Yesterday at approximately 12:20 pm EST it was announced that Daniel Alfredsson was officially joining the Detroit Red Wings and would not be returning to the Ottawa Senators, his team of 17 seasons.
You can see Daniel Alfredsson’s comments HERE and Bryan Murray’s press conference HERE.
There has been something odd about the way the way this all went down. Both the Senators management/ownership and Alfredsson are to blame. Below are some of the must read articles breaking down what happened, what went wrong, the aftermath, and in recognition of Alfredsson’s time in Ottawa. My quick take is that the Senators screwed up the negotiation, Alfredsson then overreacted and has now made a decision he will come to regret. His service to the team and the City will never be forgotten, but undoubtedly his legacy will now be less devine and impressive than it could/would/should have been. This is the epitome of a lose-lose situation.
Alfredsson is not the enemy. He’s a like a loved family member that made an awful personal decision. But still family and still loved. #Sens
— SensNation (@SensNation) July 6, 2013
Spinning the split: Senators, Daniel Alfredsson share their versions after franchise icon chooses Red Wings (Yahoo) by Nick Cotsonika
Senators pay for slip in Alfredsson talks (CBC) by Elliotte Friedman
Alfredsson’s legacy forever tarnished (Sportsnet) by Michael Grange
Elephant in the Room (Hockey Buzz) by Travis Yost
An Open Letter To Ottawa Senators Owner Eugene Melnyk (Senshot) by Jared Crozier
Respect the Sens, respect Daniel (Ottawa Citizen) by Chris Cobb
No. 11 was No. 1 in Ottawa fans’ hearts: How Daniel Alfredsson became the Senators’ franchise player (Ottawa Citizen) by Allen Panzeri
Daniel Alfredsson’s “selfish” decision leaves “devastating” feeling (Ottawa Citizen) by Ken Warren
For now I’ll leave you with Alfredsson’s last great moment as an Ottawa Senator, the last two minutes of Game 3 of the 2013 ECSF:
