Espen Knutsen

Espen Knutsen
Born	(1972-01-12) January 12, 1972 Oslo, Norway
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	187 lb (85 kg; 13 st 5 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	Vålerenga Djurgårdens IF Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Columbus Blue Jackets
National team	Norway
NHL draft	204th overall, 1990 Hartford Whalers
Playing career	1988–2005

Espen Knutsen (born January 12, 1972) is a Norwegian former professional ice hockey player and currently the general manager of Vålerenga in the Norwegian GET-ligaen. He played five seasons in the North American-based National Hockey League (NHL), and is to date the only Norwegian to have played in the NHL All-Star Game. In his native Norway, Knutsen is also known by the nickname "Shampoo" because his father is a hairdresser, and also a former hockey player whose nickname was "The Soap" (Såpa in Norwegian).

In 2021, he resigned from Vålerenga's board of directors.

Playing career

Early career

After being drafted by the Hartford Whalers in the 10th round (204th overall) in 1990, Knutsen remained in Europe until 1997, playing for his hometown team Vålerenga, and later Djurgården of the Swedish Elitserien. In 1996, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim acquired his rights, and he made his debut with the Ducks in 1997. After a disappointing season (playing in part for the American Hockey League (AHL) Cincinnati Mighty Ducks), Knutsen returned to Djurgården. During the 1999–00 season, he was the highest paid player in the Elitserien, earning a salary of $280,000.

NHL career

Knutsen got a second chance in the NHL in 2000, when he signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets on the recommendation of assistant coach George Kingston, who had previously coached the Norwegian national team. In a very good first season, Knutsen tallied 53 points (11 goals, 42 assists) in 66 games. His numbers dropped a little the next season, but he was nonetheless named to the World Team (as an injury replacement) in the 2002 All-Star Game (making him the first Norwegian ever to play in the NHL All-Star Game). The 2002–03 and 2003–04 seasons were disappointing for Knutsen, who spent large parts of the seasons on the injured list. He left the NHL in early 2004, shortly after being assigned to Columbus' AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, and once again returned to Djurgården.

Retirement

Knutsen retired because of injury in July 2005. At the news of his retirement, the general manager of Djurgården, Tommy Engström, called him one of the greatest players in the history of the club. After his retirement, Knutsen moved back to his native Oslo, where he lives with his family. He was appointed head coach of his childhood club Vålerenga in 2006, a position he held until the summer of 2016 when he became the club's general manager.

Fan death

Main article: Death of Brittanie Cecil

In a March 2002 game against the Calgary Flames in Nationwide Arena, Knutsen took a shot that deflected off Flames defenseman Derek Morris' stick and accidentally struck 13-year-old Brittanie Cecil in the head, which resulted in her death 48 hours later. Knutsen later helped set up a charity in Columbus to honor Cecil's memory. Also as a result of the tragedy, the NHL made it mandatory to install protective nylon mesh nets above the glass behind both goals. In December 2010, Knutsen met with Cecil's family, bringing some closure to both parties.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1988–89	Vålerenga	NOR		36	14	7	21	18		—	—	—	—	—
1989–90	Vålerenga	NOR		40	25	28	53	44		—	—	—	—	—
1990–91	Vålerenga	NOR		31	30	24	54	42		—	—	—	—	—
1991–92	Vålerenga	NOR		30	28	26	54	37		—	—	—	—	—
1992–93	Vålerenga	NOR		13	11	13	24	4		—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	Vålerenga	NOR		38	32	26	58	20		—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	Djurgårdens IF	SEL		30	6	14	20	18		3	0	1	1	0
1995–96	Djurgårdens IF	SEL		32	10	23	33	50		4	1	0	1	2
1996–97	Djurgårdens IF	SEL		39	16	33	49	20		4	2	4	6	6
1997–98	Cincinnati Mighty Ducks	AHL		41	4	13	17	18		—	—	—	—	—
1997–98	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	NHL		19	3	0	3	6		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	Djurgårdens IF	SEL		39	18	24	42	32		4	0	1	1	2
1999–2000	Djurgårdens IF	SEL		48	18	35	53	65		13	5	16	21	2
2000–01	Columbus Blue Jackets	NHL		66	11	42	53	30		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Columbus Blue Jackets	NHL		77	11	31	42	47		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Columbus Blue Jackets	NHL		31	5	4	9	20		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Columbus Blue Jackets	NHL		14	0	4	4	2		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Syracuse Crunch	AHL		2	1	1	2	0		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Vålerenga	NOR		1	0	0	0	4		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Djurgårdens IF	SEL		6	2	3	5	4		3	0	0	0	6
2004–05	Djurgårdens IF	SEL		15	0	8	8	12		—	—	—	—	—
NOR totals				189	140	124	264	169		—	—	—	—	—
SEL totals				209	70	140	210	201		31	8	22	30	18
NHL totals				207	30	81	111	105		—	—	—	—	—

International

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1989	Norway	EJC		5	8	4	12	10
1989	Norway	WJC		7	0	2	2	10
1990	Norway	EJC		6	6	11	17	10
1990	Norway	WJC		7	2	7	9	6
1991	Norway	WJC		6	1	2	3	0
1994	Norway	OG		7	1	3	4	2
1994	Norway	WC		6	3	2	5	0
1995	Norway	WC		5	2	1	3	0
1996	Norway	WC		5	3	0	3	0
1997	Norway	WC		8	0	5	5	4
2003	Norway	WC D1		5	4	5	9	8
2005	Norway	OGQ		2	0	2	2	2
Junior totals				31	17	26	43	36
Senior totals				31	9	11	20	6

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database