The opening lines in San Jose Sharks defenceman Erik Karlsson's written tribute to Daniel Alfredsson did not mention hockey. Instead, he chose to focus on the person, the smile, and the personality that is Alfredsson, who becomes one of the newest members of the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday.
Karlsson took the time to write a piece on the Players Tribune describing how much his former Ottawa Senators teammate means to him.
“You were an incredible player. But I was lucky enough to see up close just what an incredible person you are,” said the Swedish defenceman. “And if everyone doesn’t mind… I just want to talk about my buddy for a few minutes.”
Karlsson and the fellow Swedish star shared the rink as teammates on the Senators from the 2009-2010 season until the former signed with the Detroit Red Wings in 2013.
Karlsson spoke in his piece about the night his mentor and teammate retired.
“His beautiful family by his side. I remember standing near the bench with his boys, watching him as he stood under the spotlight at centre ice. The arena was going crazy. It felt like all of Ottawa was there with us. Like they were there with him.”
The tribute also sheds light on how their relationship was as teammates but more importantly, as friends and family. Karlsson writes that Alfredsson went out of his way to make sure the young star knew he was part of more than just a team.
In the summer that the young defenceman was drafted by the Senators, the captain invited the 19-year-old to his home in Sweden to introduce him to his family, and make it clear that he, henceforth, was part of it.
They also shared a similar path to the NHL, both having played for Frolunda Hockey Club in Gothenburg, Sweden.
“He meant a lot to that club, and you couldn’t find somebody who didn’t love to tell you their favourite goal or moment of his,” wrote Karlsson, reminiscing on his times in youth hockey. “He’d come around the facility in the off-season and treat everybody like they were family.”
Karlsson gives different monikers to Alfredsson throughout the tribute — captain, uncle, best man, and most notably, best friend.
COMMENTS
When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.