Alfie's Time to Shine

The 2012 NHL All Star was held in Ottawa this past weekend, an honor for the city itself, and one of it's favorite sons was front and center. Senator's captain Daniel Alfredsson was voted in by fans as a starter and selected by his peers to be a captain (seriously, who else could they have picked?) along with former Sen Zedeno Chara (one of three former Sens in the game). After all he's done for the fans and people of this community they were able to show their gratitude and honored him by voting him into the game. And in typical Alfie fashion, he didn't disappoint with a pair of goals and an assist. From the Calder trophy as rookie of the year in 1996 to a 2007 Eastern Conference Championship, (where of course he scored the winner) to being the longest serving captain in the league, Alfredsson has done it all with class and loyalty to the only franchise he's ever known. This has elevated him to near God like status in Ottawa, (seriously, there's a church of Alife should you find your own faith waning) and this was a showcase like no other. Not many players get the chance to experience the joy of being an all star in their own building and having their name chanted by tens of thousands, so for Alfredsson to have an opportunity like this in the twilight of his stellar career is certainly something he'll never forget. As he said himself 'he was very humbled' and that maybe the most telling of all. This is a man who has not been flashy or brash but a true professional, going about the game and his life the right way. He made sure to look out for his friends too, like all good leaders, and drafted all three of the Sens other all stars as well as all the Swedish born players. If nothing else this assured the fans would certainly have no trouble picking sides, except perhaps those of Leafs nation. The city did a tremendous job of putting on the event with lots for fans to see and do all weekend, and turned out in force throughout to cheer on their favorite players lead of course by their captain. The game itself is never what one would describe as an epic, even slow by pond hockey standards, but nonetheless gives fans an opportunity to see the amazing level of skill these players have and provides the players themselves with the opportunity to interact with friends and fans alike in a much more relaxed setting. The event was a true success and even though his team lost, there was no way on this day Daniel Alfressdon could be a loser.