Detroit Red Wings right wing Daniel Alfredsson waits near centre ice as he returns to Ottawa for the first time since being traded from the Ottawa Senators Sunday December 1, 2013 in Ottawa.ADRIAN WYLDE/The Canadian Press
It was almost like Daniel Alfredsson never left.
For a few minutes Sunday afternoon, Ottawa Senators fans forgot about any animosity toward their team's former captain after he left to sign with the Detroit Red Wings. During and after a pre-game video tribute, the crowd of 20,011 showered Alfredsson with "Alfie" chants accompanied by a standing ovation.
Alfredsson didn't know what to expect from his return to the place he called home for 17 seasons. Greeted with such a warm reception, he skated to centre ice at Canadian Tire Centre with his stick raised to salute the fans.
Of course this time was different. By the time Alfredsson buckled his chin strap and skated to his spot on right wing for his 596th career NHL game in Ottawa, the crowd moved on and past honouring him to chants of "Go, Sens, Go."
Like so many other games in this building, Alfredsson got on the score sheet. He had a secondary assist on Johan Franzen's opening goal and added an empty-netter as the Red Wings beat the Senators 4-2.
Drew Miller also scored for Detroit and Clarke MacArthur and Mika Zibanejad for Ottawa, but this day was all about Alfredsson.
As soon as Lyndon Slewidge finished up his rendition of "O, Canada," the Senators' video tribute to Alfredsson began on the video boards. Alfredsson stood in front of the visiting bench and looked up at the screen while the crowd rose to its feet to make a standing ovation the backdrop to the moment.
Among the highlights were Alfredsson's appearance as the unofficial host of Ottawa's 2012 NHL All-Star Game, his hit on Toronto Maple Leafs forward Darcy Tucker from the 2002 playoffs, and his overtime goal that sent the Senators to the 2007 Stanley Cup Final. He was shown receiving the Calder Trophy and the King Clancy Trophy and winning the gold medal with Sweden at the 2006 Olympics.
After the video opened with the words "Involved in the community," it was natural that his community work in Ottawa also got some attention. In total, the tribute lasted 67 seconds, but the chants of "Alfie" lasted long after.
They continued with 11 minutes left in the first period as some fans attempted to revive the old "Alfie" tradition. With Alfredsson wearing No. 11 on the visiting team, it didn't quite have the same roaring effect.
Alfredsson assisted on Franzen's seventh goal of the season in the second and earned some cheers when that was announced. The first boos directed toward Alfredsson came late in the period as he carried the puck into the offensive zone.
He was also booed when his empty-net goal was announced.
The 40-year-old's acrimonious exit set the stage for conflicting emotions.
Alfredsson made it clear in late June he was going to return for another season in the NHL. Contract talks with the Senators soured, leading him to sign a US$5.5-million, one-year deal with the Red Wings.
It was a decision Alfredsson called a "selfish" one at the time, citing what he believed was a better chance of winning the Stanley Cup in Detroit than the opportunity Ottawa presented.
Senators owner Eugene Melnyk said in an interview with TSN that there was "no ill will" toward Alfredsson from the organization's perspective.
"I don't think there was ever any anger," he told TSN via satellite from Barbados. "It was more just basically the shock value of what transpired, and that eventually fades away and you just move on. We have a hockey team that we're putting together that we want to be a contender.
"It happens in professional sports, in every sport, and you just move on."
Melnyk declined comment when asked if Alfredsson would be considered for a job with the Senators after his playing career was over, citing that he didn't want to violate league tampering rules. He expressed some openness to the idea of retiring Alfredsson's No. 11 someday.
"There's no question he's probably the most prominent person in the organization in modern-day Ottawa Senators (history)," Melnyk said. "It's not a gimme, but I can tell you what, if I was a betting man, I would bet on it."
That night would undoubtedly be a crowd-pleaser.
A sixth-round pick in the 1993 draft, Alfredsson spent 17 seasons with the Senators, including 14 as captain. He played 1,178 games with Ottawa, recording 426 goals and 682 points.
Because of what he meant to the Senators, Red Wings coach Mike Babcock welcomed the video tribute to Alfredsson.
"It's a great thing that's great for Alfie," Babcock said Sunday afternoon. "Anybody who's played almost 1,200 games in your organization, been your captain, should be treated in that way. It's a positive thing. It's a way for Alfie to say thanks to the fans and vice versa."
A few fans applauded Alfredsson as he stepped on to the ice for pre-game warm-ups. He said Saturday he wasn't anxious to see how the crowd would greet him.
In 595 home games at the building known as The Palladium, Corel Centre and Scotiabank Place, Alfredsson had 228 goals and 361 assists. It's now called Canadian Tire Centre, and Sunday was his first game there as a visitor.
Alfredsson walked into the building with former Senators teammate Erik Karlsson, but this time the friends parted ways to go to their respective locker rooms.
This wasn't Alfredsson's first game against his former team as the Senators visited Joe Louis Arena in Detroit on Oct. 23. Ottawa won 6-1 and again 4-2 in Detroit on Nov. 23, a game Alfredsson missed with injury.
Alfredsson was front and centre for this one.