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut in the 2001-2002 season and quickly established himself as one of the league's top young players. In his rookie season, Heatley scored 26 goals and 41 assists for a total of 67 points. He was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team and finished third in voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the league's top rookie.
Heatley continued to improve in his second season, scoring 41 goals and 48 assists for a total of 89 points. He was named to the NHL All-Star Game for the first time and was a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the league's most valuable player.
In 2004, Heatley was involved in a car accident that resulted in the death of his teammate and close friend, Dan Snyder. Heatley suffered a broken jaw and other injuries in the accident and was charged with vehicular homicide. He pleaded guilty to four charges and was sentenced to three years probation and community service.
Heatley was traded to the Ottawa Senators in 2005 and had some of the best seasons of his career with the team. He scored 50 goals in the 2005-2006 season and was named to the NHL First All-Star Team. He also helped lead the Senators to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2007, although they ultimately lost to the Anaheim Ducks.
Heatley was traded to the San Jose Sharks in 2009 and played for the team for three seasons. He was named to the NHL All-Star Game in each of those seasons and helped lead the Sharks to the Western Conference Finals in 2010.
Heatley's production began to decline in his later years, and he bounced around the league, playing for the Minnesota Wild, Anaheim Ducks, and Florida Panthers before retiring in 2015. Over the course of his NHL career, Heatley scored 372 goals and 419 assists for a total of 791 points in 869 games. He was a two-time NHL All-Star and won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Despite his on-ice success, Heatley's career was marred by the car accident that took the life of his friend and teammate. He has since become an advocate for safe driving and has worked with organizations to promote awareness of the dangers of reckless driving.
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