OTTAWA—It was a weekend Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson won’t soon forget.
While Team Chara won the NHL All-Star Game 12–9 with three goals and an assist from MVP Marian Gaborik, Alfredsson’s career was celebrated, as he was the focal point of the game.
Fans were chanting “Alfie, Alfie” at the end of the game and their hero acknowledged their support.
“You guys made this whole ride fun for me. It’s been an unbelievable career for me,” Alfredsson said in an on-ice interview with CBC.
The All-Star game capped off the NHL’s All-Star festivities after a skills competition Saturday, media day Friday, and player draft last Thursday.
As Team Chara pulled ahead by three goals in the third period, Team Alfredsson tried desperately to set up their captain for his third goal. But Boston goalie Tim Thomas stood strong in the Team Chara goal and slammed the door shut.
“He played well, he was the one who robbed me of my third one,” said an emotional Alfredsson after the game in the CBC on-ice interview.
A Blast for Every One
The NHL All-Star game is all about having fun—for the fans, players, and coaches.
Scott Hartnell and Joffrey Lupul were mic'd up during the game, providing play-by-play on CBC and sharing their commentary with the viewing audience.
“We’re having a blast,” said Lupul, who played mostly with teammate Phil Kessel and Boston’s Tyler Seguin.
“We’re having a lot of fun,” said Hartnell, who started on a line with the Sedin twins. He also showed a bit of his rough-and-tumble side in the second period.
“Tried to put the puck and goalie [Carey Price] in the net,” he said after he tried creating a little goal-mouth scrum.
But the biggest cheers were for Alfredsson, who tied the score at 5–5 with a near end-to-end rush goal past Price. Alfredsson then completed a tic-tac-toe play with his countrymen, the Sedins.
To categorize the two All-Star teams—Team Alfredsson featured all the Ottawa Senators players and Swedish players, while Team Chara featured all the Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins players, and Slovak players.
So there certainly could have been an underlying rivalry between the Senators and Leafs, who are battling each other for a playoff birth in the Eastern Conference. But all the serious business was put on ice—so to speak—during the All-Star game.
Skills Competition
Perhaps the most anticipated event of the All-Star celebration in Canada’s capital was the skills competition since fans know the players do give it their all—at times.
For the viewers of CBC, they could hear the commentary of Carey Price, who said it’s “all for the fans.” This added to the enjoyment of viewers and the relaxed attitude of the players.
The fastest skater competition came down to two rookies—Ottawa’s Colin Greening and Carl Hagelin from the New York Rangers. Hagelin won it in a time of 13.218 seconds.
Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks with his Clark Kent impersonation, donning a cape and eyeglasses, won the breakaway challenge. Kane was the favorite for this event given the noticeable absence of Alex Ovechkin. Honorable mention should go to goalies Carey Price for turning his back to the shooter and still making the save.
Jamie Benn, 22, of the Dallas Stars proved to be quite the sniper. He won the accuracy shooting competition over another youngster—Matt Read, 25, of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Benn, who was chosen second-last in Thursday’s player draft, was extremely efficient in the skills challenge relay. He was able to score from the extremely tight angle better than anybody else.
Easily the most anticipated event was the hardest shot challenge. Chara and Nashville’s Shea Weber are the heavyweights in this event but Alfredsson managed to raise some eyebrows with two shots over 101 mph.
Chara’s record of 105.9 mph set last year was shattered three times by the NHL’s tallest player. His first shot came in at 106.2 mph and his last shot came in at 107 mph. He set a new record with his second shot at 108.8 mph.
The NHL’s leading goal scorer, Steven Stamkos, won the elimination shootout event and a measure of redemption for his woeful performance in the accuracy shooting competition.
In the end Team Alfredsson beat Team Chara 21–12. “It’s been great,” said Alfredsson in an interview with the CBC. “To share this with our fans, it’s pretty special.”
Alfredsson described the event as “unreal at times” and said that he’s “been very fortunate to have the career I’ve had.”
Follow Rahul on Twitter @RV_ETSports
