Toronto. Tonight, Daniel Alfredson and his Seden brothers will be a part of eternity.
After a weekend of unforgettable celebrations in Toronto, they were officially inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
– it’s a wonderful feeling. You take such things into account and value them in a different way than when you were active, Alfie tells Sportbladet.
Already this summer, it became known that Sweden will receive three new members of the prestigious Hockey of Fame in the fall – and the whole past weekend has been Daniel AlfredsonAnd the Daniel Seden Henrik Seiden celebrated with family and friends in an upbeat and emotional Toronto.
Last Friday, they received their rings at a press conference and were then presented on ice at the Scotiabank Arena in front of the Toronto Maple Leafs, along with Börje Salming, among others. On Saturday, they had a question-and-answer session with enthusiastic fans, and on Sunday they played a veteran match with, among others, Mats Sunden, Mikael Rinberg, Eric Lindros, Jason Spiza and Pierre Turgeon.
It was so much fun to put on full gear and get out on the ice with these legends, says Henrik Sedin when we interviewed him and other hockey retirees backstage at the Scotiabank Arena.
“Alfie” — Ottawa’s beloved Senators captain who, with 444 goals and 713 assists, ranks as the second-highest Swedish scorer of all time in the NHL — agrees.
– The whole weekend was great. He says: I have my family and friends with me and I have fun all the time.
Like most other stars who have retired and gained perspective on their careers, he appreciates this kind of salutation in a different way than he did when he was active.
– That’s it, you’re more relaxed and could take it differently, now 49-year-old Canadian-Swedish (Daniel has dual citizenship these days).
– All in all, it’s an incredibly great honor. Once you get here and notice who has been elected over the years, it almost seems surreal. Just to mention the Swedes who have come before, Borgy Salming, Mats Sunden, Peter Forsberg and Niklas Liedstrom…one becomes humble.
Henrik Sedin – part of the best fratricide in hockey history, along with Vancouver’s Daniel kung for 17 glorious seasons – have similar sentiments.
It feels surreal for us to belong to the same group as the other Swedes here. We didn’t see it as if we were on the same level, he says.
But it was you, wasn’t it?
– Hey. Yes, you have to believe it, considering this. But again, you don’t feel like you deserve the same honor as the others.
During tonight’s glittering party, the new Swedes Hall of Fame begin parading on the red carpet outside Meridian Hall in downtown Toronto – and then have to give personal speeches they have varying degrees of trouble writing.
– It wasn’t quite easy, and maybe giving speeches isn’t our best side. But we have to take the five minutes and suffer through it, Henrik smiles.
Alfie:
– It was a bit of a challenge. I thought I had nailed my speech a couple of weeks ago, but I rewrote it last night and now I feel good. Speaking in front of people, however, I don’t have a problem, I’ve done it before.
Goalkeeper Roberto Longo – Daniel and Henrik’s Vancouver teammate for many years – was also inducted into the Hall of Fame tonight, as were Finnish women’s hockey icon Rikka Salinen and Herb Carnegie, known as the best black hockey player, due to horrific racial discrimination. In North America, the 1940s and ’50s did not have opportunity in the NHL.