Scott Walker Scott Walker ( born July 19 , 1973 ) is a former Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently the head coach of the Guelph Storm in the Ontario Hockey League . During his 17 seasons as a professional hockey player , Walker played in 829 regular season games in the National Hockey League where he scored 397 points and earned 1 , 135 minutes in penalties before retiring as a player following the 2009 – 10 NHL season . He also competed in three Ice Hockey World Championships ( 1999 , 2001 , and 2005 ) as a member of Team Canada . Playing career . Scott Walker first played junior hockey for Kitchener of the OHA Junior ' B ' league in 1989 – 90 , moving to his hometown Cambridge team later that season . In 1991 , he moved up to the Owen Sound Platers of the Ontario Hockey League for two seasons . His play with the Platers led the Vancouver Canucks to select him in the fifth round , 124th overall , in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft . He first joined the Canucks ' s American Hockey League ( AHL ) affiliate Hamilton in 1993 – 94 , moving to Syracuse with the team for the 1994 – 95 season . Walker made his NHL debut with the Canucks in 1994 , splitting the 1994 – 95 season with Syracuse before becoming a full - time NHL player in 1995 – 96 . He played three full seasons with the Canucks before being left unprotected in the 1998 NHL Expansion Draft . He was selected by the Nashville Predators . Walker played seven seasons with Predators before being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in July 2006 . Walker became the highest - scoring player in Nashville Predators history during the 2003 – 04 NHL season . At that time he was one of only three remaining original Predators on the Nashville roster ( along with Greg Johnson and Tomas Vokoun ) . When Greg Johnson was sidelined with injuries , Walker served as the Predators ' interim captain from January 12 – 25 , 2003 . On June 20 , 2007 , the Hurricanes announced that Walker signed a new three - year contract at $ 2 . 5 million per season . On March 3 , 2010 , Scott Walker was traded to the Washington Capitals for a 2010 7th round pick . In his debut game with the Capitals , on March 4 , 2010 , Walker scored two goals , including the game - winner , and was named the first star of the game in the Capitals ' 5 – 4 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning . 2009 Playoffs . On May 11 , 2009 , Walker was fined $ 2 , 500 for punching Bruins defenceman Aaron Ward with 2 : 47 left in Game 5 of the second round series between the 2 teams . On the play , Ward and Matt Cullen got into a shoving match before Walker came in , dropped his gloves & hit Ward in his orbital bone . Walker was given a major for fighting , a two - minute instigator penalty & a game misconduct while Ward and Cullen received minors for roughing . There was controversy since he did not also receive a suspension where NHL Rule 47 . 22 states that " " A player or goalkeeper who is deemed to be the instigator of an altercation in the final five ( 5 ) minutes of regulation time or at anytime in overtime , shall automatically be suspended for one game . " " . The suspension is always subject to a review by NHL officials , and it was deemed not to have warranted a suspension . Walker scored the game - winning goal versus the Bruins with 1 : 14 left in the first OT period of Game 7 . With the win the Carolina Hurricanes advanced to the Eastern Conference Final for the 3rd time in 7 seasons to face the Pittsburgh Penguins , by whom they were defeated in 4 games . Career notes . He played 589 regular season NHL games over ten seasons before making it to post season play . That was the second longest wait in NHL history . Guy Charron retired in 1981 after 734 games , before he ever played a single playoff game . More recently , Olli Jokinen also bested Walker ' s wait , finally playing in his first playoff game in 2009 after 799 career regular season games . He has two career hat trick s . The first came December 26 , 2000 against the Colorado Avalanche at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville . The first two goals were against David Aebischer and the third was into an empty net . His second hat trick came against the Phoenix Coyotes on December 22 , 2002 , also in Nashville . All three goals came against Brian Boucher . He was the first person to ever score an NHL goal at Jobing . com Arena when , on December 27 , 2003 , he got the puck past Sean Burke at 14 : 17 of the first period in the arena ' s first hockey game . On December 23 , 2010 , the Ontario Hockey League ' s Guelph Storm announced that Walker had been named as the team ' s new head coach . Personal life . Scott is married to Julie and has 2 children ; son Cooper ( born on July 11 , 2002 ) and daughter Anna ( born in 2004 ) .