ALFREDSSON ENJOYING THE HOME LIFE
Former Senators captain says he misses hockey but loves spending time with family
Daniel Alfredsson took a break from his life away from the NHL to join the celebration of the game taking place in Sweden this week.
While the former Ottawa Senators captain walked away from his role as a senior adviser to hockey operations on July 1, Alfredsson arrived in Stockholm Wednesday with his wife Bibbi Backman and went immediately to the Ericsson Globe to attend a news conference with former Avalanche great Peter Forsberg.
Both are playing the role of ambassadors this week as the Senators take on the Avalanche Friday and Saturday in a twogame regular season series.
Alfredsson has kept himself busy this winter by moving into a new home in Ottawa and he’s also been involved with youth hockey. He’s enjoying his time away from the game, but hasn’t ruled out returning one day if the right offer came along.
For now, though, he wants to be a stay-at-home father because of the commitment involved in the day-to-day routine of being involved with a team.
“Four kids in hockey takes up most of the time,” Alfredsson said. “It’s been nice to settle down for the foreseeable future. We’re very happy and I’m happy to spend some more time at home, especially with the kids.”
Alfredsson admitted he missed being around the team. When he left, Alfredsson wanted a break from hockey and the day-to-day work involved with being part of a team. The demands on people’s timetables are heavy and he wanted to step back for a while.
“Of course you do (miss it), there’s no question,” he said. “I had a great time in the two years I was there. If you want to keep climbing in that job, you’ve got to put in more time. You can’t go in there and think, ‘I played hockey for 18 years in the NHL, a few Olympics and I know this.’ That’s not the way it works.
“If you want to do this, you have to put everything you have into it. If you go in and do a half-job and think it’s very easy, you’re not going to be very happy.”
He hasn’t ruled out returning to a team down the road.
“I’d really like to be an owner,” Alfredsson joked. “Who knows? I answered the same question in Swedish earlier and I think if the family situation allows it, the timing is right for everybody and somebody would like me to be part of something, there’s no question I would look at it.
“I miss it at times, but at the same time I really enjoy the time with the family.”
Part of Alfredsson’s job when he was with the Senators was helping general manager Pierre Dorion do homework on trades. He was happy to see the club get Matt Duchene from the Avalanche because Alfredsson knew how much work had gone into that transaction.
“I really liked Kyle (Turris) as a player and a person, so it’s really hard to see him go, but at the same time it’s an exciting player in Duchene coming in,” said Alfredsson. “It will be fun to follow what he can do in Ottawa.
“I did some research probably (18 months) ago and I called some friends in Sweden from when he was there playing and some guys he’s played with before. All I was told was that he takes hockey very seriously, he loves the game, he works really hard and looks after himself as well and takes his job seriously.
“Hopefully, it’s a trade that works out for everybody.”
Being back in Stockholm has brought back memories of the Senators’ trip here in 2008, when Alfredsson was the captain and the club took on the Pittsburgh Penguins to open the season. He also got a chance to play in his hometown of Gothenburg and the club faced Frolunda in an exhibition game.
“That was an unbelievable experience and I never thought I would be able to do something like that,” Alfredsson said. “Coming to Stockholm was pretty hectic, but it was pretty fun. It was an unbelievable experience that ranks very high through my hockey career.
“I didn’t play great in the two games. We won one and lost one in OT, but it was a great experience overall.”