This is a sentence I never thought I’d write:
Daniel Alfredsson is joining the Maple Leafs. The Hall of Famer who spent the last three seasons as an Ottawa assistant coach, has been named Toronto's associate head coach, the team announced on Tuesday.
It’s just so incredibly weird. During the ferocious Battles of Ontario — four playoff series in five years at the start of this century — Alfredsson and Mats Sundin captained these bitter rivals. They were friendly and held great respect for one another, but there was nothing but disdain and hatred between these two teams on the ice.
In January 2004, Sundin was suspended one game when he disgustedly threw a broken stick and it accidentally went into the crowd. The game he missed was a 7-1 loss to Ottawa, where Alfredsson’s own stick broke and he faked tossing it into the stands. Senators fans loved it, Leafs fans … not so much.
Two years later, they won Olympic gold as Swedish teammates, a group Sundin captained.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to see them reunite, but, man, it feels crazy writing this story.
The Leafs also announced that John Gruden and Brad Werenka have been named assistant coaches, and that Mike Van Ryn and Derek Lalonde will not be returning as assistant coaches next season.
