DANIEL ALFREDSSON- HEART AND SOUL OF THE OTTAWA SENATORS

Here's a little test for all you amateur general managers. You have just selected a right winger with the 133rd pick in the sixth round of the NHL entry draft. What are the chances that he will make the team? Slim and none? And what's the likelihood of him becoming a star? About the same as pigs flying, right?

Wrong. Daniel Alfredsson of the Ottawa Senators was one such late round pick. He came from Sweden in 1995 in relative obscurity to not only make the team, but to win the Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL rookie of the year. But was he just a flash in the pan, destined to be one of those "one year wonders"? Wrong again. He made the NHL all star team in each of his first three years, and in 1999-2000 he was named captain of the Senators. Alfredsson has been with the Senators every year that the team has made the playoffs. A coincidence? I think not. During his 15 year tenure with the Sens, he has become the team's all-time leader in regular season games played (972), goals (368), assists (590) and points scored (958); he holds the Senators record for highest +/- rating in a season, set in 2006–07 with +42 and he holds the Senators playoff records for most games played and the most goals, assists and points scored.

But statistics tell only part of the story. Any Senators fan or knowledgeable hockey enthusiast will tell you that as goes Alfredsson, so go the Senators. Time after time he has carried the team on his shoulders. During his occasional absences due to injury, the team has often struggled; upon his return, the team has experienced an almost immediate revival- the current four game winning streak is indicative of this phenomenon. He was the Sens best player during their run to the finals in 2007, leaving everything on the ice after every shift. He is a leader both on and off the ice. When the team is going well, he quietly sits back and lets his teammates take front and centre. When the team is struggling, he calmly talks to the media and willingly takes more than his share of the heat. He neither shies away from controversy, nor does he create it. The fact that he is vociferously booed by arch-rival Toronto Maple Leaf fans every time he touches the puck (for reasons only they seem to know), is his "Red Badge of Courage" and is a reflection of his tremendous skill and importance to the team. He, his wife Birgitta and their three sons have been embraced by the people of Ottawa and they are active in the community and support many local charities.

Without "Alfie", as he is affectionately known in Ottawa, the Senators would not have been the quality team they were during the past 15 years. At 37 years of age, he is still playing well and has not lost his trademark speed and skating skills, his amazing puck handling ability and accurate slapshot and his anticipation and ability to "read" the play. Alfredsson has been and still is the finest player that has ever played for the Senators. In fact, the latest edition of The Hockey News names Alfredsson as the NHL's second best right winger of the past decade (behind only Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames).

Sens fans hope that he can continue to play for several more years, but when that inevitable day arrives when he decides to hang up his skates, it will almost certainly be as an Ottawa Senator (he is now under contract until 2012). And his sweater and number should be raised high in the rafters of Scotiabank Place, in the place of honour he so richly deserves. And the Hockey Hall of Fame will surely consider the noteworthy career of this wonderful player.