Alfredsson ‘had to move’ on from Senators to further coaching career

TORONTO — Daniel Alfredsson spent much of his playing career with the Ottawa Senators occupying the role of villain in rival Toronto, where he used to be known as “Krusty The Clown” of The Simpsons fame for his shaggy, out-of-control weave.

So imagine the level of hurt and dismay fans in the Canadian capital are harboring right now after the Hall of Fame forward opted to join the staff of Toronto Maple Leafs coach Jim Hiller, just a couple of weeks removed from being an assistant under Senators bench boss Travis Green for the past three seasons.

The common message coming out of Ottawa after the announcement Tuesday was clear, at least from the public. 

 Anywhere but Toronto.

“I totally understand it,” Alfredsson said during a Zoom call from Sweden on Wednesday. “There’s no question.”

So much so that he started his availability with reporters with a heartfelt message to Senators supporters, who wanted to know why such a move was made by the franchise’s all-time leading scorer with 1,108 points (426 goals, 682 assists) in 1,178 games from 1995-2013.

“Love you as always,” he told them. “Thank you. I understand this is an interesting day but also an exciting chapter for me as I expand my coaching career.”

According to Alfredsson, it’s all about pursuing new opportunities behind an NHL bench. 

To that end, the 53-year-old confirmed that he’d been interviewed earlier this summer by Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka and fellow Swedish Hall of Famer Mats Sundin, Toronto’s senior executive advisor of hockey operations, for the coaching job that eventually went to Hiller. When Alfredsson’s contract with the Senators expired at the end of June after he’d already informed Ottawa he wouldn’t return, the Maple Leafs circled back and offered him the job of associate coach under Hiller, which he accepted.

“I have to earn my way to get my experience …” he said.

“Would I have loved to stay, and then become the coach of Ottawa? Maybe. But no one stays as the coach forever in one spot no matter how popular you are. You’ve got to perform. And for me, to get better as a coach, this is the path I knew at some point I had to move.

“They don't hand out jobs easily in the NHL. It’s a tough job to get. When I had this opportunity, I felt it was the right one for my coaching career, without a question.”

When Hiller beat out Alfredsson and dozens of other candidates to replace the fired Craig Berube, Sundin discussed with him other roles within the organization. While the former Senators captain didn’t see it as a fit at that time, Hiller’s subsequent sales pitch to be part of his staff, including an elevated role from what he had in Ottawa, appealed to him.

“Once I had my interview with Jim, then I felt this could be a good step and great challenge for me,” said Alfredsson, whose duties will include improving Toronto’s power play.

The Sundin-Alfredsson connection is a fascinating one. 

The two were teammates with the 2006 Olympic gold medal-winning Team Sweden, generally considered the greatest moment in that country’s rich hockey history. They were also part of Sweden’s management team for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

It was a different story in the NHL, where Alfredsson’s Senators and Sundin’s Maple Leafs waged some epic battles. And, more often than not, it was the Ottawa forward who was in the middle of controversy during a five-season span from 2000-04 in which Toronto eliminated the Senators from the Stanley Cup Playoffs four times.

One of the most memorable incidents came during the 2002 Eastern Conference semifinals. Late in Game 5, with the series tied 2-2, Alfredsson flattened Toronto forward Darcy Tucker with a hit the Maple Leafs angrily claimed was from behind, then scored the game-winning goal just seconds later in an eventual 4-2 Ottawa win. The normally reserved Toronto crowd was livid and let Alfredsson know it.

Alfredsson said he and Tucker, now a team ambassador for the Maple Leafs, have not spoken recently but “we have talked post-career. And I think we recognize each other as both very competitive people.

“And you know, we respect each other.”

If that wasn’t enough to boil the blood of the locals, remember Stickgate? People here certainly do.

In January of 2004, then-Leafs captain Sundin, frustrated at constantly having sticks break on him, chucked the shaft of one of his busted twigs into the stands, earning a one-game suspension for his actions.

Sundin was forced to sit out the team’s next contest, which just happened to be against the hated Senators. And when Alfredsson faked tossing his own broken stick into the seats, the crowd, feeling the Ottawa forward was mocking Sundin, was furious.

Fortunately, time heals all wounds.

“Obviously I think it's great that Mat is involved (with the Maple Leafs) again,” Alfredsson said. “I think he has so much to bring. Leadership. Experience. And his enthusiasm was really obvious in the talks I've had with him. 

“You can tell he's really excited about this opportunity to try to do something really good.”

Much like Alfredsson will attempt to do to bring the best out of Maple Leafs star forward William Nylander, who he coached while on the Team Sweden staff at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in February 2024.

“I know his dad (Michael), played with him with the national team, and have been friends with him for a long time,” Alfredsson said.  “I’ve been following William for a long time as well.

“I think he has grown into a very good player. There's no question he has some unbelievable tools that are hard to teach. He takes his game very seriously and his training very seriously as well. I worked with him at 4 Nations for the first time and saw it firsthand as well. So I'm really excited to work with him — and, well, the whole team, to be honest — but you know he's a player that is very important to this team.”

In his audience with the media, Alfredsson made sure to thank the entire Senators organization, including Green, general manager Steve Staios, and especially owner Michael Andlauer, who said in a statement Tuesday that “the door will always be open” for Alfredsson to return.

Interestingly, about 30 minutes after Alfredsson’s virtual press conference concluded Wednesday, the Maple Leafs released their 2026 preseason schedule. Of note: a Sept. 23 date against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre, the arena where Alfredsson thrived for nearly two decades.

Now he’ll return there as a member of the despised Maple Leafs organization.

Just how much has friend turned into foe in Ottawa?  

We won’t have to wait long to find out.