Alfredsson 7 point night

overpass

Registered User
Jun 7, 2007
5,594
4,061
Ottawa, ON
That was peak Daniel Alfredsson. He shaved his head before the 2007 playoffs and suddenly looked like the best player in hockey at age 34-35.

14 goals in 20 playoff games in 2007. And after this 7 point game, he led the 2007-08 scoring race with 67 points in 47 games.


And yet the seeds were already sown for his decline. Just a week before this game, Alfredsson missed two and a half games with a hip injury. A week later, he missed four more games with the same nagging hip injury. He had a five point night when he returned to put him a tie for the league lead in scoring once again. And then he played only 21 of the last 26 games, scoring only 16 points.

The Ottawa Senators organization has never been the same.
 

VanIslander

20 years of All-Time Drafts on HfBoards
Sep 4, 2004
36,196
6,872
South Korea
1. A hard worker with skill.
2. A career 2/3 rd liner ideally.
3. In fact, a HHOFer for a lesser team.
4. A 4th-line winger in all-time competition.
5. An all-time worthy (A) alternate captain.
 
Last edited:

LuckyPierre

Registered User
Jul 1, 2010
2,043
716
That was peak Daniel Alfredsson. He shaved his head before the 2007 playoffs and suddenly looked like the best player in hockey at age 34-35.

14 goals in 20 playoff games in 2007. And after this 7 point game, he led the 2007-08 scoring race with 67 points in 47 games.


And yet the seeds were already sown for his decline. Just a week before this game, Alfredsson missed two and a half games with a hip injury. A week later, he missed four more games with the same nagging hip injury. He had a five point night when he returned to put him a tie for the league lead in scoring once again. And then he played only 21 of the last 26 games, scoring only 16 points.

The Ottawa Senators organization has never been the same.
This needs to be emphasized.

Alfredsson, following this 7 point outburst, was in the Art Ross lead heading into the 2008 All-Star break. He would be injured shortly thereafter, miss time, and fall back in the scoring race. But he was outpacing Crosby, Ovechkin, Thornton, his own Pizza Line-mates, etc when healthy.

It was at the tail end of a 2.5 year stretch beginning in 2005 where he was legitimately a contender for best player in the world, although many would dismiss that notion before hearing why. The 2005-06 season saw him put up 103 points, and lead team Sweden in goals and points when they won gold at the Olympics. The 06-07 season saw him lead Ottawa to a finals berth, and lead the playoffs in goals and points. And in 07-08, the outright Art Ross lead at the all star break, after which his hip injury got in the way.

And hey, in 03-04, he finished 7th in scoring (no Pizza Line), and in 02-03, he led Ottawa to a President's Trophy and within a game of the SCF. So really, an exceptional 5 year stretch of hockey, with a lockout right in the middle where Ottawa had as great of a chance as any to win the Stanley Cup (roster with Chara, Hasek, Hossa, etc).

This 7 point game to overtake the Art Ross lead deep into the season was definitely the exclamation point of his prime.
 

LuckyPierre

Registered User
Jul 1, 2010
2,043
716
1. A hard worker with skill.
2. A career 2/3 rd liner ideally.
3. A 4th line winger in all-time competition.
4. A HHOFer for a lesser team,
5. An all-time worthy (A) alternate captain.
No - he's a first line RW ideally, or at worst a 1A/1B, as with Hossa.

Think how they played RW on separate lines in the four DPE seasons between 2000-04:
  • 144g + 159a for 303p in 322g for 0.94ppg
  • 120g + 179a for 299p in 301g for 0.99ppg
First is Hossa, second is Alfie. There is no separation. That example doesn't even speak to Alfredsson's prime.
 
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tabness

be a playa 🇵🇸
Apr 4, 2014
2,993
5,357
I did a Yahoo online fantasy league for the 2007-2008 season. Was bummed when I was dealt the second to last pick in a group of nine. So I had the eight pick which was Vinny Lecavalier (honestly thought he wouldn't have been on the board when I picked him but I guess nobody in the group was expecting to replicate), and I was super happy.

With the 11 spot I picked Alfie who I was impressed with as the only Senator who looked good in the finals the last year, and amazingly I think one of either Spezza or Heatley was picked before him that league).

For the first half of the year I basically dominated that league on the back of Lecavalier, with Alfie giving an extra boost. Vinny was felled with injuries and really slowed down and let some others get close to me, but Alfie kept it going a bit longer, and with that seven point game I once again put some distance between myself and the others. Shame that he too would slow down afterwards. The dude who got Ovechkin would eventually win the pool at the end 😞

Never actually saw the game or even highlights so thanks for posting.
 

Yozhik v tumane

Registered User
Jan 2, 2019
2,045
2,190
1. A hard worker with skill.
2. A career 2/3 rd liner ideally.
3. In fact, a HHOFer for a lesser team.
4. A 4th-line winger in all-time competition.
5. An all-time worthy (A) alternate captain.

I never agreed with the Alfredsson = Sundin-claim that pops up among Sens fans at times, but this is very harsh and Alfie has grown on me in hindsight/since the lockout. He has a Smythe worthy run in a losing cause and remarkable longevity as a productive winger. I don’t know how many teams would have had prime Alfredsson on their third line. Some Habs powerhouses for sure.

I guess it would be interesting to hear where people would place Alfredsson on the early 90s Pens depth charts with Recchi/Tocchet, old Joe Mullen and Jaromir Jagr. I don’t think Alfie was worse than Glenn Anderson and should have enamored Messier more than Kent Nilsson did for the Oilers dynasty.
 

MadLuke

Registered User
Jan 18, 2011
10,901
6,371
Pizza line worked well enough to remove any doubt for Alfredsson being good enough to be on a good first line, third line ? He was playing 21-22 minutes a night, a bit over 23 in the playoff leading in points... what more you need to do to prove that...

That just trolling.

Before the lock-out, from 01-04 he was 4th in the whole nhl among right winger in points (4th in ppg int he 200 games or more), he was more than cleanly a top 30 winger...
 

buffalowing88

Registered User
Aug 11, 2008
4,586
2,015
Charlotte, NC
He scared me more than anyone else on those loaded Sens teams from 05-08. As a Sabres fan, I knew he'd inevitably find a way to hurt us every time we played in that era.

Not sure that I would called him the most uniquely skilled forward but he could do a little bit of everything, had a knack for the moment, and was underrated in terms of how big of a pest he could be/play with an edge.
 

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