Little did the Ottawa Senators know when they selected Alfredsson, a forward from Gothenburg, Sweden, in the sixth round (No. 133) of the 1994 NHL Draft that they'd be getting the best player in their history.

The Senators selected Alfredsson, who was playing for Frolunda of the Swedish Elite League, largely at the urging of player personnel director John Ferguson, who had been tipped off to him by a part-time European scout. Ferguson came to Sweden and was convinced Alfredsson could play in the NHL.

Alfredsson began proving Ferguson correct when he came to North America for the 1995-96 season and was voted winner of the Calder Trophy as the top rookie in the NHL after scoring 25 goals and finishing with 61 points. He scored 24 goals and improved to 71 points in 1996-97, helping Ottawa qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since entering the NHL in 1992.

The Senators named Alfredsson captain for the 1999-2000 season, and he had 59 points (21 goals, 38 assists) despite being limited to 57 games by injuries. He was able to play 68 games in 2000-01 and finished with 70 points (24 goals, 46 assists), beginning a streak of nine straight seasons with at least 70 points. In 2002-03, he had 78 points (27 goals, 51 assists) to help Ottawa win the Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's regular-season champion and advance to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final before losing to the New Jersey Devils.

Alfredsson's best season came in 2005-06, when he set NHL career highs in goals (43), assists (60) and points (103), and was chosen as an NHL Second-Team All-Star -- as well as helping Sweden win the gold medal at the 2006 Torino Olympics. He followed that with 87 points (29 goals, 58 assists) in 2006-07, then led all scorers with 14 goals in the playoffs, helping the Senators advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time. He excelled in the loss to the Anaheim Ducks, scoring four goals in five games.

The Senators didn't get that far again during Alfredsson's time in Ottawa, but he began to reach personal milestones. He played his 1,000th NHL game on April 6, 2010, scored into an empty net against the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 22, 2010, for his 1,000th point and reached the 400-goal mark when he scored in overtime against the Calgary Flames on Oct. 30, 2011. He was also captain of Team Alfredsson at the 2012 NHL All-Star Game in Ottawa.

Alfredsson's time in Ottawa came to an end when he signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings on July 5, 2013. He had 49 points (18 goals, 31 assists) and helped the Red Wings qualify for the playoffs. But back problems kept him from attending training camp before the 2014-15 season. He signed a one-day contract with the Senators on Dec. 4, 2014, one week after announcing his retirement, skated in warmups and took the ceremonial opening face-off before Ottawa's game against the New York Islanders.

In 18 NHL seasons, the first 17 with Ottawa, Alfredsson had 1,157 points (444 goals, 713 assists) in 1,246 games, as well as 100 points (51 goals, 49 assists) in 124 playoff games. His 426 goals, 682 assists and 1,108 points are Senators records. His No. 11 was retired on Dec. 29, 2016; he's the first modern-era player in Senators history to receive that honor.

NOTES & TRANSACTIONS

• NHL All-Rookie Team (1996)
• NHL Second All-Star Team (2006)
• Played in NHL All-Star Game (1996, 1997, 1998, 2004, 2008, 2012)
• Signed as a free agent by Frolunda (Sweden), November 10, 2004.
• Signed as a free agent by Detroit, July 5, 2013.
• Officially anounced his retirement, December 4, 2014.