Daniel Alfredsson understands why Ottawa Senators fans might feel blindsided by his move to a bitter cross-province rival.
But the Senators legend — whose number 11 hangs from the Canadian Tire Centre rafters — believes joining the Toronto Maple Leafs is a necessary step in his coaching career.
Alfredsson was hired as an associate coach on Jim Hiller’s staff in a stunning turn Tuesday, leaving Ottawa for Toronto after his contract as a Senators assistant coach expired June 30.
“To the Ottawa fans, love you as always,” Alfredsson, captain for 13 seasons in the nation’s capital, said Wednesday on a video call from Sweden.
“I understand this is an interesting day, but also an exciting chapter for me as I expand my coaching career.”
Alfredsson spent the last three years as an assistant coach in Ottawa but said he had decided he wouldn’t be back on Travis Green’s bench next season.
The 53-year-old from Gothenburg, Sweden, added that he knew a change was needed to move his career along.
“In my dreams, would I have loved to stay and then become the head coach of Ottawa? Maybe,” he said.
“But nobody stays as a coach forever in one spot, no matter how popular you are. You’ve got to perform, and for me to get better as a coach, this is the path. I knew at some point I had to move.
“They don’t hand out jobs easily in the NHL. It’s a tough job to get, and when I had this opportunity, I felt it was the right one for my coaching career without a question.”
The Hall of Fame winger was a prominent figure in the Battle of Ontario between the Maple Leafs and Senators, which included four playoff showdowns between 2000 and 2004 against former Toronto captain and current hockey operations adviser Mats Sundin.
The two Swedes won Olympic gold together in 2006.
Alfredsson said he first interviewed with Sundin and Toronto general manager John Chayka for Toronto’s head coaching job. After they gave it to Hiller, the Leafs brass returned with an offer to join his staff.
“I felt that this could be a good step and a great challenge for me,” Alfredsson said.
Alfredsson captained Ottawa to a Stanley Cup final berth in 2007 and finished with 1,108 points in 1,178 games for the Senators before spending his 18th and final NHL campaign with the Detroit Red Wings in 2013-14.
As a coach, Alfredsson oversaw the NHL’s eighth-best power play last season (24 per cent), although Ottawa managed just one goal on 24 opportunities in a first-round sweep by the Carolina Hurricanes.
He’ll now be tasked with turning around a Leafs unit that finished 15th in the league despite boasting loads of talent, including fellow Swede William Nylander.
“There’s no question, he has some unbelievable tools that are hard to teach,” said Alfredsson, who played with Nylander’s dad Michael on Sweden’s national team.
“I worked with him at [the 4 Nations Face-off tournament] for the first time and saw it firsthand as well, so I’m really honoured. He is a player that is very important to the team.”
