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getting to knowiason...he Ottawa Senators are making their own version of‘‘Charmed this season, and in the middle - literally - of all the spells being cast on opposing defenses is the teams No. 1 center, Jason Spezza. He's flanked by wingers DanielAlfredsson and Dany Heatley, and the trios nightly magic has propelled the Sens to the top of the NHL standings. All three were among the leagues top-five scorers as Ottawa won 21 ittC# of its first 25 games beforet * J cooling off a bit during amm Western road trip.Alas, the draining travel grind all NHL teams go through might be the only deterrent Spezza and his mates encounter this year. Rested and refreshed, they're nearly unstoppable, as Spezza uses world-class vision and passing skills -he’s among the league leaders in assists - to find his wingers for prime scoring chances, ones Alfredsson and Heatley could probably bury blindfolded.Spezza, born 22 years ago in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga, honed his pass-first ways playing against older competition throughout his youth. Better to dish to the bigger boys than incur their wrath later, he might have thought. Whatever the reason, Spezza has always handed out more assists than scored himself, including his first season in the rough-and-tumble Ontario Hockey League, when he led Brampton in points with 22 goals and 49 helpers.That year, he became the youngest player ever to compete in the OHL All-Star Game. He was just 15.FULL NAME: JasonAntftony Rocco SpezzaBIRTHPLACE:Mississauga, Ont.BIRTH DATE:June 13, 1983POSITION: Center HEIGHT: 6 feet 2 inchesWEIGHT: 205 lbs ROAD TO STARDOM:Spezza's bantam careerbegan in 1997 with the Toronto Marlboros. He scored -114 points in 54 games and was awarded player of the year honors.In 1998, he made hisdebut as a 15-year-old in the OHL, where he matured over the next four seasons into one of the world's top junior players. The Senators selected him second overall, behind Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk, inthe 2001 NHL draft SLAP SHOTS:Spezza spent the 2004-05NHL lockout with the Senators' AHL affiliate. The increased ice time tbere improved his defensive game, while on offense he dominated the competition, leading the league in points with 117.
Newspaper Details
Fairbanks Daily News Miner
Fairbanks, Alaska, US
Sun, Jan 01, 2006
Page 81
Full Page
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USA 03 Apr 2020
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