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Reflecting on Daniel Alfredsson's Brief Red Wings Tenure
Prior to last night’s match-up between the Red Wings and Ottawa Senators, the Senators retired Daniel Alfredsson‘s number. Alfredsson is the greatest to lace up the skates for Ottawa, spending seventeen seasons with the club, accumulating 426 goals and 682 assists, and leading the charge as Sens captain from 1999 to 2013.
He also spent his final season as a Red Wing, racking up 18 goals and 31 assists in 68 games—not too shabby, eh?
If you recall, Alfredsson became a Red Wing after departing the Senators as a free agent. In this NHL.com article from August 2013, Alfredsson explains what happened:
“When I did my last contract for four years ending in the [2012-13] season, I was asked to help the team manage the salary cap by adding on an extra year to my contract,” he said. “I agreed. Each side fully expected I would retire and not play the 2012-13 season. However, after the 2012 season, I told the Sens I wanted to play another season. I also asked that we look at a possible extension for this upcoming season, at a fair amount, to balance out the two years for both of us. [The Senators] agreed.
“Sadly, the contract negotiations went nowhere, but I played out the season as I had promised. In late June, I decided I had it in me to play at least one more season. I told management that I was willing to return, and I reminded them of our agreement from the year before. But, to my disappointment, negotiations again quickly stalled.”
Shortly thereafter, the Red Wings contacted Alfie and they agreed to a contract. Now although he spent only one season with Detroit, Alfredsson impacted the Red Wings in ways that went beyond mere point production, as his fellow countryman Niklas Kronwall attests to, via mLive’s Ansar Khan:
“It was great, just like playing with Nick, all those years,” Niklas Kronwall said. “Such a smart player, but so humble, a true professional that did everything right. He was one of those guys you look up to and take in and learn as much as possible.
“Not only a great player, but a great person, a great ambassador for not only Ottawa, but for the game of hockey. Everything he did was class, whether it was talking to teammates, opponents, referees, fans, media.”
Henrik Zetterberg also chimed in on Alfredsson’s impact:
“Alfie was only (in Detroit) playing for one year but he stayed in the area for another couple years. For us Swedes, we spent a lot of time with him and his family, and for me growing up in Sweden, he was one of the big four for us – (Mats) Sundin, (Peter) Forsberg, (Nicklas) Lidstrom and him. He showed me a lot of things both on and off the ice.
…
“In Ottawa, being captain for that many years, you go through a lot of things. For him coming here and give a little bit of his experience and, he played well here, too. He was a big impact for us.”
Players like Kronner and Z may best remember Alfie for his influence and experience, but we the fans best remember him for this buzzer-beating overtime goal on March 20, 2014 against the Pittsburgh Penguins:
Congratulations on the jersey retirement, Mr. Alfredsson. You may have heard the old saying “Once a Red Wing, always a Red Wing,” but we all acknowledge you’re an Ottawa Senator through and through.
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