After 16 years on the Senators’ roster, there’s no doubt that Daniel Alfredsson is an all-star.
Alfredsson has been the captain of the Senators for the past 13 seasons, been in the playoffs 12 times, and made it once to the Stanley Cup Finals.
The right-winger will turn 39 on Dec. 11, meaning this season is undoubtedly one of Alfredsson’s last in the NHL.
And he probably won’t get the chance to hoist the Stanley Cup, unless he joins another team by the Feb. 27 trade deadline.
However, the Senators are hosting the NHL All-Star game on Jan. 29 and “Alfie” deserves to be one of the two captains.
Last year’s all-star game was hosted by the Carolina Hurricanes and hometown captain Eric Staal was voted in to lead one of the teams.
So, there's no reason why there shouldn't be a Team Alfredsson at this year's game.
The all-star game is an NHL tradition, bringing some of the league’s best players together for a weekend full of hockey-related events.
Although the fans get to vote in some of their favourite players, NHL officials select the remaining roster.
Since the 2000-2001 season, Alfredsson has averaged a point per game, except for last season when he was injured and no one else on the team had a season to remember.
He has represented his native country – Sweden – in international play 12 times and won the gold medal at the Olympics with them in 2006.
He has played more than 1,000 games for the Senators and holds the all-time record for most goals, assists and points for the franchise. He is in the top 70 for all-time points in the NHL.
It’s not like Alfredsson is new to the all-star game. He was selected in 1996, 1997, 1998, 2004, 2005, and in 2008 as a starter, which means he was voted in by the fans instead of league officials.
Alfredsson has worked very hard to achieve the status he enjoys in the league.
He was drafted in the sixth round, 133rd overall in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft.
NHL players, let alone team captains, aren’t usually found that deep in the draft, but Alfredsson has proven to be a dependable hard-working player who is dedicated to the team that gave him a chance so many years ago.
The fans of this city definitely recognize all of his hard work. When the fan balloting started for this year, a website popped up within days called VoteAlfie.com.
It was created by dedicated fans who want to see him recognized for everything he has brought to the Senators and to the city.
And the campaign is working. He's been in the running for the top spot in fan voting since it started.
Beyond former Ottawa 67’s coach Brian Kilrea, Alfredsson is the most recognized sports figure in the nation’s capital. In fact, some of his equipment is housed in the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame.
However, the decision about who becomes captain isn’t up to the fans.
When all the players are selected, it is up to them to decide who deserves to wear the coveted ‘C’.
Some may argue that Alfredsson’s calibre of play has gone down in the past couple of seasons.
He hasn’t put up the same numbers as in years past but he also hasn’t had the best luck this season.
He had back surgery in the off-season and came back looking better than most people thought he would. His success was stalled when a questionable hit to the head by Wojtek Wolski of the New York Rangers put him out with a concussion for five games.
Originally, it seemed as though he would be out much longer. Rumours of retirement were even thrown around as Alfredsson admitted to getting dizzy when playing with his children.
But when he returned to the lineup everyone breathed a sigh of relief that the captain was back.
As one of the league’s most impressive and consistent superstars in the past 10 years, he deserves to be honoured by the league, his colleagues, and the fans of Ottawa.
Alfredsson deserves respect as a player and a captain who has leaped over several obstacles to get to where he is today. He has helped make the Senatros on othe the most respected franchises in the NHL today.