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The playoff bound Ottawa Senators continued their winning ways last night with a 5-2 victory over the Florida Panthers at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise Florida. With the Buffalo Sabres claiming the top spot in the Northeast Division and a comfortable cushion over the teams behind them in the standings, the Senators are locked-in to the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference and a first round playoff match-up with either the New Jersey Devils or the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

The win over Florida had extra meaning for the organization as long-time captain and face of the franchise, Daniel Alfredsson, celebrated game number 1,000 in the NHL, all with Ottawa. When asked, most players will tell you that the two points for a victory are more important then personal milestones, especially this close to the end of the season, but there is no doubt that everyone tried a little harder to make Alfie’s night extra special by securing the win to add to the celebration. In the final home game of the season and game number 82 on the schedule on Saturday night at Scotiabank Place, Alfredsson will be honoured by the organization and saluted by the fans in a special pre-game ceremony.

A native of Gothenburg Sweden, Alfredsson was selected in the sixth round (133 overall) in the 1994 NHL Draft. After three seasons playing for Frolunda in the Swedish Elite League, he made his NHL debut in 1995. His first NHL goal came against the Panthers on October 13^th 1995 and he went on to win the Calder Trophy as the rookie of the year for the 1995-1996 season.

Besides being a tremendous leader in the community, Alfredsson also leads by example on the ice. In his 1,000 NHL games, he has 375 goals and 615 assists for a career total of 990 points. His career goal totals also include 62 game winning goals and he is a plus 156 for his career. This season, the 37-year-old Alfredsson has shown no signs of slowing down, accumulating 20 goals and 69 points in 68 games. He will be a major factor in the post season for the Senators as the attempt to return to the Stanley Cup Finals as they did under his leadership in 2007.

Senators Head Coach, Cory Clouston, has been behind the bench for 114 of Alfredsson’s NHL games and he is proud to see the “C” on Afredsson’s sweater. Clouston knows he can count on his captain to lead by example on and off the ice.

“It’s a credit to him to play all those games with one organization, that doesn’t happen very often these days and it shows his commitment to this organization and how badly he wants this team to win,” Clouston told Rob Brodie in a series of articles on Alfredsson’s achievement, available at the Senators’ website. “To reach 1,000 games is a pretty honourable milestone, for sure.”

For Erik Karlsson, a 19-year-old from Sweden playing his first full season in an Ottawa uniform, Alfredsson has been instrumental in his transition to life in the NHL and a new country.

“He’s always a good guy to talk to, he’s always happy,” the rookie defenseman told Brodie. “If it’s something you need help with, you can ask him. Even off the ice, he helped me a lot there to get settled in better. That’s helped me a lot on the ice as well. Whenever you have a hard time, it’s always good to have him around. He’s just been very good to me.”

Alfredsson’s contract runs through to the end of the 2012-13 season and there is no doubt he will continue to lead by example, inspiring others to greatness and helping those in need, both on his team and in his community. Ottawa’s captain is a true “star” in every sense of the word. When his playing days are over, his number 11 will certainly be hanging from the rafters at Scotiabank Place.