Dany Heatley was sure of one thing after the lockout that canceled the 2004-2005 NHL season: He did not want to return to Atlanta.
Everywhere there were reminders of the Sept. 29, 2003, automobile accident in which Heatley lost control of his speeding Ferrari and crashed into a brick pillar, seriously injuring himself and killing his good friend and Thrashers teammate Dan Snyder.
Last August, Atlanta General Manager Don Waddell reluctantly granted Heatley's wish and traded him to the Ottawa Senators.
"I don't feel like I'm starting over," Heatley, 24, said during a recent interview in Ottawa at the Corel Center, the Senators' home arena. "I just feel that I've changed. That's basically it. I'm just a little changed. And I feel good playing hockey again. I think it's a new start for everybody, and I'm not different that way. We had a year off. This is a new league. And I'm starting off like everyone else."
Heatley, who missed much of the 2003-2004 season because of his injuries, is the left wing on Ottawa's potent top line with Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson. All three are in the league's top 10 in points, and the Senators (24-6-3) have the best record in the Eastern Conference. Entering a home game Monday night against the Rangers, Heatley is tied for fourth in the league with 49 points on 22 goals and 27 assists. He leads the league with a plus-minus rating of plus-27.
Even with his new surroundings, Heatley acknowledged that a part of Snyder would always remain with him.
"Anyone who's ever gone through anything like that, or lost a friend or family member, sure; they know that it's never going to leave you," he said. "But at the same time, it gets better. And as time goes on, things get better."
Still, Graham Snyder, Dan's father, said he was disappointed by Heatley's decision to seek a trade.
"But it's a situation where that's probably what he needed: to cut those ties and to not have reminders every day," he said from his home in Elmira, Ontario. "And I certainly understand that. Dany's always been cooperative with us and remorseful, all those things. We're certainly glad to see he's back in the game he loves to play. And that's what we wanted all along."
Snyder said that he and Heatley spoke every few weeks and that he wished Heatley were still playing for the Thrashers organization, which stood by Heatley and the Snyders throughout their ordeal. Heatley pleaded guilty to four misdemeanor charges stemming from the accident and was placed on three years' probation last February.
"In an ideal world, I still would like to see Dany Heatley hoisting the Stanley Cup as an Atlanta Thrasher," Snyder said. "But I can understand his reasons. I can certainly accept that. And I'm happy he's doing well."
Of Heatley's resurgence this season, LuAnn Snyder, Dan's mother, said: "We think it's great. It's absolutely wonderful that he came back and has played so well."
But she also said she was coping with missing her son as the holidays approached.
"It's a hard time of year for us," she said. "It's the one time of the year when Dan would make it home."
Heatley, who last week was named to the Canadian Olympic team for the Turin Games in February, is less willing to discuss the Snyders and the accident.
"I've basically said everything there is to say," he said. "That's the reason I don't feel I need to talk about it anymore."
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