On Monday, legendary Ottawa Senators captain, Daniel Alfredsson gave a heartfelt salue to Senators fans during his acceptance speech at the 2022 Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF) induction ceremonies at Meridian Hall in Toronto. He received the honour from fellow countryman and Maple Leafs rival, Mats Sundin and was joined at the cermony by fellow Sweden-born twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin.
Along with the Sedin twins, Roberto Luongo, aRiikka Sallinen, the first Finland-born women’s player to be enshrined and the late Herb Carnegie were also inducted.
During his speech, the former Sens captain joked that in 1995 he was so excited and nervous about his first NHL training camp taking place in Arnprior, that he forgot his skates… in Sweden.
“Probably a bit too excited, I guess. Because the first day of practice, I realized I’d left my skates in Sweden,” said Alfredsson.
He then went on to share his love for the City of Ottawa and its supportive fan base as many attendees at the Meridian Hall cheered “Alfie, Alfie”
“I want to thank Ottawa,” he said. “From the first day I arrived until now, your support has been amazing. It has meant so much for me and my family. And it still gives me goosebumps to go into that arena to be reminded of all the great memories we created there.
“I was lucky to play in front of such passionate and knowledgeable fans. And I will never forget the ‘Alfie’ chants.”
Selected by Ottawa in the sixth round (No. 133) of the 1994 NHL Draft, Alfredsson arrived in the NHL the following season after having played five years of professional hockey in Sweden.
He would go on to win the Calder Trophy as the League’s top rookie in 1995-96, when he had 61 points (26 goals, 35 assists) in 82 games, the start of a career that saw him become in many ways the face of his franchise.
Alfredsson spent 17 seasons, including 13 as captain, in Ottawa, where he remains a beloved figure for his playing career and work in the community. He is the Senators all-time leader in goals (426), assists (682) and points (1,108), and is second in games played (1,178). He moved on from Ottawa finishing his NHL career playing the 2013-14 season with the Detroit Red Wings. His 426 goals, 682 assists and 1,108 points are Senators records, and he won the Calder Trophy voted as NHL rookie of the year in 1996, the King Clancy Trophy for leadership and humanitarian work in 2012, and the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2013.
Alfredsson also talked about playing out his dream of representing Sweden, and he was able to take home the gold after winning at the 2006 Turin Olympics, and the silver medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Of course he achieved this along with Sweden team mate Mats Sundin who also presented Alfredsson with his Hall of Fame plaque at Monday night’s induction.
“Thank you, Mats. I can’t believe we’re friends after all the (Senators-Toronto Maple Leafs) battles we had over the years, but I always looked up to him. He was a star before I even started playing in the Swedish league.”
But Alfredsson, class act that he is, saved his most emotional tribute for countryman Borje Salming, the first Swedish player inducted into the Hall, who was diagnosed with ALS earlier this year.
“Thank you, Borje, from all us Swedish players who followed in your footsteps. You’re really a true trailblazer. Thank you.”
with notes from NHL.com
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