OTTAWA, June 28, 2022 – Legendary Ottawa Senators captain, Daniel Alfredsson is finally going to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF). Alfredsson got the call from Hall of Fame chairman Lanny McDonald and selection committee chairman Mike Gartner to say that he will be part of the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022. He will be joined at the ceremony at Meridian Hall on November 14 in Toronto, by fellow Sweden-born twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Roberto Luongo, and Riikka Sallinen, the first Finland-born women’s player to be enshrined. The late Herb Carnegie was elected in the Builders category.
Alfredsson is the Ottawa Senators all-time leader in goals, assists, won gold medal with Sweden at 2006 Olympics.
“It’s such an honour,” Alfredsson said. “It’s such a privilege to be able to play this sport for a living, something I would have played for fun for my whole life without question. To be able to make a living, to be able to play in front of thousands of fans and also to be recognized in this way, it’s truly humbling.”
“You don’t think about this when you play the game, it’s not a goal of yours during your career. But when you have retired and you look back at it, it really means a lot to be included with all the other great players in this great sport.”
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).
Alfredsson had 1,157 points (444 goals, 713 assists) in 1,246 games during an 18-season NHL career from 1995-2014 with the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings. Selected by the Senators in the sixth round (No. 133) of the 1994 NHL Draft, he is their all-time leader in goals, assists and points, and is second in games played (1.178) behind Chris Phillips (1,179). He played 17 of his 18 NHL seasons with Ottawa before finishing his career with Detroit in 2013-14.
Alfredsson won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year in 1995-96, when he had 61 points (26 goals, 35 assists) in 82 games for the Senators.
Although he played his final season with the Detroit Red Wings in 2013-14, getting 49 points (18 goals, 31 assists) in 68 games, Alfredsson returned to Ottawa on Dec. 4, 2014, to retire as a Senator. He then had his No. 11 retired on Dec. 29, 2016.
Alredsson also played many years for his home country Sweden, winning the gold medal at the 2006 Turin Olympics and the silver medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
Candidates had to receive at least 75 percent of the vote from the selection committee to be inducted. A maximum of four former male players, two former female players, two builders or one builder and one former referee/linesman may be inducted into the Hall of Fame in a single year.
NHL.com says despite all that, “Alfredsson, who was in his fifth year of Hall of Fame eligibility, wasn’t expecting a call on Monday from Hall of Fame chairman Lanny McDonald and selection committee chairman Mike Gartner.”
“It was after 8 o’clock local time here, I thought it’s not going to happen this year,” he told nhl.com. “But they called and my wife answered the phoned and asked, ‘Who’s calling?’ A very pleasant surprise, extremely honoured.”
Each year Senators fans banded together and pushed to have Alfredsson elected to the Hall, and the graceful former captain chuckled about the idea that they had finally managed to get the job done.
“I would like to think that it was my playing career that made them select me,” he said with a laugh. “But it really does feel truly special to have the support not only from the group that put this (election) bid together, but also all the fans who responded.
“When you do retire, it feels even more special to be able to have the connection that I’ve had with the city and the fans, even after my playing days. That means a lot. I think a lot of fans of the Senators are very happy today as well to see me get this recognition. They’re a big part of it.
“We play our careers, we do the best we can, we’re professionals, we take pride in what we do. When we hang them up, we hang them up. We can’t control what happens after that.
“But it’s really a humbling honor to get this when you think of the people who were there before, and especially to get this recognition in a Canadian market where I played the majority of my career, knowing how much hockey means to the city, I know how much this recognition will means to the fans of Ottawa as well. It’s truly humbling.”
with notes from NHL.com
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