OTTAWA — Admit it. If you’re a fan of the Ottawa Senators, you’ve engaged in this fantasy.
Franchise icon Daniel Alfredsson returns to the team in an off-ice capacity and is part of a championship run that brings him the ring he missed out on as a player.
Who can’t picture the Stanley Cup parade astride the Rideau Canal?
Ah, springtime. It is for dreamers.
Back to reality. For three months, Alfredsson, 51, has been behind the bench as an assistant to interim head coach Jacques Martin. Yesterday, Alfredsson filled in for Martin at the morning skate coaching availability, which provided an opportunity to suss out Alfie on his coaching aspirations.
Would he be interested in being the next head coach of the Senators?
“To be honest, I haven’t even thought about it,” Alfredsson said. “It’s been a very good and steep learning curve for myself, coming to the coaching side of things. I haven’t looked that far ahead.
“I’m learning every day. I’m lucky to be around two coaches who have been head coaches for a long time in Jack (Capuano) and Jacques. Ben (Sexton) and Justin (Peters), as well, have been great with me helping me out with a lot of stuff.”
OK, so not much there to mine as far as an expression of interest, right? Except that Alfredsson went on to admit he has caught a bit of the “coaching bug,” as one reporter put it, dropping a hint that this could be more than just a one-off as far as a career behind the bench.
“It has intrigued me, probably more than I thought,” Alfredsson said. “But at the same time, I don’t know where I’ll go after this year.”
Just as intriguing — the reaction by Senators fans when I posted a tweet about Alfredsson catching the coaching bug. Fans are very protective of Alfie, and their first thoughts were that they couldn’t bear the thought of the inevitable with Alfredsson as head coach — that coaches ultimately get fired. Even franchise icons. Not to mention, this roster has not been kind to its coaches. Or their blood pressure.
Alfie’s legacy is practically cast in bronze. Why risk tarnishing the face of the franchise?
Others expressed the obvious point about Alfredsson’s lack of coaching experience. Ottawa has had a recent history of first-time head coaches and fans anticipate breaking that pattern with the next hire.
They’re also happy basking in the daily presence of No. 11 at the rink in his current role as an assistant coach. It is among the most conspicuous of many signs that the alumni Cold War Era of Eugene Melnyk is over.
In the past year and a half, Alfredsson has been voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, joined the Senators coaching staff in an informal way, by helping out at practices, and then took on a role behind the bench after D.J. Smith was fired as head coach.
Never one to bluff or sugar coat — this was the man who said, “probably not,” when asked about a series comeback against Pittsburgh, when down 3-1 in games — Alfredsson has all but admitted he’s not ready to be a head coach yet.
Steep learning curve, he said.
Not surprisingly, Alfie said he has a new appreciation for how hard coaches work, the hours involved, how much thought goes into a simple thing like setting up a video meeting with players. Individual players absorb these sessions differently. Some need to be shown things on a loop, others grasp it more quickly. Game day presentations should be precise. Point out mistakes but keep it positive.
Like the players, coaches get frustrated with losing. Yet, they can’t get down for long. Tomorrow is another day. If they’re not motivated, how can they expect players to be?
“They’ve been great role models and I’ve learned a ton these last few months,” Alfredsson said.
So, if not Alfredsson, who might be the ideal candidate to lead this young team into the next phase — the contention era?
He needs to be a winner, Alfredsson said, admitting that is more or less a given.
“There’s different ways to go with coaching … I can’t say there’s one person that would fit perfectly,” Alfredsson said.
General manager Steve Staios has already said he has worked up a candidates list and will update as more coaches become available after the season. Certain traits will be important, Alfredsson said.
“I think the biggest thing for any good team is structure,” Alfredsson said. “You’ve got to be good defensively. But in today’s game, you’ve got to be able to score as well. There’s different ways to do it, if you look at the different top teams I don’t think there’s only one way.
“But I think you’ve got to have a mix. And obviously, a guy that can communicate with the players.”
After working with one of the league’s youngest teams, Alfredsson has his finger on the pulse of this club. The heartbeat is a bit erratic at the moment.
“Obviously right now I think their confidence is not where it can be, for sure,” Alfredsson said. “We’ve played some decent hockey, especially the last two games (prior to Thursday’s 5-2 loss to St. Louis), for two periods and then the third period — it’s been killing us.
Thursday’s formula was slightly different, though also familiar. Fall behind early, unable to beat a hot goalie, and then fall short of a comeback.
“I think the biggest thing for us is being on the right side of the puck,” Alfredsson said. “We’ve been giving away too many easy goals, easy chances, at crucial times in games. So, if we can clean that up we’ll be way better off.”
I asked Alfredsson if the visible frustration shown by players in recent games is a natural outcome of the losing record, or more a sign that this team needs to mature.
“I think it’s both,” he said, “because there have been so many ebbs and flows with our play. We’ve been having stretches where we play really well and when you’re winning, you’re not getting frustrated much. And then we have dips — we’ve had some really low dips as well. That’s when you can see the frustration.
“As a pro, you’ve got to be able to handle all situations but I understand (their viewpoint), too. It’s tough. Expectations of where we thought we would be and where we are … that’s where frustration comes in sometimes.”
Among the most frustrated has to be centre Tim Stützle, who wears his heart on his sleeve. If he is annoyed, the world knows it.
“It’s tough,” Alfredsson said. “He hasn’t scored as much. How many goals did he have last year, 39? He hasn’t scored at that pace this year. And you start questioning yourself and your confidence. Your abilities. I think the biggest thing for anybody in that position is — you better put the work in. And he’s doing that. I think he’s working really hard.”
Alfredsson understands better than most how it feels to be frustrated as a hockey player.
He lived that life. Now he has a new life as a coach.
What next for No. 11?
He will put some thought into it, knowing there is always a place for him in this organization.
Ring of Honour for Dr. Chow
The Senators announced on Friday that Dr. Don Chow will become the third member of the Senators Ring of Honour club, alongside Wade Redden and the late Bryan Murray. Dr. Chow has been with the hockey club since its first season in 1992 and was the team’s head physician from 2002-2017. He will be inducted into the Ring of Honour this Sunday, in a ceremony preceding the Senators game against the Edmonton Oilers at the Canadian Tire Centre.
