Beyond the ‘C’: The Story of Daniel Alfredsson
AGE |
39
HEIGHT
5’ 11”
WEIGHT
205 lbs.
POSITION
Right Wing
DRAFTED
133rd Overall in 1994
Daniel Alfredsson is the captain of the Ottawa Senators. He is a terrific forward and knows how to progress a team through each and every game. He is responsible for 59 points last season, not to mention leading his team into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Not only is he a great player from Sweden, he’s a great player both on and off the ice. This past season he won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice. This is Beyond the ‘C’: The Story of Daniel Alfredsson.
Daniel started his career in Sweden, playing for the Frölunda HC. He was selected only 133rd overall in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft by the Senators. Many NHL scouts had overlooked Alfredsson and it took a lot of convincing for them to listen to John Ferguson in the front office about his hunch on Alfredsson. Needless to say, they probably are still thanking him. His first season, he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as Rookie of the Year. He had played a full 82 games and scored 61 points. He battled a few injuries here and there between the first season and the season before the lockout. In the 1999-00 season, Alfredsson was named captain of the Ottawa Senators due to former captain Alexei Yashin refusing to honor his contract with Ottawa.
Daniel Alfredsson Fun Fact:
As of July 8th, 2009, Alfredsson was known as the longest serving active NHL captain, after Saku Koivu was traded to the Ducks from the Canadiens and Joe Sakic of the Colorado Avalanche announced his retirement. And Daniel announced he will be back next season to play.
Daniel Alfredsson was captain of Team Alfredsson at the 2012 NHL All-Star Game. He lost 12-9 against Team Chara, even though he scored 2 goals in a minute and 31 seconds. It took the Rangers 7 games in the first round of the playoffs to boot the Senators out of the arena, but everyone was expecting Alfredsson announcing his retirement. Everyone was shocked when on July 31st, he announced he would return for his 17th NHL season with the Senators.
Editor’s Corner:
Jared Crozier is the editor of SenShot, the Fansided page on the Ottawa Senators. He sent me this on Daniel Alfredsson.
“Daniel Alfredsson had his ups and downs in his early years as the Captain of the Ottawa Senators. He was often pointed at as the problem and one of the reasons that the Senators could not get over the playoff hurdle. Then came the lockout and for whatever reason, the tables seemed to turn for Alfie. He became the single face of the franchise and went from a “take him or leave him” to become arguably the most beloved athlete in the history of the City of Ottawa.
Having served as Captain for 12 of the Senators 19 seasons, it’s hard to imagine any single player having shaped the direction of a franchise as much as he has in recent memory. He has lived through the many ups and downs of the Senators, and has always been gracious and forthcoming in the media, good times and bad.
He hasn’t always been perfect, but I don’t think fans in Ottawa would have preferred any other player to have worn the “C” in this city over the past dozen years. The moment he decides to retire, his jersey will be the first from the modern era of the Senators to do so, and it couldn’t happen to a more deserving player, better yet a more deserving person.”
Closing Argument:
Daniel Alfredsson definitely wants the Stanley Cup before he retires. I just don’t think the Senators are a playoff team. Sure they gave the Rangers hell in the first round, but if they want to win this, they need to play harder all season and do better than 8th seed. Sure, the Kings could do it, but they seemed to be more of a playoff team this year than the Ottawa Senators. I’m afraid Alfredsson won’t win the Stanley Cup. I’m sorry Ottawa fans.
You can reach me on Twitter @NardoneDylan or follow the site @TooManyMenOTS. Hope you enjoyed.