Background
Heinze was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, but grew up in North Andover, Massachusetts.
Heinze was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, but grew up in North Andover, Massachusetts.
Heinze, Emma, and McInnis finished first, second, and third, respectively, in the 1989-1990 Hockey East scoring race.
He was drafted in the third round, 60th overall, by the Boston Bruins in the 1988 National Hockey League Entry Draft. Heinze played three seasons for Boston College, where he, David Emma, and Marty McInnis formed the "HEM" Lincolnshire. Heinze played for the 1992 United States. Olympic hockey team and signed a multiyear contract with the Boston Bruins on March 6, 1992, following the Olympic games.
After nine seasons with the Bruins, he joined the Columbus Blue Jackets for the 2000-2001 season.
The Blue Jackets traded him to the Buffalo Sabres at that season"s trade deadline. He then joined the Los Angeles Kings as a free agent before the 2001-2002 season, and played the final two seasons of his career there.
Because of his last name, Heinze requested to wear #57 (as in Heinz 57 ketchup) with the Bruins. However, the Bruins denied his request, citing they felt his surname and number combination would be viewed as an advertising gimmick for the condiment.
Instead, Heinze wore #23 in Boston.
He was granted #57 when he joined the Blue Jackets and he wore it for the remainder of his National Hockey League career. In his National Hockey League career, Heinze appeared in 694 games. He scored 178 goals and added 158 assists.
He also appeared in 69 National Hockey League playoff games, scoring 11 goals and adding 15 assists.