Daniel Alfredsson has never really had a reputation for being the most skilled player on this city. Since his rookie season, Alfie has only finished the regular season as the Ottawa Senators leader in points three times. (Ed. note: This season would be his fourth.) Whether it Yashin, Hossa, Havlat, Heatley or Kovalev, Alfredsson's offensive talents have always drawn fewer accolades than those surrounding him.

While his past and present teammates have enjoyed greater statistical seasons, no other player in the history of this organization has had a more profound impact upon his teammates or fans than Daniel Alfredsson. I have no reservations when I say that Alfredsson is the greatest player that this city has ever known.

It just took awhile for us to realize it.

On a night when Senators fans will celebrate his 1000th career game, it's a tad ironic that I can't recall watching any of the aforementioned skilled players for the first time. But I can vividly remember watching Alfredsson when he suited up for an  exhibition game at the Civic Center in September of 1995. Sitting in our seats during the pre-game skate, I can recall my father making an explicit point for me to keep a mindful watch on the two Senators rookies -- Antti Tormanen and Alfredsson. (Ed. note: It should be noted that I do remember Alexei Yashin's first exhibition game in Ottawa but it wasn't for his play. With a bird's eye view from the Civic Center luxury suites, my mother remarked how cute it was that Alexandre Daigle and Yashin had mirrored numbers -- 91 and 19. In retrospect, I should have known right then that neither of their careers would turn out for the better. The 'cute' factor was the kiss of death.)

After Alfredsson had put up a pair of points, I remember leaving the arena via Queen Elizabeth Drive and getting excited talking with my dad about the performance we had just witnessed. As a moment, it stands out just as  memorably as watching Alfie win the Calder Trophy later that season as the League's best rookie. It's almost like it's the hidden beauty about looking back on  Alfredsson's career, everyone seemingly has their own story about watching number eleven for the first time. And it's not a phenomenon that's exclusive to Senators fans.

Just this past February, Tim and I were fortunate to have our podcast graced by an appearance by the former Senators General Manager, Randy Sexton. When the topic of Alfie was broached, he fondly mentioned that the first time he saw Alfredsson skate at training camp in Arnprior, he knew that he was watching a future Hall of Famer.

Think about that for a second, you have two individuals describing their first Alfie live experience: one from a NHL executive and the other from an adolescent hockey fan. One praising Alfredsson as a future Hall of Famer while the other was reserved enough to describe Alfie only as infinitely better player than his rookie teammate, Antti Tormanen. Had you not known, it's almost hard to believe that the fanboy response didn't emanate from me.

So when Alfredsson won the Calder in 1996, why didn't more fans gravitate towards him like Randy Sexton did? For one thing, the early portion of his NHL career was marred by injuries. Following that 1995-96 season, Alfie played 76, 55, 58, 57, and 68 games for the next five seasons. It also didn't help matters that this city's headlines were often reserved for Alexei Yashin's production and public contract squabbles.

By the time that he had finally rid himself of the injury bug in 2001-02, the Senators had augmented their roster and identity through trades and the NHL Entry Draft. With players like Mike Fisher, Marian Hossa, Wade Redden and Chris Phillips and Martin Havlat, Ottawa's blueprint for success had finally manifested itself.  As Ottawa continued to win, Alfredsson was often just seen as one part in the whole. For years, he had developed a dressing room reputation as a leader who set an example for others through his play. Off the ice, he came across the same way. Content just to stay out of the public eye and let his younger teammates enjoy the limelight that came with being a winning team in a Canadian market. Ottawa quickly became regarded by pundits as a model small market franchise that had built itself the right way. (Ed. note: Remember, this was before the days of Eugene Melnyk's financial certainty and the NHL salary cap. Without the finances to buy a winner, Ottawa was at a competitive disadvantage.)

It was this disadvantage that eventually lead to Alfredsson doing the most selfless thing that he could do. With the team on the verge of financial ruin in 2003, the captain deferred the remainder of his salary to allow the team to add some pieces at the trade deadline and improve their odds at a Stanley Cup. Even when his most recent cap friend contract expired, he has continued to embrace his unselfish role. By signing another cap friendly extension and using his own home as a hotel for Erik Karlsson, Alfredsson continues to demonstrate that he's willing to do whatever it takes to make his team and teammates better.

And maybe that's what makes Alfredsson so special. For a franchise that has repeatedly been let down by players over the years -- Yashin, Hasek, Redden vs Chara, and Heatley -- I appreciate watching a player who genuinely looks as though he cares about something other than his statistics, ice-time or paycheque.

So on the night of your 1000th game Daniel Alfredsson, I'd just like to say thanks. Over the course of your career, you've given me more than my fair share of memories that I've relived numerous times with my family, friends and readers. Whether it was watching you live for the first time or watching you score the game winning game goal against the Buffalo Sabres in the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals, it's been a delight.

Oh, one more thing: I forgot to thank you for drilling that smarmy piece of shit known as Darcy Tucker into the boards. That hit... was superb.

Via the Ottawa Senators' Twitter account, the team has announced the signing of CJHL free-agent forward David Dziurzynski to a three-year entry-level contract.

From the Senators website:

Dziurzynski, 20, recently completed his third season in the Canadian Junior Hockey League and first with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs of the British Columbia Hockey League. The Bulldogs acquired his rights in a trade from the Lloydminster Bobcats of the Alberta Junior Hockey League in July 2009.

During the 2009-10 season, Dziurzynski helped Alberni Valley place first in the BCHL’s Coastal Conference, scoring 21 goals while adding 53 assists and 79 penalty minutes over 57 games. He had 26 multi-point games, six of which were three-point games, four at four points and one contest at five.

The native of Lloydminster, Alta., led the Bulldogs in playoff scoring with nine goals, 10 assists and eight penalty minutes in 13 games. Alberni Valley fell four games to three to the Powell River Kings in their first appearance in the conference final.

The 6-3, 205-pound forward played the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons for the AJHL’s Lloydminster Bobcats. Dziurzynski scored 12 goals and added 25 assists for 37 points while also serving 185 penalty minutes in 54 games in 2008-09. He had eight goals, 12 assists and 82 penalty minutes in 52 games for Lloydminster in 2007-08.

Hopefully be back soon with an Alfie tribute. Stay tuned.

Jared Cowen Autographed Jersey T-Shirt Contest Continued...

Since I'm enjoying the recent challenge so much and seeing as how tomorrow is Daniel Alfredsson's 1000th game, keep submitting those MS Paint pictures depicting Alfie. I'll publish them all tomorrow. Email yours to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Here is my favorite thus far...

Kuba Done?

With Milan Michalek set to return either Tuesday night against the Panthers or Thursday night against the Lightning, all questions pertaining to the health of the Senators roster are now directed to the ailing Filip Kuba.

It's not like Kuba hasn't been the subject of intense scrutiny. From questions about his production to the mainstream media questioning whether or not he has a uterus, Kuba's 2009-10 campaign can only be categorized as an unmitigated disaster for the Senators defenceman.

To hear Cory Clouston reveal that Kuba's back hasn't progressed as well as the organization would like and that the injury may cause him to miss the rest of the season, is just the icing on the cake. These days, the only thing progressing worse than Filip Kuba's back is the defenceman's trade value. It's enough to have Don Brennan make this face... (Ed. note: Any excuse I can have to publish this Brennan picture is good enough for me.)

Sutton Negotiations?

According to the Ottawa Sun's Off the Posts blog, Andy Sutton told New York reporters Saturday he'd consider re-signing with the Isles in the off-season. "I love the direction the team is going," said Sutton,. "I love the guys, and it's a great organization, so I definitely wouldn't rule that out. They're not very far off."

Whether or not he's just paying lip service to the Islanders fans, his comments can't be encouraging for Senators fans. If anything, it's a humble reminder that there are no assurances that Sutton won't test the market on July 1st.

The Mainstream Media Discusses a Struggling Forward Not Named L'Enigma

It's hard to believe, isn't it? But somehow Allen Panzeri managed to devote a whole article to a player not named Alexei Kovalev. As shocking as it was to find out that Kovalev wasn't the featured subject, it's almost twice as shocking to hear that Foligno is having a hard time producing while playing alongside Jesse Winchester and Ryan Shannon. (Ed. note: Just ask Peter Regin how hard it is.)

Like Regin however, it looks as though Foligno's going to get an opportunity to escape by playing with Mike Fisher and the aforementioned Kovalev.

All In, All Red

In an email last week, it appeared as thought the Senators did leak their playoff slogan when they announced the playoff ticket sale and said that the first 200 fans in line for tickets (at SBP) will receive Senators car flags, while all persons in attendance will receive a free All In, All Red window cling courtesy of Scotiabank.

Then I received this email from the Senators today that confirmed that this is in fact the unimaginative and uninspiring mantra that the team is going to go by for the rest of the season...

All in, All Red? Doesn't another Eastern Conference team already Rock the Red? Leave it to the unimaginative Senators brass to blatantly rip off another successful playoff idea:

• We've had the Woo-Hoo towels and used Blur's Song 2
  
• We've used the Anaheim Angels' Thundersticks
• Like the Leafs, the Senators bow out every postseason.
  
• For one season, the Senators mimicked the Winnipeg Jets' Whiteout idea.

Next season we'll be told to dress up like Skeletor and cheer on the rally monkey if the team has to play from behind.

Leonsis Takes Exception to Umberger's Comments

Speaking of the Washington Capitals, it's always entertaining to see that another team's owner can step into the spotlight and act like a peacock.

When asked his opinion of the Washington Capitals, RJ Umberger dropped this gem:

“I don’t think any team in the West would be overmatched by them. Because they play the wrong way. They want to be moving all the time. They float in their zone looking for breakaways and odd-man rushes. A good defensive team is going to beat them (in the playoffs). If you eliminate your turnovers and keep them off the power play, they’re going to get frustrated because they’re in their zone a lot.”

In response, Capitals owner Ted Leonsis put on the best defensive effort that his team has exhibited all season.

Here's your challenge for the day, since Daniel Alfredsson will be playing in his 1000th game against the Florida Panthers early this week, I'd like our readers to submit us an original Microsoft Paint picture of Alfie.

Get 'em in and hopefully we can post all the submissions for his big day.

Life in the nation's capital is pretty good right now. The hockey teams -- the Olympiques, 67's and the Senators -- are all in the playoffs, the weather has been fantastic, golf courses are open, and the Ottawa Sun's Digital Faceoff has pertinent information that goes beyond Tim Baines' VHS tape collection.

Here's a look at the bevy of information that flowed out of the Blackberries of Bruce Garrioch, Tim Baines and Don Brennan. Once I've bulleted the important stuff, I'll post my thoughts on each respective comment below:

• GARRIOCH: I’m not convinced Anton wants to leave Ottawa. I always keep thinking he’ll stay here when push comes to shove. They offered him a five-year deal. I’m sure he wants to see how this team does in the playoffs.
• GARRIOCH: He (Cheechoo) has worked hard down there, but it’s not going to do him any good. He might catch on with an NHL team somewhere else next year once he gets bought out at the end of the season.
• BAINES: I love Kovie saying his “slump” was a media creation. I’d say if you’re paid to score goals and you don’t score any goals for a dozen games or so, you’re in a slump. I guess the guy sees things a bit differently. Can’t slag him for that.
• GARRIOCH: Hard to beat Major League for baseball movies.
• BRENNAN: Bobby Butler (he looked great against the ’Canes, I thought).

Getting into the semantics of Bruce's Volchenkov contract, I have to assume that Volchenkov is sitting on a 5-year deal. It's a bit of a good news/bad news situation for Senators fans. On one hand, it seems as though he has an offer that he's actually entertaining from the Senators. On the other hand, if Ottawa fizzles out in the first round against a tough playoff matchup like New Jersey or Pittsburgh, Volchenkov may test the market.

Hearing that Jonathan Cheechoo will likely get bought out is interesting from the standpoint that with a year left on his deal, Ottawa could simply leave him in Binghamton next season for the purposes of not having a buyout affect the team's cap situation. Provided that Ottawa buys out Cheechoo, here's how the situation would unfold:

• Since Cheechoo is older than 26 years of age, any buyout would have to be for 2/3rds of the remaining value on his contract.
  
• Even though his contract has an average cap hit of $3.0M, a buyout would have to be 2/3rds of the remaining $3.5M value that he is owed for next season.
  
• His buyout would be $2.33M spread out evenly over twice the remaining years on his contract.
  
• Consequently, his cap hit on a contract would be $1.166M for the next two seasons.
  

Considering that the actual real dollar savings of buying out Cheechoo would only be just over one million dollars, is it worth losing one million cap dollars for each of the next two seasons? I'm not convinced. I knew at the time that the Euge's 9 million sold BioVail shares would come in handy at some point.

Way too many people are getting caught up in this Kovalev slump circlejerk. As Tim alluded to in this week's podcast, Kovalev's being brutally honest when he says he's not in a slump and it's true. Although his production isn't there, it's not like his work ethic hasn't changed one iota during this stretch of games. It hasn't. He still resembles the player who always looks like he has much more to offer.

When I think of Kovalev, I'm reminded of Dany Heatley in the sense that the difference between a good Kovalev game and a bad Kovalev game is 1-2 goals. When either of Heatley or Kovalev aren't putting up points, their impact upon a game is small.

Complaining about the inconsistency of production from 36-year old at this stage of the season is asanine. He has arrived and played in Ottawa as advertised. As a secondary scorer who should put up 50+ plus points per season, accept it and move on. Management took a gamble hoping that this would be a guy who could catch fire in a bottle. Considering that the UFA market alternatives either didn't want to come here or required to be overcompensated by term and money (Havlat, Cammalleri, Gionta), a short term deal on a guy who can at times catch lightning in a bottle and carry a team offensively was worth the risk. In retrospect, imagine that the team never signed him. Could you try and envision how utterly depressing the season could have been with either of Ryan Shannon or Jonathan Cheechoo flanking Mike Fisher on the second line for the bulk of the season.

The panel needs some modern baseball movies to round out the list. If you're a fan of baseball movies, be sure to rent Sugar and 61.

As mentioned on the latest podcast, 'round these parts, Bobby Butler will henceforth be known as The Marlboro Man. (Ed. note: He was born in Marlboro, Massachusetts.)