OTTAWA—It was a weekend Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson won’t soon forget.
While Team Chara won the NHL All-Star Game 12–9 with three goals and an assist from MVP Marian Gaborik, Alfredsson’s career was celebrated, as he was the focal point of the game.
Fans were chanting “Alfie, Alfie” at the end of the game and their hero acknowledged their support.
“You guys made this whole ride fun for me. It’s been an unbelievable career for me,” Alfredsson said in an on-ice interview with CBC.
The All-Star game capped off the NHL’s All-Star festivities after a skills competition Saturday, media day Friday, and player draft last Thursday.
As Team Chara pulled ahead by three goals in the third period, Team Alfredsson tried desperately to set up their captain for his third goal. But Boston goalie Tim Thomas stood strong in the Team Chara goal and slammed the door shut.
“He played well, he was the one who robbed me of my third one,” said an emotional Alfredsson after the game in the CBC on-ice interview.
A Blast for Every One
The NHL All-Star game is all about having fun—for the fans, players, and coaches.
Scott Hartnell and Joffrey Lupul were mic'd up during the game, providing play-by-play on CBC and sharing their commentary with the viewing audience.
“We’re having a blast,” said Lupul, who played mostly with teammate Phil Kessel and Boston’s Tyler Seguin.
“We’re having a lot of fun,” said Hartnell, who started on a line with the Sedin twins. He also showed a bit of his rough-and-tumble side in the second period.
“Tried to put the puck and goalie [Carey Price] in the net,” he said after he tried creating a little goal-mouth scrum.
But the biggest cheers were for Alfredsson, who tied the score at 5–5 with a near end-to-end rush goal past Price. Alfredsson then completed a tic-tac-toe play with his countrymen, the Sedins.
To categorize the two All-Star teams—Team Alfredsson featured all the Ottawa Senators players and Swedish players, while Team Chara featured all the Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins players, and Slovak players.
