The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

There was a window of time when Daniel Alfredsson was rumoured to be shipped off after a disastrous start to the 2006-07 season. The Sens were losing, Alfie had scored only one goal (an empty-netter) in the span of a month and heads were going to roll if things didn't turn around. The deal apparently in place would have had Alfredsson shipped off to the Los Angeles Kings for Craig Conroy. Thankfully for Senators fans cooler heads prevailed and Alfie wasn't going anywhere and Ottawa went on to their most successful season in their modern franchise history. Alfie became the first European captain to reach the Cup final and established himself as a premier player with his exceptional play.

It's rare in pro sports with free agency, salary caps, owner impatience and demanding fans for an athlete to remain with the same franchise that drafted them from the beginning. With today's announcement of Alfredsson's four-year contract extension worth $21.6 million with a no-movement clause, this pretty much ensures Ottawa has locked up their most prolific and recognizable player until the end of his playing career. There aren't too many players who can say the same thing: Steve Yzerman, Mario Lemieux, Joe Sakic and Mike Modano are just a handful that have remained with their team from the beginning. You truly have to be a special player to be a part of this group.

Alfredsson has grown to become my favorite Senator of all time and I'm personally glad to say my choice of player on my Sens jersey was a correct one (we'll forget the Todd White debacle). This is a great day for fans of the Senators and I hope this type of team loyalty will be a trademark of the team for years to come.

Sens 4 Life!