Daniel Alfredson Talks About Taking on Ottawa for First Time Since Coming to Detroit
By: Jeff Riger
@riger1984
When long time Senator Captain Daniel Alfredson chose Detroit in the offseason, I was stunned.
Sure there obviously were issues in Ottawa that forced him to leave after 17 seasons with the Senators, but still, it was surprising considering everybody close to the situation thought Alfredson was staying put. On Wednesday night, Alfredson takes on his old team for the first time at Joe Louis Arena.
So how does the 40 year old feel about taking on his old mates?
"I think it will be a relief when the puck drops, there will be a lot of emotion going into the game tomorrow afternoon, but it's a bit exciting too" Alfredson said.
Despite the emotions and tension of Wednesday night, Alfredson realizes that this is just the appetizer for what truly will be a bizarre experience come the first time Detroit travels to Ottawa on December 1st. "Well that's going to be more emotional" Alfredson said. "The way the schedule works out, maybe it is a good thing (that he gets to play Ottawa first in Detroit) you're going to have to deal with it; it's not something that I want to hide from. Just two good teams going at it and I hope we can pull out a win."
As for the decision to come to Detroit...
"It was a very tough decision" Alfredson said. "The way I looked at it at the time and still do, is that it's a huge challenge for myself personally both on and off the ice. It's a big challenge for our family and I think I will look back at this down the road as something that was a stepping stone for me in my life."
