Good or bad, modest Alfredsson always facing critics
OTTAWA -- For Daniel Alfredsson, being criticized has always come with the territory.
After all he is the captain and elder statesman of the Ottawa Senators, a team that has perennially underachieved in the playoffs because of a perceived lack of leadership. So naturally Alfredsson has found himself the lightning rod for criticism and blame.
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| Daniel Alfredsson has hit three game winners in these playoffs. (Getty Images) |
Yet, 'What's the matter Alfie?' has been a question he has never refused to stand up and deal with, even after he was victimized on the goal that eliminated the Senators, winners of the Presidents' Trophy, in the second round last spring. Alfredsson took lots of heat then, and after a summer of significant roster changes, he felt it even more because the Senators opened this season with just seven wins in their first 19 games.
Things became so bad, there were several calls to strip him of the team captaincy and even to trade him, but through it all, Alfredsson never complained. And these days, as the Senators find themselves within one win of their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance, no one else is either.
In fact, Alfredsson has become the toast of Canada's capital city, with fans adoringly chanting his name during the games and media members touting him as a potential playoff MVP.
"He's been on a mission the way he's elevated his game and we're all just following him," teammate Mike Fisher said. "He's always been a hard worker, but now he just has that confidence about him that no one is going to stop him."
Not many people have this postseason. Alfredsson leads the playoffs with nine goals, including six in his last seven games, and three have been game winners. His 15 points rank second behind linemates Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley, who are tied. The trio, with Alfredsson acting as the trigger, has been a nearly unstoppable force in the postseason and the primary reason the Senators are on the verge of sweeping the regular-season champion Buffalo Sabres.
"I felt confident going into the playoffs," Alfredsson said. "I didn't feel I had to prove anything, just to go and play hard and good things were going to happen. Even though our line has been doing most of the scoring, I think the whole team has played really well."
While modesty may prevent Alfredsson from taking the credit for that, his coach Bryan Murray doesn't hesitate to insist that the captain has set the tone for Ottawa's success.
"He's just a totally committed athlete that has a better group surrounding him -- not talent wise but effort wise -- and I think he's leading the way through hard work and determination," Murray said. "And definitely the experience he's gone through here, the adversity that he faced even early this year, is helping him at this point in time."
The adversity Murray referred to lasted until Christmas time as the Senators struggled to adapt to the defensive mindset Murray was trying to instill in them. Traditionally a high-powered run-and-gun team, Ottawa had to modify its playing style because of the personnel moves made last summer, and for the first half of the season, the challenges of doing so were apparent.
Alfredsson, who missed five games with a hip injury in December and was taken off the No. 1 line at times, found it as tough as anyone. He had only 10 goals before the new year, but he bought in to the philosophy and everyone else seemed to fall in line.
"He's been the example all along," Murray said. "He was the most important and best player a lot of nights because I moved him around more than anybody. When I needed a checking line, a lot of nights I put him with (Chris) Kelly or (Antoine) Vermette or I put him with Fisher for a while. Now, getting him to play with two skill guy has really kind of lit the fire for them as well."
One that obviously burns deep inside Alfredsson these days. The captain says a change of skates at Christmas has made him more comfortable on the ice, which seems obvious since his scored 19 of his 29 regular-season goals in the last three months and finished with a plus-42 rating, second best in the league.
"The second half was good for my confidence," Alfredsson conceded. "Changing skates was a big thing for me because I feel I have better balance and can handle the puck better as well. I think I'm a better player."
And one who is doing a lot more than scoring to help his team win. Take Ottawa's Game 3 victory over the Sabres for example. Alfredsson happened to score the game's only goal, but he made just as big a play by thwarting Buffalo's Derek Roy wraparound attempt when Senators goalie Ray Emery was caught out of position.
"He's always played with a lot of energy and passion, but now it seems like he's taken it upon himself," Senators defenseman Chris Phillips said. "For whatever reason this year, whenever he stepped on the ice he's making a difference."
