Espen Knutsen
Espen Knutsen ( born January 12, 1972 in Oslo ) is a former Norwegian ice hockey player and current coach and - functionary, who played in his career from 1988 to 2005, among others, for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League has.
- 2.1 As a player 2.1.1 International
Career
Espen Knutsen began his career as a hockey player with Vålerenga Oslo, for which he was active from 1988 to 1994 a total of six years in the Elite series, and with whom he three times in a row was Norwegian champion in 1991, 1992 and 1993. In addition, he was selected in the tenth round in the NHL Entry Draft in 1990 as a total of 204 players from the Hartford Whalers, for which he, however, never played. After three years at Djurgårdens IF in the Swedish Elitserien, was the aggressor in the 1997/98 season his debut in the National Hockey League for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, who had received at Knutsen before 1996 by the relocated Hartford Whalers transfer rights. After 19 games in the NHL, where the Center scored three goals for Anaheim, he returned to Sweden, where he further two seasons for Djurgården aground with which he was first in his career, Swedish Champion 2000.
Knutsen Then moved to the Columbus Blue Jackets, for which he the next four seasons long played in the NHL. On the consequences of a deflected by the opposing defender Derek Morris shot died in the 2001/ 02 season, the 13 -year-old Brittanie Cecil spectator. This was the only case of death of a spectator in the entire NHL history. After the attacker was still in the 2003/04 season in a game for Vålerenga Oslo on the ice, where he had begun his career, he finished his career in the season 2004 /05 at his former club Djurgårdens IF in the Elitserien.
After finishing his career Knutsen got into coaching. From 2005 to 2008 he was first assistant coach at his former club Vålerenga Oslo, before he took over the position as head coach for the 2008/09 season. In the 2009/10 season, he was General Manager working for the club in the season 2010/11 he held both the Office and Head Coach, as well as the General Manager of.
Internationally
For Norway Knutsen took part in the U20 World Junior Championships in 1990 and 1991 at junior level. In the senior level, he stood in his country's squad at the B World Cup 2003 as well as in the A World Championships in 1994, 1995 and 1997 and the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.
Awards and achievements
As a player
- 2000 Elitserien All- Star Game
- 2000 top scorer of the Elitserien playoffs
- 2000 Best original donor of the Elitserien playoffs
- 2000 Best Plus / Minus Statistics Elitserien Playoffs
- 2002 Participation at the NHL All-Star Game
Internationally
- 2003 top scorer of the World Championship Division I, Group B
- 2003 Top scorer of the world championship of Division I, Group B (together with Per- Åge Skrøder )
As a coach
- 2009 Norwegian Champion with Vålerenga Oslo