Flyers' Hartnell primed to have bounce-back season
Winger Scott Hartnell was not in shape for the lockout-shortened season so he dedicated himself this offseason.
SCOTT HARTNELL left with his mind in a million places.
His end-of-season exit interview with Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren was blunt - as it usually is with Holmgren.
"He was pissed off at the end of the year," Holmgren said. "He was pissed off at his game. He said to me that he looked like a third-line player out there.
"My comment to him was something like, 'Yeah, and a bad one at that.' Then, he went and did something about it."
For Hartnell, much of his embarrassing year can be traced to the NHL lockout and his lack of conditioning. Unlike other players, Hartnell didn't go to Europe to prepare for an eventual season. He spent his time traveling - Phoenix, California, New York, Philadelphia - and mixed in a workout when he could.
Part of it was human nature, Holmgren acknowledged. Motivation wanes while a player trains without any specific start date to a season you don't know will be played.
Plus, Hartnell was no longer entering a contract year. Before the lockout, Hartnell's 67-point campaign alongside Jaromir Jagr and Claude Giroux earned him a 6-year, $28.5 million extension to remain in Philadelphia through 2019.
Then, the lockout was settled. With only a week to prepare for the opening of the season last January, Hartnell was behind most of his teammates.
"I think everyone came in out of shape, but especially myself," Hartnell said. "Then, three games in, I broke my foot. I got even more out of shape and I struggled the last couple months of the season."
Instead of building off a career-high, 37-goal, All-Star campaign, Hartnell netted only eight goals and three assists in 32 games. It was likely the NHL's biggest single season drop-off in production - even factoring in his first injury in 6 years as a Flyer.
Some nights, Hartnell was buried on the fourth line.
"I was frustrated. When I get frustrated, I take bad penalties," Hartnell said. "That led me to get demoted off the top couple lines. I've thought about it enough. I had a long time to think about last season. I want to wash it away with a great year."
To say that the Flyers will go only as far as Hartnell takes them this season is not a stretch. In many ways, he is their "X-factor." There are questions in goal and on defense, and not everyone is convinced the Flyers can score to overcome those deficiencies.
If Hartnell is clicking with Giroux and Jake Voracek, their punch will go a long way toward smoothing over some of the other rough areas.
"The message from upstairs and the coaches was to make sure to do my part to be ready for the season," Hartnell said. "I'll have a chance to be successful if I start the season the right way."
Rather than jet-set from city to beach to golf club, Hartnell parked himself in Kelowna, British Columbia, all summer. He trained with former Calgary Flames strength coach Shane Pizzey. He also worked out with a slew of NHL players, including friend and former Nashville teammate Shea Weber, Josh Gorges, Vern Fiddler, Jordin Tootoo and Brayden and Luke Schenn.
The workouts were intense. The summer skating sessions in August were some of the most competitive outside of Toronto and Montreal.
There was still time for fun. Hartnell said it "rained for maybe a half day the entire summer," but for the first time in a long time, his fitness was his No. 1 priority.
"It felt good just to have a home base," Hartnell said. "I got in there, did my thing and worked hard, and then had the rest of the day to play golf and do whatever I wanted to do."
He also tried something different: yoga. For the goofy, 6-2, curly-haired ginger, practicing the physical, mental and spiritual art of flexibility - especially outdoors in Kelowna - provided peace.
"I did it at least a couple times a week," Hartnell said. "I'm still doing it here. It's probably better for my mind than anything. I've got a busy mind. I'm always making sure everything is perfect, constantly doing something. And when you're doing yoga, you're in the zone with your mind and your body."
When Hartnell returned to Philadelphia before training camp, he shocked the training staff and front office.
"He's in the best shape of his life, ever," Holmgren said. "His body fat is 7 percent lower than it ever has been. He did the work in the offseason that we asked him to do. I'm happy and proud of him."
The fitness has led to a noticeable change in the preseason. Hartnell, 31, was one of the few veterans to not go through the motions in a brutal exhibition display.
"He's working extremely hard out there," coach Peter Laviolette said. "His leadership has been good. He's come into camp as a determined guy to try and make sure we start the season the right way."
Laviolette subscribed to the theory that the Flyers as a team sometimes feed on the energy and direction Hartnell supplies. If Hartnell isn't competing, it's likely the rest of the team isn't, either.
"There's a clear sign when he's working hard: It's loud, it's physical, it's scoring goals, it's making plays," Laviolette said. "I think there's no question that he's one of those guys. He appears to be ready to me."
Hartnell is perfectly fine with the "X-factor" moniker. Every year after a drop-off in scoring, he has bounced back with a better season. His summer is proof enough that his 37-goal performance was no fluke.
"I totally believe that," Hartnell said. "I feel confident. I feel stronger on the puck. I think I can get back to having another All-Star year. Playing with Claude, I have to have the mindset to be ready, so it feeds through everyone else. We can be a contender if we compete every night. More than other years, I'm focused."
Blog: ph.ly/FrequentFlyers