Flyers' Scott Hartnell enjoyed himself during NHL lockout

SCOTT HARTNELL is a gambling man.

During the NHL's mind-sapping lockout, Hartnell had two choices: head to Europe to stay in shape with the hope of carrying over the momentum from his career year; or stay in North America and enjoy the spoils of life without hockey for a change.

More than 200 players with NHL contracts skated in Europe. Hartnell chose the road less traveled.

He spent much of his time in the Phoenix area, working out with other NHL players in Scottsdale. Braydon Coburn joined him in some of those workouts. Hartnell starred in a Hollywood movie, Judd Apatow's newly released "This is 40," and walked the red carpet in Los Angeles.

Hartnell took in Game 2 of the World Series in San Francisco. He played golf frequently. He visited friends and family in Canada.

Hartnell, 30, owns 5 percent of the KalPa hockey franchise in Finland with close friend Kimmo Timonen and former teammate Sami Kapanen. Yet he couldn't bring himself to go overseas - even if it meant increasing his own bottom line by boosting KalPa ticket and merchandise sales.

"If you don't have the right attitude, and your heart isn't in it and you don't want to play, there is no real sense in going over," Hartnell said Wednesday. "A lot of guys came back regretting they went over. It wouldn't have done any good for me."

Hartnell is banking that his mental reboot, coupled with a healed body, will be more beneficial in the big picture than any games he could have played in Europe.

"I didn't even really think about [going]," Hartnell said. "For the past 12 years, I've done nothing but play hockey. It was good to give my body a rest, I've had bumps and bruises everywhere during that time. The main thing was that I wanted to have fun.

"I wanted to do things that I wouldn't normally have gotten a chance to do. I love baseball. Other than with the Phillies here, I never get to go to a World Series game."

It's hard to blame him. It wasn't Hartnell's decision to be locked out on Sept. 15; that was Gary Bettman's choice. Hartnell has a right to enjoy his forced time off.

And he wasn't the only Flyer to not compete over the course of the 113-day work stoppage. Luke Schenn skated in Kelowna, British Columbia, with his old junior team and a crew of NHL veterans. Goaltender Michael Leighton stopped pucks in informal workouts in Ontario.

Timonen and Jody Shelley hung back in South Jersey with their school-aged kids, sometimes skating alone without even a goalie on the ice. Coburn flip-flopped back and forth between Philadelphia, Phoenix, Calgary and his grandfather's ranch in Saskatchewan.

Undoubtedly, Hartnell will be a key to the Flyers' success this season. With more than 8 months between games, it might be easy to forget that Hartnell finished sixth in the league last season in goals. He was a first-time All-Star, registering a career-high in goals (37), tying a career-best in assists (30) and a new high in points (67) in all 82 games.

Hartnell was also second in the NHL in power-play goals (16).

But will his lockout choices set off on the wrong foot his quest to repeat? Hartnell said he has been consistently skating three to four times per week since the lockout began.

"Am I in shape? I think I'm in the same boat as a lot of guys," Hartnell shrugged. "You skate today and you're definitely tired after some drills. It might take me 4 to 5 weeks usually to get in shape for a season; this year is going to be different. The team that's likely to get off to the best start is the one that gets in shape the quickest."

For Hartnell, the biggest thing will just be keeping up with linemate Claude Giroux.

"I'm going to prepare the same way I did last season," Hartnell said. "I think 'G' is such a talented player, it's not that anyone can do it, but if I can keep up with him and stay in front of the net, I will be fine. That's where I got most of my goals last year. It's simple. If I'm not there, I won't be as good."