Daniel Alfredsson’s NHL career is officially coming to an end tomorrow in Ottawa. The press conference has officially been scheduled for 9:30 AM.
Feels strange just typing those words. I sat down to write something profound about Alfredsson’s career and instead found myself watching an endless stream of videos of some of his greatest moments and decided, what better way to acknowledge his great career than to gather up all those videos and share them here. I had a blast putting this post together and hope you all have just as much fun reading along.
Alfredsson’s resume is impressive and will certainly get consideration for the Hockey Hall of Fame. Wayne Gretzky, the greatest player to ever play the game, thinks Alfredsson is a first ballot Hall of Famer.
As strong as his reputation was on the ice, Daniel Alfredsson was just as respected away from the rink. Alfredsson was a pillar in the Ottawa community and will probably go down as the most respected athlete in the history of this city. That’s why his return to Ottawa to make his retirement official is so significant. It’s why that one day contract will mean so much to fans, to the organization, and to the city.
December 4th, 2014 figures to be one of the most significant days in our city’s sports history. But before Alfie makes his retirement official, let’s take a little walk down memory lane through some of the most significant moments in the career of the greatest player in Ottawa Senators’ history.
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After being drafted in the 6th round at a 133rd overall, expectations weren’t exactly sky high for the mostly unknown native of Gothenburg, Sweden. Yet he instantly made an impact on the Ottawa Senators. In the 95-96 season, Alfredsson scored 26 times and finished with 61 points. He became the first modern day Senator to win a major award, winning the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie.
Alfie set the bar pretty high in year one but managed to surpass those totals in his second season in the league. It was clear that the Senators had a pretty special player on their hands. Alfredsson racked up 71 points in year two and was named to a second consecutive All Star team. In the 1998 playoffs, we got our first glimpse of “playoff Alfie”, as Alfredsson would score five times in seven game series against the Sabres including an overtime winner in Game 4 of that series
The Legend of Alfie would continue to grow the following season when he again seemed to find another level to his game come playoff time. The Senators would win their first ever playoff series in the 1997-1998 season, knocking off the heavily favoured New Jersey Devils. Alfredsson put up nine points in 11 playoff games that year, including the first playoff hat trick in Senators history in Game 4 against the Devils. He would record the second playoff hat trick in Senators history a couple weeks later in the team’s second round series against the Washington Capitals.
Daniel Alfredsson certainly wasn’t a soft player but fighting wasn’t exactly his thing either. He dropped the gloves maybe four times in his NHL career. One of those was in the 1998-1999 season although to be honest, it’s hard to tell if Alfie ever even got the gloves off here. He was much better with them on anyway.
This video is a little out of order but while we’re on the topic of Alfredsson fights. Down goes Gilmour! Dougie remembers the moment well.
Now, where were we…Prior to the 1999-2000 season, Alfredsson was named Captain of the Ottawa Senators, replacing Alexei Yashin. It ended up being the start of a run that would see him become the longest serving Captain in the NHL at one point. 14 straight seasons with that C on his chest. It just looks right. Have a feeling we’ll get to see him with that C on one more time tomorrow night.
In the 2001-2002 season, Daniel Alfredsson quickly became public enemy number one in Toronto. The Sens and Leafs had met two years in a row in the playoffs so hatred was building but it reached new levels in Game 5 of their second round series when Alfredsson caught Darcy Tucker with an ummm border line hit. To make matters worse, Alfredsson would score the game winning goal only seconds later with Tucker still down on the ice. The Leafs would go on to win the series but that moment became one of the most recognizable in Alfie’s career.
Ask any Senator fan to name the greatest teams in franchise history and many will quickly point to the 2002-2003 team. They lost in Game 7 of the Conference Finals to the New Jersey Devils that year but had they found a way in Game 7 on home ice, the Stanley Cup may have ended up in Ottawa that season. Alfredsson was unusually quiet during that playoff run, registering 8 points in the team’s 18 playoff games. This on the heels of a career high 78 points in the regular season. Winning a Cup became Alfredsson’s focus in the latter stages of his career. Alfie was damn close to winning it all this season.
The career bests continued in 2003-2004. The season ended in another playoff disappointment but Alfie’s regular season numbers continued along in the point a game territory. For the first time in his career, Alfie hit the 80 point mark in just 77 games, finishing second to Marian Hossa in team scoring. Leaf fans already hated Alfredsson by this point but he certainly didn’t improve his standing in the eyes of Leaf fans with the infamous fake stick toss in January of 2004. This was also a big year for Alfie hair-wise.
Daniel Alfredsson was always a gifted offensive talent but with one trade in the summer of 2005, he went from reliable offensive winger to legitimate superstar. The Senators added Dany Heatley and one of the greatest lines of the last 15-20 years was born. The Pizza line, The Cash line- whatever you want to call it, they were damn good. In the 2005-2006 season, Alfie would set career highs in goals (40), assists (63) and points (103). That line was fun to watch. In the first three seasons with Heatley in the fold, Alfredsson racked up 112 goals and 279 points in just 224 games. Yeesh.
Alfredsson was a fan favourite but it wasn’t until the 2006-2007 season that he reached “God-like” status. Which as you may recall, almost never happened. Early in that season, on the heels of a playoff disappointment the year before, rumours began to swirl around Daniel Alfredsson. Yup, this was an actual thing that happened. In fact, in November of 2006, it was believed that the Senators were considering a deal that would send Craig Conroy to Ottawa in exchange for Daniel Alfredsson. Craig. Conroy. Conroy finished that season in Los Angeles with 16 points in 52 games. Meanwhile Daniel Alfredsson went on to solidify his place in Ottawa sports history.
The 2007 playoffs. The stuff of legends. A time when this city came alive like never before and a lot of it, because of Daniel Alfredsson. Early on in those playoffs, during the opening round series against the Penguins, there was a moment when it became obvious, this was Alfie like we had never seen him before. Wish I could find video of it but it started with a scrum. Just a pile of players pushing and shoving. Looked more like a rugby scrum than the hockey version. And out of that pile up, Alfredsson somehow emerged without a jersey. To this day, I feel like this was first real “Alfie” chant. It became a theme in those playoffs. The Senators came up just short in 2007 but it was a run this city will never forget. Alfredsson scored 14 times in 20 playoff games. His performance was so dominant that he remained in the Conn Smythe conversation even though the Senators were clearly over-matched in the Final.
In Game 4, with another chance at a Cup slipping away, Alfredsson snapped and shot the puck at Scott Niedermayer. Alfredsson was criticized heavily for this moment but as a fan, I loved it. There are times when I watch a team at playoff time and feel like I want it more than some of the players do. Yet in that moment of weakness and frustration, it was clear how badly Alfie wanted to win. He could feel the Ducks taking away maybe his last chance at a Cup and he snapped. I’ve always respected Alfie for that desperation.
The thought of any Ottawa Senator player getting seven points in a single game these days seems completely ridiculous. Seven points in a week would be a heck of a run. Yet in January of 2008, Alfredsson exploded offensively. The poor Tampa Bay Lightning were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Three goals. Four assists. In a single game. You get the feeling that’s a record that will last a long time around these parts.
Playing 1000 games in the NHL is a significant accomplishment. Doing it all with the same team, in the constant spotlight of a Canadian market, is especially impressive. Alfredsson would hit the 1000 game mark during the 2010 season and the ceremony that night was something pretty special. If you get emotional watching this, you may want to bring a couple extra boxes of Kleenex for tomorrow night.
Towards the end of his career, it was milestone after milestone for Alfredsson. And he always seemed to find a way to hit those milestones in spectacular fashion. His 1000th career point came on a hat trick goal and his 400th goal was an overtime winner against the Calgary Flames. It was a special moment for Alfredsson although Erik Karlsson may have been the most excited guy in the rink that night.
All Star weekend in Ottawa, with Alfredsson voted into the starting line up, proved to be an important chance for the city of Ottawa to say thank you to Daniel Alfredsson. We had done it many times before but this was an opportunity to do it on a bigger stage and with the whole league watching. The Alfie Chant was heard time and time again that weekend with one of the best moments coming in the actual game on Sunday when Alfredsson scored his first goal of the game. He would score again shortly after. Still say he should have got the MVP award.
In the 2012 playoffs, the underdog Senators gave the New York Rangers everything they could handle. Convinced it might be Alfie’s last game in the NHL, I decided to make the trip to New York for Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. And again, Alfie found a way to leave me with another memorable moment. He scored in the second period of Game 7, and I stood up in MSG and celebrated the goal. As a hockey fan, you haven’t really lived until you celebrate a goal by the other team during a Game 7 at MSG. I remember watching Alfredsson skate off the ice after that game, convinced I had seen the last goal Alfie would ever score.
We had no idea as it was happening, but the 2012-2013 season would end up being Alfredsson’s last in a Senators’ uniform. And while the season ended in disappointment against the Penguins, Alfie and the Pesky Sens gave the city one last memory they would never forget. The five game man-handling of the Montreal Canadiens was a historic moment for the Franchise and a defining moment for the fan base. Alfredsson himself called it one of his career highlights.
The last goal Daniel Alfredsson ever scored in an Ottawa Senators uniform was certainly one of his most memorable. With his team down a goal and shorthanded vs. the powerhouse Penguins, one last time, Alfie put the team on his back. Ottawa was over-matched in that series, but the Alfredsson goal still sticks out for many fans as one of the most memorable in Ottawa Senators history.
The Summer of 2013 happened. There’s really no fixing that. But what I’ve always admired about Sens fans, is that even in a difficult situation, they never really lost respect for Daniel Alfredsson. Nothing could overshadow what he had done for this team, this franchise and this city. When he returned to Ottawa in Detroit colours, there was some question about what sort of reception the fans would give him. Sens fans came through in a big way that night and welcomed Alfie home with open arms. Erik did too, of course.
Tomorrow night, we get to add one last special moment in the career of Daniel Alfredsson.
I know I’ve missed moments. If you find other videos you think should be added, let me know in the comment section below. It really is impossible to capture them all when it comes to a player like Daniel Alfredsson. It always seemed like in every big moment in the history of the franchise, Alfie was there.
Tomorrow night is going to be strange for Senators fans. In some ways, many of us already said good bye to Daniel Alfredsson in that summer of 2013. But that’s kind of what makes tomorrow night that much more unique. Unlike other retirements, this one is about more than just an official end to a player’s career. As much as the night will be about recognizing the great career of Daniel Alfredsson, it’s also about welcoming him back to the city where he belongs.
Welcome home, Alfie. Thank you for everything you’ve done for this organization and congratulations on a spectacular NHL career.
