CASH line

The CASH line is a forward line of ice hockey players, playing for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). The members of the line include Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley, who are all considered star players. The line is notable as a top offensive line, the top line for the Senators, and is widely regarded as one of the top lines in the NHL earning such quotes as 'best trio in the NHL', 'most dangerous line in hockey', 'high-flying trio' and 'potent first line' in the sports media and hockey fans, both of the Senators and other teams. In the last two seasons, 2005-06 and 2006-07, the trio have combined to score 175 goals.

During the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, the three players tied for the playoff lead in points, with 22 each, (Alfredsson having 14 goals) leading the Ottawa Senators to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history. During the Finals, Anaheim Ducks coach Randy Carlyle had to employ his top checking line and his two Norris Trophy-winning defencemen to stop the line. The name of the line is also appropriate as the team plays in the Scotiabank Place arena.

The players are popular also. The players have all appeared on the cover of The Hockey News several times. As of November 2, 2007, Alfredsson and Heatley are tied for third among active players with 6 appearances and Spezza has 5 cover appearances. Both Heatley and Spezza have appeared on video game covers.

Daniel Alfredsson

Daniel Alfredsson, who plays right wing, has played his entire NHL professional career for the Ottawa Senators, joining them for the 1995-96 season, winning the Calder Trophy for outstanding rookie in a season. He is the only Senator to win the trophy. He became captain for the Ottawa Senators in 1999, and has been their captain ever since. He has played in every playoff game for the Ottawa Senators in their history.

Since the line was formed, Alfredsson has recorded the two highest point totals of his career, 103 and 87 points. Daniel had an outstanding 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, leading all scorers. He scored the overtime goal against the Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference finals series to get the Senators to their first Finals appearance. He has scored over 300 goals in his career, 72 in the past two seasons alone since the line was formed.

He has represented Sweden in several World Championships and Winter Olympics, and was a member of the gold medal winning team in 2004. He is the first European NHL team captain of a team in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Dany Heatley

Dany Heatley, who plays left wing, joined the Senators in a trade in 2005 for Marian Hossa from the Atlanta Thrashers, where he had starred since being the second overall draft pick in the 2000 NHL Entry draft, winning the 2001 Calder Trophy. He had requested a trade from the Thrashers after a automobile crash in 2003 in which he was driving, which led to the death of a team-mate.

Since joining the Senators, his goal production has increased. He has scored 50 goals in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons, the only player in the NHL to do so, and the first in over 10 years to do so. Both were higher totals than any individual season with the Thrashers. As of the end of the 2006-07 season, Heatley has scored 180 goals in 354 regular season games, and is considered 'the best pure goalscorer in the NHL'.

Notably, starting from his first game in his first season with the Senators, Heatley put together a 22-game consecutive point streak while a member of the line, the second-longest to Wayne Gretzky's 23-game streak while playing for the Los Angeles Kings after joining a new team. As of the end of the 2006-07 season, Heatley has played in every Senators game since he has joined the team.

Dany has represented Canada in several World Championships, including two gold medals in 2003 and 2004 and the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.

Jason Spezza

Jason Spezza, who plays center, joined the Ottawa Senators as a first-round draft choice, the third overall in the 2001 Entry Draft. The draft pick was obtained from the New York Islanders as part of the trade where Alexei Yashin went to the Islanders. He was widely regarded as a top-notch offensive player in junior hockey when he played for the Mississauga Ice Dogs of the Ontario Hockey League.

Former Senators coach Jacques Martin was reticent to use Spezza during his first years in the league, because of his concern about Spezza turning over the puck to the opposition, famously bowing to fans' pressure to play him in the 2003 playoffs in the fifth game of a Conference Finals series against the New Jersey Devils and the Senators were behind 3-1 in games. The addition of Spezza sparked the team and the team would take the series to seven games before losing. The arrival of Heatley in 2005-06 created a potent combination of scorer and set-up man. Spezza has now recorded his top two seasons, recording 90 (71 assists) and 87 (53 assists) point seasons playing with Heatley.

Spezza was chosen as a substitute for Team Canada in the 2006 Olympics, but did not see action.

On September 11, 2007, Spezza was featured on the cover of the NHL 2K8 video game. He is the first Senator to be on a sports game cover.

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