The Toronto Maple Leafs made a move this offseason that a lot of people didn’t see coming. They hired Daniel Alfredsson as an assistant coach. Yeah, the same Daniel Alfredsson who spent the last three seasons as an assistant with the Ottawa Senators. The same guy who was basically public enemy number one in Toronto for years while captaining the Senators.
Now he’s on the other side. And he’s going to be working directly with Mats Sundin. That’s the part that feels weird if you remember the early 2000s when these two were the captains of the biggest rivalry in hockey. Sundin is the Leafs’ Senior Executive Advisor of Hockey Operations now, so they’ll be in the same building all the time.
They’ve Actually Stayed in Touch
Alfredsson talked about teaming up with his old rival and it turns out they’re not exactly strangers. According to David Alter of The Hockey News, Alfredsson said they’ve kept in touch over the years even though they don’t live near each other in Sweden.
“We’ve kept in touch. We don’t live near each other in Sweden, but whenever we can, we try to hook up,” Alfredsson said. “No, we haven’t talked a lot about the past, to be honest. But obviously, I think it’s great that Mats is involved again. I think he has so much to bring: leadership, experience. His enthusiasm was really obvious in the talks I’ve had with him. And you can tell he’s really excited about this opportunity and try to do something really good.”
It’s not like they were always enemies either. They won Olympic gold together playing for Sweden in 2006. That’s a bond that probably sticks with you longer than any regular season game in November.
What This Means for the Leafs
The Leafs are obviously trying to get over the hump and actually win a Stanley Cup. They’ve been stuck in that cycle of good regular seasons and early playoff exits. Bringing in Alfredsson feels like they’re trying to change the culture or add some different perspective. Having two Hall of Fame level guys like Alfredsson and Sundin in the room every day can’t hurt.
Sundin’s been back with the organization for a while now and people seem to respect what he brings. Alfredsson said you can tell Sundin’s genuinely excited about this. That matters more than people think. When the front office guys actually care and the players can feel that energy, it makes a difference.
Nobody knows if this will actually get the Leafs past the first round or whatever their curse is these days. But the old rivalry is dead and buried. These two Swedes are on the same team now and they’re both trying to build something in Toronto.
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