Daniel Alfredsson (pronounced [ˈdɑ̂ːnɪɛl ˈâlfrɛdˌsɔn]; born 11 December 1972), nicknamed "Alfie", is a Swedish-Canadian former professional ice hockey player and associate coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He spent 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), primarily with the Senators. He also briefly played for the Detroit Red Wings before his retirement in 2014.
Alfredsson was captain of the Senators, serving from 1999 to 2013. With the Senators, Alfredsson usually played on the first line, which was formerly nicknamed the "CASH" or "Pizza" line with centre Jason Spezza and left winger Dany Heatley, before Heatley's trade to the San Jose Sharks. He had traditionally been the fourth forward on the ice in the role of pointman on Ottawa's power play unit. One of the league's top two-way players, he holds the Senators' franchise records for goals (426), assists (682) and points (1,108) with 1,178 games played. He had played for Sweden internationally 14 times, including the 2006 gold medal and 2014 silver medal-winning Olympic teams. He was the 75th player to reach 1,000 career points in the NHL, doing so after scoring three goals in a win over the Buffalo Sabres on 22 October 2010.
Alfredsson holds an Honorary Degree from Carleton University and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2022. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2018.
Drafted 133rd overall in the sixth round of the 1994 NHL entry draft, Alfredsson was a serendipitous pick by the Ottawa Senators. He had been overlooked by many NHL scouts, but one man in Ottawa's front office, John Ferguson, saw the potential and pushed management for his selection. Though largely unheralded entering his first NHL training camp, he would go on to win the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year in his first NHL season in 1995–96 and was the Senators' representative at the 1996 NHL All-Star Game. In 1996–97, he improved on his rookie totals and played in the All-Star Game again. He finished second in team scoring, contributing to the Senators' first modern qualification to the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Alfredsson missed the beginning of the 1997–98 season due to a contract dispute. On 24 August 1997, he demanded a trade from the Senators after the five-year contract offered to him was worth $1 million less annually than that teammate Alexei Yashin received per season. Alfredsson eventually signed a new contract on 12 October worth $14 million over four years. After missing the first five games of the season, he was greeted by a standing ovation in his first game back in Ottawa. Alfredsson would later be named the Senators' representative at the All-Star Game for the third consecutive season. During that season, Alfredsson would play in only 55 games, due to the earlier contract dispute and a late season ankle injury. The Senators qualified for the playoffs again and defeated the New Jersey Devils, but lost to the surging Washington Capitals in the second round; Alfredsson scored 7 goals in 11 playoff games.
In the 1998–99 season, Alfredsson missed 24 games due to an injury and was limited to only 11 goals. The club once again qualified for the playoffs, and Alfredsson hoped to have a good post-season, but was limited to one goal and three points in a sweep at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres. The next season, he was named captain of the Senators after Alexei Yashin was stripped of the captaincy for refusing to honour his contract. After two somewhat disappointing seasons, Alfredsson's scoring totals improved, with 21 goals and 59 points in 57 games. In the 2000 playoffs, the Senators met the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. The Senators would lose the inaugural "Battle of Ontario", although Alfredsson contributed three goals in the six-game series.
In 2000–01, Alexei Yashin returned to the Ottawa lineup but the team captaincy remained with Alfredsson, who would score 24 goals and 70 points in 68 games. The Senators again met the Maple Leafs in the first round of the 2001 playoffs, and Alfredsson was limited to one goal in a four-game series sweep by Toronto. In 2001–02, Alfredsson set a personal best with 37 goals and 71 points in 78 games. In the 2002 playoffs, the Senators once again met the now arch-rival Maple Leafs in the second round, where they lost in seven games. Alfredsson led the team in playoff scoring with 7 goals and 13 points in 12 games.
Alfredsson signed a new two-year contract prior to the 2002–03 season. He increased his scoring totals, finishing with 27 goals and 78 points. The club won the Presidents' Trophy that season as the NHL's top regular season team, despite the organization filing for bankruptcy protection, and qualified for the Eastern Conference Finals before losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils. Alfredsson scored 4 goals and 8 points in 18 games.
In 2003–04, Alfredsson finished the season with 32 goals and 80 points in 78 games. The club lost in the first round of the 2004 playoffs to Toronto, and Alfredsson was limited to one goal and three points in the seven-game series. Mid-season, Alfredsson signed a new five-year contract with the Senators.
Like many NHL players, Alfredsson played for a European team during the 2004–05 NHL lockout. He returned to Sweden to play for Frölunda HC, the team he had played for prior to beginning his NHL career. He played on an all-NHL line with P. J. Axelsson and Samuel Påhlsson, helping the club win the Swedish championship. Alfredsson was a major contributor during the playoffs, scoring 12 goals and 18 points in 13 games.
On 5 October 2005, the opening night of the 2005–06 NHL season, the Senators played the Maple Leafs, with the newly acquired Dany Heatley playing on the top line with Jason Spezza and Brandon Bochenski. The Senators were down by a goal with five minutes remaining in the third period, when Alfredsson, replacing Bochenski on the top line, scored the tying goal. This line combination would remain intact and became known as the "CASH line". Later in the same game, Heatley and Alfredsson scored the first goals in a regular season NHL shootout when they scored against Maple Leafs goaltender Ed Belfour for a 3–2 victory. With Alfredsson scoring in the shootout, he became the first captain in the NHL history to do so. Alfredsson and Heatley's sticks were subsequently sent to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Alfredsson capped off the 2005–06 regular season with a career-high 103 points (43 goals and 60 assists) tied for first on the Senators alongside Heatley. Perhaps the best game of his NHL career took place on 3 November 2005 against the longtime rival Buffalo Sabres, in which he scored a then career-high four goals and six points. After a disappointing 2006 playoffs, Alfredsson became the subject of trade rumours from the beginning of the 2006–07 season.
Because of his poor play to start the 2006–07 season, Alfredsson considered retirement in November 2006. However, after switching to using teammate Chris Kelly's used skates, his performance improved, scoring in the next four games, and ending the season with 29 goals and 58 assists. Alfredsson, notably picky about his skates, would continue to use Kelly's freshly broken-in skates until the latter was traded to the Boston Bruins in 2011.
On 23 December 2006, against the Philadelphia Flyers, Alfredsson scored his 600th career point, scoring two goals and adding an assist. In the 2007 playoffs, Alfredsson was the Senators' leading scorer with 14 goals and 22 points in 20 games. His leadership and strong play helped the Senators as they advanced past the Pittsburgh Penguins, the New Jersey Devils and the Buffalo Sabres, to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in modern franchise history. He became the first European-born-and-raised captain to lead his team to the Stanley Cup finals. When presented with the Prince of Wales Trophy, he touched the trophy while posing with it, which many hockey players consider a form of bad luck.