Yahoo Sports Praise Alfie: Ottawa Senator Rookie Stays After Class For Extra Training With Sens Legend
There aren't many NHL teams that have access to teaching help from the greatest player in their club's history. That's how it is for the Ottawa Senators as Daniel Alfredsson works his first season as a full-time assistant coach in the league.
Alfredsson was a substitute teacher last season, helping interim head coach Jacques Martin after the firing of D.J. Smith last December. This season, Alfredsson looks like a man getting even more comfortable in his role, frequently working with players one-on-one, before, during or after practice, and sharing some of the individual tactics that helped make him a Hall of Famer.
That was on display after practice today as TSN 1200 Radio caught some video of Alfredsson working with rookie Zack Ostapchuk on individual tactics with the puck.
Smart career move by Ostapchuk. Spending time after practice with Alfie working on specific details only makes you better faster. pic.twitter.com/qNB0XbLBQW
— TSN 1200 Ottawa (@TSN1200) December 10, 2024
Alfredsson also resonates with the club's more established players.
With 28 points in 27 games, Drake Batherson is having his best NHL season. As a scoring right winger, it's not a bad deal to be able to learn from the greatest scoring right winger in team history.
Related: The Hockey News-Ottawa Podcast: One on One With Drake Batherson
"He's awesome," Batherson told The Hockey News Ottawa last week. "The way he sees the game, I feel like, is totally different from any other coach I've had. For example, in a game a week ago, I got two passes in a row in my skates and just kind of mishandled them. So the next morning, he takes me out and fires about 30 pucks at my skates just to clean it up.
"I remember last year I wasn't great in shootouts, and he sat me down. We watched shootouts for 20 minutes, and then I think I went two for two after that. So it's really cool the way he looks at the game, just the little aspects of it. He's just a fun guy to talk to about hockey."
Alfredsson was honored last week, along with Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza, in a reunion of the "Pizza Line," regarded as the best forward line in Sens history. It was a nice chance for some nostalgia and a reminder of how fortunate today's Senators are to have a mentor like Daniel Alfredsson.
For more Senators coverage all season long, be sure to bookmark The Hockey News Ottawa.
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