Daniel Alfredsson was in Sweden when he received the call, he thought he was never going to get.
In typical Alfredsson fashion, he joked he thought it may have been his insurance company contacting him. However, when “Alfie” found it was Hockey Hall of Fame Committee chair Mike Gartner and chairman of the HHOF board Lanny McDonald, he was pleasantly surprised.
“Thank you very much, guys. I can’t tell you how much it means to me, but to the City of Ottawa as well. I thought there might be a chance this would happen, but at the same time, I thought there might be a chance it wouldn’t happen. Obviously, I want to thank you guys and the whole committee. You voted for me to get in. I’m truly humbled and honoured,” Alfredsson said on the call.
Around Full Press Hockey
MLB: Feast or Famine: Tigers Seek Offensive Consistency
This year marked the fifth year of eligibility for the 49-year-old. And with no inductions for the past two due to the pandemic, competition to enter the Hall was fierce.
Entering the Hall along with Alfredsson on November 14 are the Sedin twins, Daniel and Henrik, goalie Roberto Luongo, Finnish Women’s great Riika Sallinen in addition to Herb Carnegie, a Canadian trailblazer when it came to pledging diversity in the builder’s category.
Though he spent his 18th and final NHL campaign suiting up for the Detroit Red Wings due to wanting to chase a Cup with fellow Swedes Nicklas Lidstrom and Henrik Zetterberg, Alfredsson remains revered in Ottawa.
The native of Gothenburg is the greatest player to don a Senators uniform. Erik Karlsson remains a distant second.
Alfredsson’s accomplishments on and off the ice are Hall of Fame worthy. Among them are:
Ottawa Senators
Regular season
Games – 1178 rank 2nd
Goals – 426 rank 1st
Assist – 682 rank 1st
Points – 1108 rank 1st
Playoffs
Games – 121 rank 1st
Goals – 51 ranks 1st
Assists – 49 ranks 1st
Points – 100 ranks 1st
Senators’ captain 1999-2013 – First European-born and trained to make it to the Stanley Cup Final (2007)
Calder Trophy (1996)
King Clancy Memorial Trophy (2012)
Mark Messier Leadership Award (2013)
International
IIHF Hall of Fame inductee
2006 Olympic Gold
2014 Olympic Silver
Off the ice, Alfredsson is a community leader in advocating ending the stigma of Mental Health, supporting the Royal Ottawa Foundation and is a champion for the Ottawa Boys and Girls Club.
He was awarded the Meritorious Service Cross in 2016 by the Governor-General of Canada.
Alfredsson holds the honour of having his number 11 hanging in the rafters of the Canadian Tire Centre – the first modern-day Senators player to do so.
His local popularity knows no bounds. long-time fan Stephen McDonald along with the assistance of Craig Medaglia made a huge push in social media circles to promote #AlfietotheHall. It obviously aided Alfedsson’s cause.
Senators President of Business Operations Anthony LeBlanc tweeted, “Great day for Alfie. Great day for the @Senators. Great day for Ottawa. Congrats Daniel!!!”
Time will tell if Alfredsson returns to the Senators’ fold. Leaving for Detroit left a sour taste within the organization. He returned in 2015-16, serving as senior advisor for two seasons before leaving for family reasons.
At the recent Senators Alumni Golf Tournament, LeBlanc said he met with Alfredsson to share ideas for the upcoming 30th Anniversary season.
It’s not if, but just a matter of time when Daniel Alfredsson returns to the organization that selected him 133rd overall in the 1994 Entry Draft. In what capacity? It’s unknown. But whatever it may be, there’s little doubt it’ll be embraced by his contingent of Senators fans.
More must-reads: