Scott Walker

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Walker's tenure with the Predators was marked by both offensive production and physical play. In the 2000–01 season, he scored a team-high 25 goals and finished second on the team with 54 points in 74 games. He tied that career high with another 25-goal season in 2003–04, adding 42 assists for a career-best 67 points to lead the club offensively. That season, Nashville reached the postseason for the first time in team history, and Walker played in his first NHL playoff game on April 7, 2004, earning his first career playoff point on April 13 with an assist in a 3–0 win over the Detroit Red Wings. He appeared in six playoff games that year, recording one assist. Walker also served as the Predators' interim captain when Greg Johnson was injured in January 2003. On December 27, 2003, he scored the first goal at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Arizona, against Sean Burke of the Phoenix Coyotes in a 3–1 victory. His 589 career games before making the playoffs was the second longest wait in NHL history at the time, behind Guy Charron's 734 games.

In Their Own Story

The 2003–04 season was a turning point for both Walker and the Predators. After years of building, Nashville finally broke through to the playoffs. Walker led the team in scoring with 25 goals and 67 points, playing in 75 games. His leadership was recognized when he wore the 'C' as interim captain earlier in the season. When the playoffs began, Walker stepped onto the ice for his first postseason game on April 7, 2004, a 3–1 loss to the Red Wings. But on April 13, he recorded his first career playoff point with an assist in a 3–0 victory. Though the Predators would lose the series, Walker's contributions had helped establish Nashville as a competitive franchise. His journey to the playoffs was a long one—589 regular-season games, the second-longest wait in NHL history at the time.

Reader's Guide

Scott Walker played for the Nashville Predators from the 1998–99 season through the 2005–06 season. He was claimed by Nashville in the 1998 NHL Expansion Draft on June 26, 1998. His best offensive season was 2003–04, when he tied his career high with 25 goals and set a career high with 67 points, leading the team in scoring. He also scored a team-high 25 goals in 2000–01. Walker served as interim captain in January 2003 when Greg Johnson was injured. He scored the first goal at Jobing.com Arena on December 27, 2003. A sports hernia suffered on October 25, 2005, and a wrist injury on February 6, 2006, limited him to 33 games in the 2005–06 season. On July 18, 2006, Nashville traded Walker to the Carolina Hurricanes for Josef Vasicek.

Did You Know?

• Walker was claimed by the Nashville Predators in the 1998 NHL Expansion Draft on June 26, 1998.
• He scored the first goal at Jobing.com Arena on December 27, 2003, against Sean Burke of the Phoenix Coyotes.
• Walker served as the Predators' interim captain when Greg Johnson was injured in January 2003.
• He played 589 regular-season games before making his NHL playoff debut, the second-longest wait in NHL history at the time.
• Walker was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes on July 18, 2006, for Josef Vasicek.