Daniel Alfredsson explains why he crossed enemy lines from Senators to Leafs

Assistant coach Daniel Alfredsson behind the Swedish team bench during the game against Canada in Montreal on Wednesday night. Photo by Minas Panagiotakis /GETTY IMAGES

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Daniel Alfredsson is making himself at home in his new home.

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Before settling into his new role as the associate coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the former Ottawa Senators captain had to mend some of the fences built up in The Big Smoke while he was on the other side of the Battle of Ontario.

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While Alfredsson had his share of conflicts with the Leafs during his 18-year National Hockey League career, one of his most memorable moments was a hit on Toronto winger Darcy Tucker in Game 5 of the Eastern Semifinal in 2002.

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After delivering a crushing blow to Tucker along the boards, Alfredsson scored the winning goal on the same shift, which helped to cement his status as a villain with Leafs Nation.

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As we know, time heals all wounds.

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“We kissed and made up,” Alfredsson quipped. “I ran into quite a few of them at the alumni golf tournament. Darcy played in the group in front of me.”

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Did Alfredsson hit into him?

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“He was too far ahead,” joked Alfredsson.

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As he prepared to face the Senators for the first time on Saturday night since he left his role as an assistant on Travis Green’s staff to carve out a new career with the Leafs, the 53-year-old Alfredsson talked to the Toronto media following the optional skate at Scotiabank Arena.

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Why Alfie went to the arch-rival

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Alfredsson, 53, inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto in 2022, stunned the hockey world by accepting the post with the Leafs after two full seasons on coach Travis Green’s staff in Ottawa.

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His decision not to stay with the Senators last spring left many wondering what happened, but Alfredsson noted that when longtime friend Mats Sundin reached out after joining the Leafs, the idea was intriguing.

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“I had a couple of conversations with Mats, they reached out to Ottawa and it started from there,” Alfredsson said. “I wasn’t very sure for a lot of reasons, but his passion and belief in this team kind of sold me. We had a relationship in the past, we’d played together and here we are.”

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Alfredsson spent parts of three seasons with the Senators, but before taking a leap of faith to join the Leafs, he wanted to make sure he had a meaningful role on head coach Jim Hiller’s staff.

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“At first I wasn’t sure, ‘Can we do this?'” Alfredsson said. “Then we had more conversations and I talked with Jim Hiller. (I decided) if I want to be a coach, you have to experience different situations, different scenarios and different systems. That’s how it went in my head, ‘How can I evolve and get better if this is the road I’m going down?’

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“The passion for the game in this country, in Ottawa and Toronto, there’s nothing like it. I’m very happy to stay in this market. It was a lot of thoughts back and forth because it was a quick decision, but at the end of the day, I thought this would be a great opportunity for me, and I hope I can help the team.”