I was sitting across from him back home in Sweden this summer. We both knew the call might come that day. We’d waited for it together on the same day the last couple of years. So to be there when it happened, to see firsthand how much it meant to him — to his family, his boys — it was really special.
Daniel Alfredsson, Hockey Hall of Fame, Class of 2022.
I’m so happy for you, Alfie.
You deserve it for a million different reasons, lots of which everyone knows. They saw it with their own eyes. You were an incredible player. But I was lucky enough to see up close just what an incredible person you are. And if everyone doesn’t mind … I just want to talk about my buddy for a few minutes.
There are a lot of places I could start. But one of the best experiences from my time in Ottawa was the night Alfie retired as a Senator. December 4, 2014. Packed house. His beautiful family by his side. I remember standing near the bench with his boys, watching him as he stood under the spotlight at center ice. The arena was going crazy. It felt like all of Ottawa was there with us. Like they were there with him. He stood there for a few seconds and, man, you could just feel the love —the appreciation. You don’t hear many rinks like that, you really don’t.
Andre Ringuette/NHLI via Getty
In that moment, what I knew already was just reinforced: Ottawa loves Alfie like a son, and he loves it right back. He always has. There are a lot of guys who win Cups, who win different awards and all that. But there’s not many who could get a reaction like that from their city. And it’s because of who he is as a man, the connection he’s made with so many Senator fans. I learned that the second I became a part of the organization.
Actually, probably a few seconds before.
The 2008 draft was in Ottawa. I had no idea where I was going. Some teams were interested but not even my agent had a good idea. There were some rumblings when Ottawa traded up for the 15th pick. And then Alfie walked up onstage to announce it. The place went wild. Alfie! Alfie! Alfie!
I don’t remember him saying it because I was too excited, but I know at some point he said, “The Ottawa Senators select, with their first selection, Erik Karlsson, from Frolunda, Sweden.” Then I sort of just blacked out. Thankfully it’s on YouTube somewhere out there I’m sure. But I do remember how excited the building was to see him, and how nice he was to me. As a European player the draft can be extremely overwhelming. I didn’t know anyone and it was just a whirlwind, but Alfie made me feel comfortable right away.
That summer he invited me to his home in Sweden, and I got to meet his whole family. He treated me like one of his boys and they were all so kind to me. I was really happy to be a Senator for a lot of reasons. I’d heard so many great things about the city and team. But being able to hopefully play alongside Alfie one day … that would have been a dream for any Swedish player my age.
All the guys I played with back home knew who he was, of course. He was a hero! See, when I was growing up, we really didn’t follow the NHL too much. I know we played the video games on my SEGA. My friends and I did actually pick the Sens a lot because they were pretty good back then. But we followed hockey through our local teams and the Swedish national team.
Andre Ringuette/NHLI via Getty
And any Swede will remember 2006 and the Turin Olympics.
I was 15 years old, completely obsessed with hockey. My team and I watched every game. And the gold medal game was one of those nights — one of those moments, really — that just sticks with you. It meant so much to us. So much. Maybe more than I could really even understand at that age. To beat Finland, too, extra sweet. Alfie was a big part of that team, along with so many legends (Congratulations, Henrik and Daniel!) who inspired a whole generation of kids. We have a lot of great players these days, but people forget we’re a small country. What that team accomplished … it will be felt in Sweden for a long, long time.
A couple of years later, I was playing for Frolunda. Alfie had played there for a bit before heading to Ottawa. He meant a lot to that club, and you couldn’t find somebody who didn’t love to tell you their favorite goal or moment of his. He’d come around the facility in the off-season and treat everybody like they were family. I’ll never forget that.
Going into my rookie season in Ottawa, knowing the type of guy Alfie was made all the difference for me. I really mean that. If I’m being honest with you … I know I wouldn’t have become the player I am today without his help. I had a different style at the time than a lot of other NHL defensemen and it wasn’t everybody’s cup of tea. But Alfie knew me, he knew what I could do, what I wanted to do. And I don’t know exactly how he did it, but having him in my corner … he protected me, in a way. I was allowed to play my game. And I think that’s a huge part of why I found success quickly in Ottawa.
Off the ice … well, he became a great friend. He was the best man at my wedding in 2017. He and his family mean the world to my wife, Mel, and I.
I really do feel so lucky to know him. And to have played beside him? Pretty cool, if you ask me. I’ll cherish our time on the national team together in Sochi in 2014. That was a dream come true. His 1,000th game — so glad I got to be there for that.Seeing him score his 400th goal — what a moment. What can I say? I’m a big fan.
When I got the C in Ottawa, I knew what it meant because of everything I’d learned from him. His connection with the city became mine, and we both still call the city home. I’ll always love Ottawa, and that’s in part because of Alfie.
The day he retired as a Senator in 2014, the whole night was supposed to be about him. And rightfully so. But I remember getting to the rink and all his boys were wearing my jersey. Not their dad’s — mine. I had just become the captain a few months earlier, and I knew that Alfie meant it as a gesture to everyone. As if to say, My time is done, let’s get behind Erik and the team. Even up to his very last day as a Senator, he still had my back. That’s just who he is.
He’s “Uncle Alfie” to my kids, and when they get old enough to know him better, they’re going to realize that he’s a wonderful man. A great father, a great husband, a great human being. He treated everybody with respect. He knew right from wrong. He cared passionately about the game of hockey and the city of Ottawa. He still does.
It feels incredible to say that my best friend is going into the Hall of Fame.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe remain undefeated in women’s doubles at the WTA Finals.
The 2023 U.S. Open champions, seeded second at the event, secured a 1-6, 7-6 (1), (11-9) super-tiebreak win over fourth-seeded Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in round-robin play on Tuesday.
The season-ending tournament features the WTA Tour’s top eight women’s doubles teams.
Dabrowski and Routliffe lost the first set in 22 minutes but levelled the match by breaking Errani’s serve three times in the second, including at 6-5. They clinched victory with Routliffe saving a match point on her serve and Dabrowski ending Errani’s final serve-and-volley attempt.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will next face fifth-seeded Americans Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk on Thursday, where a win would secure a spot in the semifinals.
The final is scheduled for Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 5, 2024.
EDMONTON – Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his career as the New Jersey Devils closed out their Western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored for the Devils (8-5-2) who have won three of their last four on the heels on a four-game losing skid.
The Oilers (6-6-1) had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.
Calvin Pickard made 13 stops between the pipes for Edmonton.
TAKEAWAYS
Devils: In addition to his goal, Bratt picked up his 12th assist of the young season to give him nine points in his last eight games and now 15 points overall. Nico Hischier remains in the team lead, picking up an assist of his own to give him 16 points for the campaign. He has a point in all but four games this season.
Oilers: Forward Leon Draisaitl was held pointless after recording six points in his previous two games and nine points in his previous four. Draisaitl usually has strong showings against the Devils, coming into the contest with an eight-game point streak against New Jersey and 11 goals in 17 games.
KEY MOMENT
New Jersey took a 2-0 lead on the power play with 3:26 remaining in the second period as Hischier made a nice feed into the slot to Bratt, who wired his third of the season past Pickard.
KEY RETURN?
Oilers star forward and captain Connor McDavid took part in the optional morning skate for the Oilers, leading to hopes that he may be back sooner rather than later. McDavid has been expected to be out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury suffered during the first shift of last Monday’s loss in Columbus.
OILERS DEAL FOR D-MAN
The Oilers have acquired defenceman Ronnie Attard from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenceman Ben Gleason.
The 6-foot-3 Attard has spent the past three season in the Flyers organization seeing action in 29 career games. The 25-year-old right-shot defender and Western Michigan University grad was originally selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Attard will report to the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.
UP NEXT
Devils: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
Oilers: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt pounded into the end zone from two yards out in overtime to give the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs a 30-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.
DeAndre Hopkins had two touchdown receptions for the Chiefs (8-0), who drove through the rain for two fourth-quarter scores to take a 24-17 lead with 4:17 left. But then Kansas City watched as Baker Mayfield led the Bucs the other way in the final minute, hitting Ryan Miller in the end zone with 27 seconds to go in regulation time.
Tampa Bay (4-5) elected to kick the extra point and force overtime, rather than go for a two-point conversion and the win. And it cost the Buccaneers when Mayfield called tails and the coin flip was heads. Mahomes and the Chiefs took the ball, he was 5-for-5 passing on their drive in overtime, and Hunt finished his 106-yard rushing day with the deciding TD plunge.
Travis Kelce had 14 catches for 100 yards with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching from a suite, and Hopkins finished with eight catches for 86 yards as the Chiefs ran their winning streak to 14 dating to last season. They became the sixth Super Bowl champion to start 8-0 the following season.
Mayfield finished with 200 yards and two TDs passing for the Bucs, who have lost four of their last five.
It was a memorable first half for two players who had been waiting to play in Arrowhead Stadium.
The Bucs’ Rachaad White grew up about 10 minutes away in a tough part of Kansas City, but his family could never afford a ticket for him to see a game. He wound up on a circuitous path through Division II Nebraska-Kearney and a California junior college to Arizona State, where he eventually became of a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in the 2022 draft.
Two year later, White finally got into Arrowhead — and the end zone. He punctuated his seven-yard scoring run in the second quarter, which gave the Bucs a 7-3 lead, by nearly tossing the football into the second deck.
Then it was Hopkins’ turn in his first home game since arriving in Kansas City from a trade with the Titans.
The three-time All-Pro, who already had caught four passes, reeled in a third-down heave from Mahomes amid triple coverage for a 35-yard gain inside the Tampa Bay five-yard line. Three plays later, Mahomes found him in the back of the end zone, and Hopkins celebrated his first TD with the Chiefs with a dance from “Remember the Titans.”
Tampa Bay tried to seize control with consecutive scoring drives to start the second half. The first ended with a TD pass to Cade Otton, the latest tight end to shred the Chiefs, and Chase McLaughlin’s 47-yard field goal gave the Bucs a 17-10 lead.
The Chiefs answered in the fourth quarter. Mahomes marched them through the rain 70 yards for a tying touchdown pass, which he delivered to Samaje Perine while landing awkwardly and tweaking his left ankle, and then threw a laser to Hopkins on third-and-goal from the Buccaneers’ five-yard line to give Kansas City the lead.
Tampa Bay promptly went three-and-out, but its defence got the ball right back, and this time Mayfield calmly led his team down field. His capped the drive with a touchdown throw to Miller — his first career TD catch — with 27 seconds to go, and Tampa Bay elected to play for overtime.
UP NEXT
Buccaneers: Host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
