Jason Spezza facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jason Spezza
Spezza with the Toronto Maple Leafs in January 2020
Born	(1983-06-13) June 13, 1983 (age 42) Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Height	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight	214 lb (97 kg; 15 st 4 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Right
Played for	Ottawa Senators Rapperswil-Jona Lakers Dallas Stars Toronto Maple Leafs
National team	Canada
NHL Draft	2nd overall, 2001 Ottawa Senators
Playing career	2002–2022

Jason Rocco Anthony Spezza (born June 13, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played as a centre for 19 seasons in the NHL from 2002 to 2022. After retiring as a player, Spezza became an assistant general manager for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Spezza started his junior hockey career very young, at just 15 years old, in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He was picked second overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators. He even became the captain of the Senators later on! During the NHL lockout season, he played in the American Hockey League (AHL) and was named the league's Most Valuable Player. In the 2005–06 season, Spezza set a record for the Ottawa Senators with 71 assists. He also played for the Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Jason Spezza also played for Team Canada in many international tournaments. He played in three World Junior Championships and two World Championships. When he first played in the World Juniors in 2000, he was only 16. Only two other 16-year-olds had done that before him: Wayne Gretzky and Eric Lindros!

Early life

Jason Spezza was born on June 13, 1983, in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. His parents, Rino and Donna Spezza, are from Italy. He has twin siblings, Michelle and Matthew. Matthew also played ice hockey as a goaltender.

Growing up near Toronto, Jason watched the Toronto Maple Leafs. But his favorite player when he was a kid was Mario Lemieux. Spezza went to St. Michael's College School.

Did you know Jason Spezza was a baby model? At age one, he won a baby contest! This led to him becoming the poster boy for a Broadway musical called Baby. It played in Toronto in 1984. When he was five, Spezza was in a Minute Maid commercial. Two years later, he modeled clothes for stores like Woolco and Kmart.

Playing career

Junior hockey journey

Spezza played for the Toronto Marlboros in 1997, scoring 114 points in 54 games. At 15, he started his major junior career in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He played for the Brampton Battalion in 1998–99. He scored 71 points in 67 games, which was amazing for such a young player! He was also the youngest player ever to play in an OHL All-Star game.

After one season, he was picked by the Mississauga IceDogs in the OHL Priority Draft. He scored 61 points in 52 games with them. Then, he asked for a trade and moved to the Windsor Spitfires in 2000–01. That season, Spezza had his best OHL year, scoring 116 points in 66 games.

In 2001, Spezza was named the Top CHL Prospect. The Ottawa Senators drafted him second overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. The New York Islanders originally had that pick, but they traded it to Ottawa. Spezza then signed his first professional contract with the Senators in September 2001. He played one more OHL season before starting his professional career.

Professional career

Ottawa Senators (2002–2014)

Spezza at the 2003 AHL All-Star Game. He played most of the 2002–03 season in the AHL.

After his junior career, Spezza joined the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Senators' AHL team, for the 2002 Calder Cup playoffs. This was his first professional game. He made his NHL debut with the Ottawa Senators in 2002–03. He played 33 games and scored 21 points. His first NHL goal was on October 29, 2002. He spent most of that season with the Binghamton Senators in the AHL, but often got called up to the NHL. He also played in three playoff games with Ottawa, helping them reach the Eastern Conference Finals in 2003. They almost made it to the Stanley Cup Finals but lost to the New Jersey Devils.

Spezza played his first full NHL season in 2003–04, scoring 22 goals and 55 points. However, the NHL had a lockout in 2004–05, so Spezza returned to the AHL. He had an amazing season with Binghamton, scoring 117 points! He won the John B. Sollenberger Trophy as the league's top scorer and the Les Cunningham Award as the league's MVP.

When the NHL started playing again in 2005–06, Spezza returned to Ottawa. He played on the first line with Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson. This line became known as the "CASH" line or "Pizza" line. Spezza had 90 points that season, even though he missed some games due to injury. His 71 assists set a new team record! In the 2006 playoffs, the Senators won their first round but lost in the second. Spezza had 14 points in 10 playoff games.

In 2006, Spezza had back surgery. The next season, he continued to play well with Heatley and Alfredsson. He scored a career-high 34 goals and 87 points. In the 2007 playoffs, Ottawa made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals but lost to the Anaheim Ducks. Spezza finished those playoffs with a team-record 22 points.

Spezza with the Ottawa Senators at the start of the 2007–08 season.

Before the 2007–08 season ended, Spezza signed a new seven-year contract with the Senators. On February 9, 2008, he scored his first NHL hat-trick (three goals in one game)! He had a career-high six points in that game. He finished the season with 34 goals and 92 points. However, the Senators lost in the first round of the playoffs that year.

The 2008–09 season was tough for Spezza and the Senators. His points went down, and the team missed the playoffs for the first time in a long time. In 2009–10, Spezza missed 22 games due to injury but still scored 57 points. In the 2010 playoffs, the Senators lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Some fans were unhappy with Spezza's play, and there was talk he might be traded, but he stayed.

In December 2010, Spezza got a shoulder injury after a hit from behind. He was out for several weeks. At the end of the 2010–11 season, he became an alternate captain. In 2011–12, he was named a permanent alternate captain. He had a great season, finishing fourth in league scoring.

Spezza played with the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers of the Swiss NLA during the 2012–13 NHL lockout.

During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Spezza played for the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers in Switzerland. When the NHL started again, he returned to the Senators. But he soon got a back injury that needed surgery, causing him to miss most of the season. He returned for the playoffs in May 2013.

On September 14, 2013, Jason Spezza was named the eighth captain in Senators' history. He took over from his long-time teammate Daniel Alfredsson. After his first season as captain, Spezza asked to be traded from the Senators.

Dallas Stars (2014–2019)

Spezza with the Dallas Stars in October 2014

On July 1, 2014, Spezza was traded to the Dallas Stars. He signed a new four-year contract with Dallas in November. In his first season with the Stars, he played all 82 games and scored 62 points. The Stars missed the playoffs that year.

His scoring improved in the next season, with 33 goals and 63 points. The Stars made the playoffs as the top team in their conference. They won their first series but then lost in a close seven-game series.

In 2016-17, Spezza scored 50 points, but the Stars struggled with injuries and missed the playoffs. The team improved in 2017-18, and Spezza played 78 games.

On October 30, 2018, Spezza played in his 1,000th career NHL game! He finished the 2018-19 NHL season with 27 points. The Stars made it back to the playoffs. They won their first round against the Nashville Predators but then lost again in the second round to the St. Louis Blues.

Toronto Maple Leafs (2019–2022)

On July 1, 2019, Spezza signed a one-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. This was special for him because he grew up cheering for the Leafs! He said, "Just to have a chance to put on a Leaf jersey is going to be pretty special for me." He played his first game with the Maple Leafs on October 5.

Spezza signed another one-year contract with the Maple Leafs in October 2020. In January 2021, the Maple Leafs put Spezza on waivers. This means other teams could claim him. His agent said Spezza would retire if another team claimed him, but no one did, so he stayed with the Leafs. A few weeks later, he scored his eighth and final career hat trick!

In June 2021, Spezza signed another one-year contract with the Maple Leafs for a very low salary. He wanted to help the team win, saying he would take even less money if he could. Spezza was known as a clean player, never suspended or fined in his 19 seasons. However, in December, he was suspended for a hit on a player who had injured his teammate. The suspension was later reduced.

After the Maple Leafs were eliminated from the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, Spezza announced he was retiring after 19 seasons. He finished his career with 995 NHL points, the most of any player who didn't reach 1,000 points. The Maple Leafs offered him a new job as a special assistant to the general manager, which he accepted. He said he was "very grateful to the Leafs for the amazing opportunity."

International play

Spezza at the 2008 World Championships
Medal record
Representing  Canada
Ice hockey
World Championships
Gold	2015 Czech Republic
Silver	2009 Switzerland
Silver	2008 Canada
World Junior Championships
Silver	2002 Czech Republic
Bronze	2001 Russia
Bronze	2000 Sweden
Spengler Cup
Gold	2012 Davos

As a junior player, Spezza played for Canada's national junior team three years in a row. He first played at the 2000 World Junior Championships. He was only 16, becoming one of only a few players that young to make the team. Canada won a bronze medal that year. He won another bronze medal in 2001. In his final World Junior appearance in 2002, Canada won a silver medal, losing to Russia in the final game.

Spezza was a reserve player for Team Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics but didn't play. He made his senior team debut at the 2008 World Championships and won a silver medal. He won another silver medal at the 2009 World Championships. Spezza was tied for the most goals scored in that tournament with seven.

Even though he did well in World Championships, Spezza was not initially invited to the summer camp for the 2010 Winter Olympics. But later, he was invited to fill a spot.

During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Spezza played for Canada at the 2012 Spengler Cup in Switzerland. He helped Canada win the Spengler Cup title, their first since 2007.

At the 2015 World Championships, Canada won the gold medal with a perfect record! Spezza was named the best forward and was on the all-star team. He was also the top scorer in the tournament.

Executive career

After retiring as a player, Spezza was hired by the Toronto Maple Leafs for the 2022–23 Toronto Maple Leafs season. He became a special assistant to the general manager, Kyle Dubas. However, Spezza left this job in May 2023 after the Maple Leafs' president decided to remove Dubas as general manager.

Soon after, Kyle Dubas was hired by the Pittsburgh Penguins. On June 14, 2023, Spezza joined him there as an assistant general manager.

Off the ice

Community programs

Jason Spezza cares about his community. He was involved in a program called "Spelling with Spezza." Kids who won would get a poster of Spezza and tickets to an Ottawa Senators game. The program taught kids how important spelling is. Spezza would even visit some of the classes! In his last season with the Senators, over 600 classes took part in the program. He also helps out with Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Personal life

Jason Spezza married his girlfriend, Jennifer Snell, in Ottawa on July 25, 2009. Many of his teammates and friends from hockey were there.

Jason and Jennifer have four daughters. They lived in Ottawa when he played for the Senators, but they sold their home when he was traded to Dallas.

Endorsements

Spezza was on the cover of the NHL 2K8 video game.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Bold indicates led league

International

Awards and honours