Many Ottawa Senators fans expect to see Daniel Alfredsson return to the club in a front office role once Michael Andlauer and his partners formally take over ownership of the team this month. It was widely reported in June that Andlauer met with him to discuss a job in player development. Alfredsson is on record saying he wants to return to the team “in a meaningful role in hockey ops.”
Related: Ottawa Senators’ Daniel Alfredsson Is Hall of Fame Worthy
The 50-year-old Hall of Famer needs no introduction to Ottawa hockey fans having spent 17 of the 18 seasons he played in the NHL with the Senators. Yet since he’s probably going to be in the news this season, now’s the time to look at some cool things about the former captain that some fans may not know.
Alfredsson Could Get Elected Mayor of Ottawa
A dual Canadian-Swedish citizen, Alfredsson is remarkably popular in Ottawa. Current mayor Mark Sutcliffe should be looking over his shoulder hoping he doesn’t decide to run for his job.
My son runs into Alfredsson from time to time at a local sports club. He said that Alfredsson always gives him a bit of his time without hesitation and makes him feel welcome, as though he genuinely enjoys the interaction.
Even so, my son at times was pretty sure he was bothering Alfredsson and that the former star probably didn’t want to get caught up in conversation with him. Even so, he says Alfredsson never made him feel that way. As he put it, “Alfie understands that he is idolized by an entire generation of hockey fans in the city. He embraces it with complete modesty. His commitment to the city is a far bigger testament to his character than anything he did on the ice”.
My daughter has met Alfredsson several times at charitable events and says that in Ottawa he’s what Tom Brady was to the New England Patriots and Kyle Lowry to the Toronto Raptors. For many players, Ottawa is a tough place to love much less stay in after they retire. Yet as she points out, “Alfredsson chose to make Ottawa his home and the people of Ottawa love that.”
The Key to the City of Ottawa
On March 5, 2015, Alfredsson was presented with the key to the city of Ottawa. That is the city’s highest honour, set aside only for those who make the greatest impact on the residents of Ottawa.
And an impact on Ottawa is what Alfredsson has made over the years. He plays a leadership role in the Ottawa Senators Foundation and is the face of the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health during their campaigns. He is also heavily involved in the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa.
Alfredsson Has a Great Sense of Humour
Alfredsson enjoys playing along with a good gag. Just ask Ottawa broadcaster Stuntman Stu who took some Swedish language lessons from Alfredsson back in the day. Pay attention to the subtitles in the video below.
While understated, Alfredsson is not beyond being a comedian on a bigger stage. That was on full display in a game on Jan. 8, 2004, while the Senators were laying a 7-1 beating on the Maple Leafs. To add insult to injury, Alfredsson mocked Buds’ captain and fellow Swede Mats Sundin by pretending to throw a stick he had broken into the Toronto crowd.
The move was a cheeky reference to Sundin’s one-game suspension for actually throwing his broken stick into the crowd at the Air Canada Centre out of frustration in a game earlier in the week against the Nashville Predators. The move enraged not only Toronto fans, but also the Maple Leafs themselves.
Toronto pugilist-in-residence at the time, Tie Domi, pointed at Alfredsson after he did it and the then-Toronto bench boss, Pat Quinn said, “If you’re going to try and show somebody up you better be ready to pay the price down the line”.
Alfredsson Scored the First Goal Ever in an NHL Shootout
The NHL introduced the shootout in the 2005-06 season to settle tied games. In the Senators’ first game of that season against the Maple Leafs, Alfredsson and Dany Heatley scored the first goals in a regular season NHL shootout. They scored on goaltender Ed Belfour – aka “Eddie the Eagle”. The Senators won the game 3-2.
Alfredsson became the first captain in NHL history to score in an NHL shootout. His stick was sent to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Alfredsson May Have a Future in Pro Padel
Last year Alfredsson and his brother Henric teamed up with the Rideau Sports Centre to introduce Padel to Ottawa. Pronounced “Pad-elle” the game is the fastest-growing sport in Sweden according to Alfredsson.
Alfredsson says tennis is his preferred summer sport, but Padel is getting close to winning him over. And he hopes to get some Senators players interested in it. “I’m not a huge fan of doubles tennis, but in Padel we always play doubles and I love it,” he says. “The social aspect when you are four players on the court all the time and you’re always involved … it seems like it correlates a lot to hockey.
“Obviously the boards and anticipation and it’s really good for your hand-eye coordination so I can see why it’s that popular among the hockey players and it’s something we’ll try to get some of the Sens guys out here for.”
Who knows, could Alfredsson and a few of his Senators mates put together a squad to compete in the pro Padel leagues in the offseason?
Alfredsson’s Carleton University Connections
Alfredsson holds an honorary degree from Carleton University. Yet his ties to that school run much deeper than that.
In late 2016, to coincide with the retirement of Alfredsson’s sweater, the Senators, in partnership with Carleton University, the Ottawa Senators Foundation and Bell Let’s Talk established a scholarship in the name of Alfredsson in recognition of his commitment to Ottawa and to mental health advocacy and awareness.
The scholarship is awarded annually to outstanding undergraduate students who are entering or proceeding from one year to another in the Neuroscience and Mental Health program at Carleton. This program explores how diseases that affect the brain lead to mental health problems, with the focus of its research on depression, Parkinson’s disease, obesity, stress and anxiety, Alzheimer’s disease and concussions.
Commenting on the scholarship when it was announced, Alfredsson said, “This is something very personal to me and a cause that I have been passionate about for a long time. To know that Carleton University has matched the funds provided by Bell Let’s Talk and the Ottawa Senators Foundation to establish a scholarship in my name that will assist the next generation of leaders in this field is a great honor to me.”
Lady Luck Smiled on the Ottawa Senators in 1994
Alfredsson was drafted 133rd overall in the sixth round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. Only about 30% of players drafted in the sixth round ever play an NHL game and those who do are barely there for a cup of coffee.
Related: The Four Senators Drafted Ahead of Daniel Alfredsson
Alfredsson was the exception playing 1,246 games, notching almost a point per game, winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as Rookie of the Year, appearing in six NHL All-Star Games and being awarded the King Clancy Memorial Trophy and the Mark Messier Leadership Award for his leadership and contributions to the community.
He was a diamond in the rough overlooked by many NHL scouts and almost by the Senators. It was only because the legendary John Ferguson pushed management to select him that Ottawa enjoyed him for 17 seasons.
Lady Luck was smiling on Ottawa back in 1994.