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Born	January 12, 1972 (1972-01-12) (age 38), Oslo, NOR
Height Weight	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 187 lb (85 kg; 13 st 5 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Pro clubs	NHL Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Columbus Blue Jackets SEL Djurgården
Ntl. team	Norway
NHL Draft	204th overall, 1990 Hartford Whalers
Playing career	1994 – 2005

Kjell Espen Knutsen (born January 12, 1972) is a Norwegian former professional ice hockey player. He played five seasons in the 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 "Soap"[SÃ¥pa in Norwegian]).

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.

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 2003–04 and 2004–05 seasons were disappointing for Knutsen, who spent large parts of the seasons on the injured list. He left the NHL in early 2005, 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.^[1] After his retirement, Knutsen moved back to his native Oslo, where he lives with his family. He is currently head coach at Vålerenga, the team where he started his career.

Fan death

In a 2002 game against the Calgary Flames in Nationwide Arena, Knutsen took a shot that deflected off of Flames defenseman Derek Morris' stick and struck 13-year old Brittanie Cecil in the head, resulting in her death.^[2] Knutsen later helped set up a charity in Columbus to honor Brittanie'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.

Career statistics

References

External links

• Espen Knutsen – player profile and career stats at European Hockey.Net
• Espen Knutsen's NHL player profile
• Espen Knutsen's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Norwegian NHL records
• Norwegian born players drafted by NHL teams