"I talked to some of the organizers, so I think that will be a great event to play an outdoor game on Parliament Hill," Alfredsson said Nov. 8 at Ericsson Globe in Stockholm. "It'll be great to see a lot of your old teammates. Just a really fabulous event."
He didn't know the final details then. He does now. It's happening at 7 p.m. ET on Friday on the Canada 150 Rink at Parliament Hill.
The Senators Alumni Classic, which precedes the 2017 Scotiabank NHL100 Classic between the Senators and Montreal Canadiens at Lansdowne Park on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVA Sports, NHL.TV), will feature 35 former Ottawa players, including Alfredsson, Ottawa's all-time leader in goals (426), assists (682) and points (1,108).
There will be 20 forwards, including Chris Neil,
who announced his retirement on Thursday
, as well as 11 defensemen and four goalies.
The event is free and open to the general public. There will be limited grandstand seating at the rink, but there will also be two 18-by-32 screens on the lawn at Parliament Hill for fans to watch the action.
"I think it will be a great event," Alfredsson said. "It will be a lot of fun for everybody involved. I've talked to some of the guys. we've heard that it's been in the works but nothing was finalized. It's great that it's going to happen. It'll be an event to celebrate hockey and hopefully we can show some of our old moves out there."
Alfredsson, a Swede who became a Canadian citizen 15 months ago, still lives in Ottawa. He worked for the Senators as a senior adviser to hockey operations from 2015-17, but he opted not to return this season, citing a desire to spend more time with his family as he evaluates his next move.
He has an idea of what that could be, but he's also prepared to accept other challenges.
"I'd really like to be an owner," Alfredsson said. "Who knows. If the family situation allows it and the timing is right and somebody would like me to be part of something, there's no question I would look at it. I miss [the game] at times, but at the same time I really enjoy the time I have now with the family."
