Daniel Alfredsson

Daniel Alfredsson
Born	(1972-12-11) 11 December 1972 Gothenburg, Sweden
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight	205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shoots	Right
NHL team Former teams	Detroit Red Wings Ottawa Senators Frölunda HC (SEL)
National team	Sweden
NHL Draft	133rd overall, 1994 Ottawa Senators
Playing career	1992–present

Daniel Alfredsson (born 11 December 1972) is a Swedish professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was the captain of the Ottawa Senators from 1999–2013. He is considered a leader by example^[1] and had been compared to former Detroit Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman in his value during his tenure as captain of the Ottawa Senators.^[1] With the Senators, Alfredsson usually played on the first line, which was formerly nicknamed the 'CASH'^[2] or 'Pizza'^[3] line with centre Jason Spezza and left winger Dany Heatley, before Heatley's trade to the San Jose Sharks. He had traditionally been the fourth forward on the ice in the role of pointman on Ottawa's powerplay. He is one of the league's top two-way players, and he holds the Senators' franchise records for goals (426), assists (682), and points (1108) ^[4] with 1178 games played. He has played for Sweden internationally thirteen times, including the 2006 gold medal winning Olympic squad. He was the 75th player to reach 1,000 career points in the NHL, scoring three goals in a win over the Buffalo Sabres on October 22, 2010.

Playing career

Ottawa Senators (1994–2013)

Drafted 133rd overall in the 6th round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft, Alfredsson was a serendipitous pick by the Senators. He had been overlooked by many NHL scouts, but one man in Ottawa's front office, John Ferguson, saw the potential and pushed management for his selection.^[5] Though largely unheralded entering his first NHL training camp, he would go on to win the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year in his first NHL season in 1995–96 and was the Senators' representative at the NHL All-Star Game. In 1996–97, he improved on his rookie totals and played in the All-Star Game again. He finished second in team scoring, contributing to the Senators' first modern playoff qualification.

Alfredsson missed the beginning of the 1997–98 season due to a contract dispute. On 24 August 1997 he demanded a trade from the Senators after the five year contract offered to him was $1 million less than that of Alexei Yashin per season.^[6] He signed a new deal on 12 October 1997, worth $14 million over four years. After missing the first five games of the season, he was greeted by a standing ovation in his first game back in Ottawa.^[7] Alfredsson would later be named the Senators' representative at the All-Star Game for the third consecutive season. During that season, Alfredsson would play in only 55 games, due to the earlier contract dispute and a late season ankle injury. The Senators qualified for the playoffs again and defeated the New Jersey Devils, but lost to the surging Washington Capitals in the second round. Alfredsson would score seven goals in 11 playoff games in 1998.

In 1998–99, Alfredsson missed 24 games due to an injury, and was limited to only 11 goals.^[8] The club once again qualified for the playoffs, and Alfredsson hoped to have a good postseason,^[8] but was limited to one goal and three points in a sweep at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres. The next season, he was named captain of the Senators after Alexei Yashin was stripped of the captaincy for refusing to honor his contract. After two somewhat disappointing seasons, Alfredsson's scoring totals improved, with 21 goals and 59 points in 57 games. In the playoffs, the Senators met the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. The Senators would lose the inaugural "Battle of Ontario", although Alfredsson contributed three goals in the six-game series.

In 2000–01, Yashin returned to the Ottawa lineup but the team captaincy remained with Alfredsson, who would score 24 goals and 70 points in 68 games. The Senators again met the Maple Leafs in the first round of the playoffs, and Alfredsson was limited to one goal in a four-game series sweep by Toronto. In 2001–02, Alfredsson set a personal best with 37 goals and 71 points in 78 games. In the playoffs, the Senators once again met the now arch-rival Maple Leafs in the second round, where they lost in seven games. Alfredsson led the team in playoff scoring with seven goals and 13 points in 12 games.

Alfredsson signed a two-year contract prior to the 2002–03 season. He increased his scoring totals, finishing with 27 goals and 78 points. The club won the President's Trophy that season, despite the organization filing for bankruptcy protection, and qualified for the Eastern Conference Finals before losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils. Alfredsson scored four goals and eight points in 18 games.

In 2003–04, Alfredsson finished the season with 32 goals and 80 points in 78 games. The club lost its first-round playoff to Toronto, and Alfredsson was limited to one goal and three points in the seven-game series. Mid-season, Alfredsson signed a five-year contract extension with the Ottawa Senators.

Like many NHL players, Alfredsson played for a European team during the 2004–05 NHL lockout. He returned to Sweden to play for Frölunda HC, the team he had played for prior to beginning his NHL career. He played on an all-NHL line with P. J. Axelsson and Samuel Påhlsson, helping the club win the Swedish Championship. Alfredsson was a major contributor during the playoffs, scoring 12 goals and 18 points in 13 games.

On 5 October 2005, opening night for the 2005–06 NHL season, the Senators played the Maple Leafs, with the newly acquired Dany Heatley playing on the top line with Jason Spezza and Brandon Bochenski. The Senators were down by a goal with five minutes remaining in the third period, when Alfredsson, replacing Bochenski on the top line, scored the tying goal. This line combination would remain intact, and became known as the 'CASH line'.^[9] Later in the same game, Heatley and Alfredsson scored the first goals in a regular season NHL shootout when they scored against Leafs goalie Ed Belfour for a 3–2 victory. With Alfredsson scoring in the shootout, he became the first captain in the NHL history to do so. Alfredsson and Heatley's sticks were subsequently sent to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Alfredsson capped off the 2005–06 regular season with a career high 103 points (43 goals and 60 assists) tied for first on the Senators along with Heatley. Perhaps the best game of his NHL career took place on 3 November 2005 against the longtime rival Buffalo Sabres, in which he scored a then career-high four goals and six points.

After a disappointing 2006 playoffs and poor play to start the season, Alfredsson became the subject of trade rumors from the beginning of the 2006–07 season. He improved his game, attributing the reversal in part to a change in skates, and had a six-game scoring streak soon after. On Saturday, 23 December 2006, against the Philadelphia Flyers, he notched his 600th career point, scoring two goals and adding an assist.

In the 2007 playoffs, Alfredsson was the Senators' leading scorer with 14 goals and 22 points in 20 games. His leadership and strong play helped the Senators as they advanced past the Pittsburgh Penguins, the New Jersey Devils, and the Buffalo Sabres advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in modern franchise history. He became the first European-born-and-raised captain to lead his team to the finals. When presented with the Prince of Wales Trophy, he posed while touching the trophy,^[10] which many hockey players consider a form of bad luck.

Alfredsson was arguably Ottawa's best player in the Stanley Cup Finals, which the Senators ultimately lost to the Anaheim Ducks in a five game series. In a controversial incident in game four, an Alfredsson slap shot hit Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer at the end of the second period, leading to speculation that Alfredsson intended to injure Niedermayer. Alfredsson dismissed the notion, saying that he had glanced up at the clock to see if he had time to move in for a better shot, and then quickly fired in the heat of an important game.

Along with the rest of the Senators, Alfredsson's 2007–08 season was marked by highs and lows. On 24 January 2008, he scored three goals and four assists in an 8–4 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning., setting the Senators' record for most points in one game. It vaulted him into the NHL scoring lead at the All-Star break. He was named NHL 'Player of the Week' and its 'First Star'. Alfredsson and his linemates, Heatley and Spezza, were named to the Eastern Conference All-Star game roster, although Heatley would not play due to injury. Injuries reduced Alfredsson's playing time and effectiveness in the latter half of the season. First, Alfredsson suffered a hip pointer injury, and on 3 April 2008, Mark Bell of the Maple Leafs hit him with a shoulder that left Alfredsson on the ice, unable to get up for several minutes.^[11] He missed the final game of the regular season and the beginning of the playoffs. He had played in every modern Senators playoff game up to that point. On 14 April 2008, with the Senators trailing 2–0 in their playoff series to the Pittsburgh Penguins, Alfredsson made his return in game three of the series, four weeks earlier than initially expected. He was welcomed with a lengthy standing ovation at Scotiabank Place. However, the Senators gave up four unanswered goals (three in the third period) to lose the game 4–1. The Senators lost game four 3–1. Afterwards, in an interview on CBC, he admitted he had been playing with a ruptured medial collateral ligament.

In October 2008, Alfredsson underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee to remove a bone chip and returned less than a week later. On 30 October 2008, Alfredsson agreed to a four-year contract extension with Ottawa worth $21.6 million. The contract, intended to allow Alfredsson to finish his playing career with the Senators, included a no-movement clause.^[12]

The 2008–09 season was a disappointing one for both Alfredsson and the Senators. The team failed the to make the playoffs, and Alfredsson registered only 24 goals and 74 points in 79 games. On 8 July 2009, Alfredsson became the longest serving active captain in the NHL, as former Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu signed with the Anaheim Ducks and former Colorado Avalanche captain Joe Sakic announced his retirement.

The 2009–10 season saw his point total dip again, as he scored only 20 goals and had 71 points in 70 games. On 6 April, Alfredsson reached an important milestone, playing in his 1000th regular season game. Even though the Senators lost to Pittsburgh in the first round, Alfredsson still scored 2 goals and added 6 assists to lead the team in scoring (tied with Matt Cullen). He later admitted he had been bothered by a sports hernia since February, which could explain his reduced effectiveness in the last weeks of the season and the playoffs.

During the 2010–11 season, Alfredsson recorded his 1,000th career NHL point in a victory over the Buffalo Sabres on 22 October 2010.

At season's end, Alfredsson underwent back surgery and was released from hospital the same day. At a 14 June 2011 news conference introducing new Senators' head coach Paul MacLean, Alfredsson stated that the surgery went well and that he was moving around fine.^[13]

Alfredsson began the 2011–12 season healthy, but was diagnosed with a concussion for the first time in his career after receiving a blow to the head from New York Rangers forward Wojtek Wolski on 29 October 2011.^[14] He returned on 11 November after missing five games, in a game against the Buffalo Sabres.^[15] On December 30, 2011, Alfredsson scored his 400th career goal, the game winner in overtime, versus the Calgary Flames. Widely assumed to be a candidate to be moved to a Stanley Cup contender at the 2012 trade deadline, Ottawa's strong play resulted in Alfredsson not being placed on the trade market. "I was just really happy we didn’t have to make that decision", said Alfredsson of the possibility of leaving Ottawa.^[16]

In the 2012 NHL All-Star Game held at Scotiabank Place, Alfredsson was captain of "Team Alfredsson", scoring twice within one minute and 31 seconds in a 12 - 9 loss to "Team Chara".

In the first round of the 2012 NHL Playoffs, Alfredsson and the Senators were eliminated by the first-place New York Rangers in seven games. Speculation was rampant during early summer of 2012 that Alfredsson would announce his retirement, but on July 31 he confirmed that he would be returning for his 17th season with the Senators.^[17]

The lockout shortened 2012–13 season was a successful one for Alfredsson and the Senators. The team made the playoffs despite losing several key players to injury for extended periods, and defeated the rival Montreal Canadiens in the first round. Alfredsson was third in team scoring during the regular season with 10 goals and 16 assists in 47 games, and he led the Senators in scoring through the playoffs with four goals and 10 points in 10 games.^[18] At season's end there was again speculation that Alfredsson might announce his retirement. On June 28, 2013, GM Bryan Murray confirmed that he had been informed by agent J.P. Barry that Alfredsson "is committed to play next year for the Senators". ^[19] While Alfredsson negotiated a new contract with Ottawa, Boston Bruins' GM Peter Chiarelli reached out to him in an attempt to gauge his interest in signing with Boston. Chiarelli attempted to convince Alfredsson that Boston could be a good destination for an older player looking to win a Stanley Cup prior to retirement.^[20]

Detroit Red Wings (2013–present)

The long-time Ottawa captain signed a one-year, $5.5 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings on July 5, 2013.^[21] Alfredsson's Ottawa teammates were taken aback by the news.^[22] Alfredsson phoned Chris Phillips so he would not hear the news at the same time as everyone else; Phillips said he was shocked.^[22] Marc Methot said many teammates were caught off guard. "We all were pretty adamant that he was going to return because he is grounded in this city (Ottawa) and so well-loved that everyone figured something would work out", said Methot.^[22] Ex-Senators' coach Jacques Martin, now a hockey analyst on TVA Sports, compared Alfredsson's departure to Ray Bourque's decision to move to the Colorado Avalanche to win a Stanley Cup.^[22] Alfredsson confirmed a day later that his decision to leave Ottawa was motivated by a desire to win a Stanley Cup prior to retirement. "I had not won a Stanley Cup and that’s a big priority for me," Alfredsson said.^[23] He later explained that his departure from Ottawa was due to a contract impasse,^[24] though Senators' general manager Bryan Murray had expected Alfredsson to remain in Ottawa.^[25] Alfredsson returned to Ottawa for the first time with the Red Wings on December 1, 2013, and was greeted with a video tribute and loud cheers from the Canadian Tire Centre crowd.

International play

Medal record
Competitor for  Sweden
Men's ice hockey
Olympic Games
Gold	2006 Turin	Ice hockey
World Championships
Silver	2004 Prague/Ostrava	Ice hockey
Silver	1995 Stockholm	Ice hockey
Bronze	2001 Cologne/Hanover	Ice hockey
Bronze	1999 Oslo/Hamar	Ice hockey

Participated in 13 Sweden international teams:

• 1994 World Championships (silver medal)
• 1996 World Championships
• 1996 World Cup of Hockey
• 1998 Winter Olympics
• 1998 World Championships (bronze medal)
• 2001 World Championships (bronze medal)
• 2002 Winter Olympics
• 2004 World Championships (silver medal)
• 2004 World Cup of Hockey
• 2005 World Championships
• 2006 Winter Olympics (alternate captain, gold medal)
• 2010 Winter Olympics (alternate captain)
• 2012 IIHF World Championship (captain)

At the 2006 Olympics, Alfredsson set personal highs in goals (5), assists (5) and points (10) and played on the second line with Mats Sundin and Henrik Zetterberg. After an injury to Peter Forsberg, Alfredsson took Forsberg's spot as the alternate captain, along with Captain Sundin and defenseman Nicklas Lidström. Alfredsson was named captain of Team Sweden for the first time at the 2012 IIHF World Championship.

Personal life

Alfredsson married longtime girlfriend Birgitta (née Backman) on 31 July 2004. They are the parents of four sons, Hugo, Loui, Fenix and William Erik.^[26] The family resides in Ottawa and Särö, Sweden. Alfredsson's parents are Hasse and Margareta Alfredsson.^[27]

His younger brother Henric Alfredsson played with the Ottawa 67's junior team as a 19-year-old during their 1999 Memorial Cup-winning season. Henric decided to stay in Ottawa after his junior hockey career with the 67's was complete, and now works for the Ottawa Police Service.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1992–93	Frölunda HC	SEL		21	1	5	6	8		—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	Frölunda HC	SEL		39	20	10	30	18		4	1	1	2	8
1994–95	Frölunda HC	SEL		22	7	11	18	22		—	—	—	—	—
1995–96	Ottawa Senators	NHL		82	26	35	61	28		—	—	—	—	—
1996–97	Ottawa Senators	NHL		76	24	47	71	30		7	5	2	7	6
1997–98	Ottawa Senators	NHL		55	17	28	45	18		11	7	2	9	20
1998–99	Ottawa Senators	NHL		58	11	22	33	14		4	1	2	3	4
1999–00	Ottawa Senators	NHL		57	21	38	59	28		6	3	1	4	2
2000–01	Ottawa Senators	NHL		68	24	46	70	30		4	1	0	1	2
2001–02	Ottawa Senators	NHL		78	37	34	71	45		12	7	6	13	4
2002–03	Ottawa Senators	NHL		78	27	51	78	42		18	4	4	8	12
2003–04	Ottawa Senators	NHL		77	32	48	80	24		7	1	2	3	2
2004–05	Frölunda HC	SEL		15	8	9	17	10		14	12	6	18	8
2005–06	Ottawa Senators	NHL		77	43	60	103	50		10	2	8	10	4
2006–07	Ottawa Senators	NHL		77	29	58	87	42		20	14	8	22	10
2007–08	Ottawa Senators	NHL		70	40	49	89	34		2	0	0	0	0
2008–09	Ottawa Senators	NHL		79	24	50	74	24		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Ottawa Senators	NHL		70	20	51	71	22		6	2	6	8	2
2010–11	Ottawa Senators	NHL		54	14	17	31	18		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Ottawa Senators	NHL		75	27	32	59	18		4	2	0	2	0
2012–13	Ottawa Senators	NHL		47	10	16	26	33		10	4	6	10	6
SEL totals				97	36	35	71	58		18	13	7	20	16
NHL totals				1178	426	682	1108	500		121	51	49	100	74

International

		Tournament
Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1995 World Championships		8	3	1	4	4
1996 World Cup of Hockey		4	0	0	0	2
1996 World Championships		6	1	2	3	4
1998 Olympics		4	2	3	5	2
1999 World Championships		10	4	5	9	8
2001 World Championships		9	3	5	8	8
2002 Olympics		4	1	4	5	2
2004 World Cup of Hockey		4	0	6	6	2
2004 World Championships		8	4	2	6	8
2005 World Championships		9	3	6	9	6
2006 Olympics		8	5	5	10	2
2010 Olympics		4	3	0	3	0
2012 World Championship		8	1	6	7	2
Olympic totals		20	11	12	23	6
World Championship totals		62	19	28	47	42

Awards

International

Award	Year(s) awarded
Elitserien Championship	2005
Winter Olympics Gold Medal	2006

NHL

Award	Year(s) awarded
NHL All-Rookie Team	1996
Calder Memorial Trophy	1996
NHL All-Star Game	1996, 1997, 1998, 2004, 2008 (starter), 2012 (starter)
NHL All-Star 2nd Team	2006
Guy Carbonneau Award for Top Penalty-Killer[28]	2008
King Clancy Memorial Trophy	2012
Mark Messier Leadership Award	2013[29]

Records and achievements

Records

• Holds the Senators record for regular season games played, goals, assists and points.
• Holds the Senators record for highest +/- rating in a season, set in 2006–07 with +42.
• Holds the Senators record for most points in a regular season game, set in 2007–08, with 3 goals and 4 assists for 7 points.
• Holds the Senators playoff records for most games played, goals, assists and points.

Milestones

• Scored the 300th goal of his career on 10 November 2007.
• Recorded the 500th assist of his career on 24 January 2008.
• Played in his 1000th NHL game (all with the Ottawa Senators) on 6 April 2010 against the Florida Panthers.
• Reached the 1,000 point milestone with a hat-trick against the Buffalo Sabres on 22 October 2010.
• Scored his 400th career goal in OT against the Calgary Flames on 30 December 2011.

Nominations

• Finished 2nd in Lady Byng Memorial Trophy voting in 2003–04.
• Finished 3rd in Selke Trophy voting as the best defensive forward in 2005–06.
• Finished 4th in Lady Byng Memorial Trophy voting as the NHL's most gentlemanly player in 2005–06.
• Finished in the top 3 in voting for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 2011–2012.^[30]

Other

• Scored the first shootout goal in NHL history during the 2005-2006 season.
• April 10, 2010 was officially "Daniel Alfredsson Day" in Ottawa, declared in honour of his 1,000th NHL game.^[31]
• Was the first European-born and trained captain to lead his team to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2007.
• Improved his point totals for six consecutive seasons from 1998–99 to 2005–06 inclusive, a franchise record.
• Appears on the cover of the Swedish version of the EA Sports NHL 09 video game.^[32]
• Won the first major award in modern Senators history when he was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy in 1995–96.
• He has played in 119 of the 121 playoff games of the modern Senators.
• He led the league in goals during the 2006–07 playoffs and tied linemates Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley with 22 points to lead the league in playoff scoring.

See also

• List of Swedes in sports
• List of NHL players with 1000 games played
• List of NHL players with 1000 points

Notes and references

External links

• Daniel Alfredsson's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• Ottawa Senators.com - Career Notes
• Q & A with Alfredsson (2000)

Preceded by Peter Forsberg	Winner of the Calder Trophy 1996	Succeeded by Bryan Berard
Preceded by Alexei Yashin	Ottawa Senators captain 1999–2013	Succeeded by Jason Spezza

Persondata
Name	Alfredsson, Daniel
Alternative names
Short description	Ice hockey player
Date of birth	11 December 1972
Place of birth	Gothenburg, Sweden
Date of death
Place of death