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OTTAWA -- Daniel Alfredsson rehearsed the speech 10 or 15 times. When he read it to a friend over the phone, he cried. The longtime Senators captain read it one more time Thursday morning at Canadian Tire Centre with family, friends and former teammates watching. Here we are, Alfredsson said. Today I officially retire as an Ottawa Senator and another new chapter will begin tonight as we say goodbye to Ottawa. Alfredsson called it a career back in the nations capital, his adopted hometown, the place he played 17 of his 18 NHL seasons. The captain from 1999 through 2013 who left 17 months ago to sign with the Detroit Red Wings got to put on his old red No. 11 Senators jersey for one more day. The 41-year-old signed a ceremonial one-day contract that will allow him to lace up his skates in his old stall and take part in pre-game warm-ups with his old team. Being out there with the boys again, is going to be a special feeling, Alfredsson said. Im going to try to not fall down. The Senators pulled out all the stops to honour Alfredsson on what unofficially became Alfie Day in Ottawa. Wife Bibbi and sons Hugo, Loui, Fenix and William, along with former teammates like Erik Karlsson and Wade Redden, looked on as the face of the franchise bid adieu, a decision prompted by lingering back problems. Alfredsson, who had 444 goals and 713 assists in 1,246 NHL games, tried to rehab the injury. If he played one more season, it would have been for the Red Wings. According to Senators owner Eugene Melnyk, he and general manager Bryan Murray would have welcomed him back to Ottawa. During the summer we spoke a couple of times, but it was more about how he felt and whether he could play 100 per cent, Melnyk said. Bryan and I said, Look, give us 80 per cent, were happy. And he would not play unless he was 100 per cent. Remembered fondly for the goal he scored against the Buffalo Sabres to send the Senators to the Stanley Cup final in 2007, for the love fest at the 2012 all-star game and for winning a gold medal with Sweden at the 2006 Olympics, Alfredsson also knows his career was marked with phone calls and major decisions. It began with the decision to leave Goteborg, Sweden at 22 to play for the Senators, who drafted him in the sixth round in 1994. Alfredsson was glad he and Bibbi, his girlfriend at the time, made the leap. One evening nearly 20 years ago a young man in a small town in Sweden got a phone call that would change his life, Alfredsson said. We began an incredible new chapter of our lives in your town starting in August 1995. Our marvellous boys were born here, and we grew from youngsters into aging parents. You made your town our town. Ottawa was Alfredssons town in his Calder Trophy season in 1995-96 and through 15 playoff appearances. One of his favourite memories was seeing thousands of people lined up along the street to celebrate the trip to the Cup final. It was an incredible experience to play hockey with so many great players, so many great friends over so many great seasons, he said. I really realize that Im a very lucky guy. Back problems flared up in 2011, what Alfredsson called signals that all these years of hockey had a cost. I worked hard to fight it off and I got some great help along the way, he said. But in the back of my mind, I still knew that the clock is ticking. With the clock ticking on his career, Alfredsson got to a crossroads in the summer of 2013, after he decided to continue playing but did not have a contract to return to the Senators. On the morning of June 29, he said he got a call from an old Swedish pal. This call started a process that would launch the next chapter in our lives, Alfredsson said of signing with Detroit. It was a very, very hard decision to make: changing teams, uproot my family, start over again in a new place. But change helps you grow. No doubt the relationship between Alfredsson and the Senators organization was strained by his departure. But during and after an off-and-on injury season with the Red Wings that still included him tying for the team lead in scoring, Alfredsson stayed in touch with Murray. I have great respect for Daniel and I know he has great respect for the Senators for what happened here, said Murray, who coached Alfredsson for two seasons, including 2006-07. It wasnt very hard for us to get together and talk. He took me for a drive in his new car. He drove me out to my old house in Birmingham (Michigan). He showed me where he lived. We had I think mutual respect for each other all along. Setbacks in Alfredssons rehab kept him from playing and forced him to make one final decision. It finally came to the point: Could I play a little bit? Maybe, Alfredsson said. I dont know what I price I would have had to pay down the road. I felt it was no fun just being on the edge or on the cliff of maybe or maybe not playing. It just felt right. It wouldnt have felt right to the Senators if Alfredsson had said his goodbye to the NHL in Detroit. Again, the phone rang. Bryan said he and Mr. Melnyk had spoken and had an idea that I should not end my career in Detroit but with a proper retirement here in our adopted hometown, Alfredsson recalled. I spoke with (Red Wings GM) Ken Holland about my retirement and that Bryan and Mr. Melnyk wanted me to retire as an Ottawa Senator, and Ken encouraged me to retire here. He said its the right thing to do. Alfredsson, lauded not just for his Hall of Fame hockey career but his charitable contributions in Ottawa, is about as normal a person as a superstar athlete can be. To him, this felt like too much. I never believed that my career entitled me to any special treatment, Alfredsson said. However Bibbi and I both agreed this was the right thing to do and it would give us a chance to say thank you to the people and the fans of Ottawa. Alfredsson received a lengthy standing ovation after his speech of 749 words, including four in French for the bilingual market he represented: Merci et a bientot. He doesnt know how soon he might get back into hockey but is reserving this year for his family and for himself to reflect on his career. Im just very grateful for this opportunity to say thank you and goodbye, Alfredsson said. And please no more phone calls for a while. Matt Gono Jersey . So far, so good: Gonzalez has allowed one run through 12 innings this season. His second start came Tuesday night, when he gave up only three singles over six innings to lead the Nationals to a 5-0 victory over the Miami Marlins. Austin Hooper Jersey . Lost to Los Angeles in first round of playoffs. http://www.cheapfalconsjerseysonline.co ... sey-online. After losing a shutout bid in the dying seconds of Sundays win over the Colorado Avalanche, Luongo would not be denied against the punchless Oilers and is now just one back of Patrick Roy for 14th on the all-time list. Terrell McClain Jersey .C. -- The shot that would have beaten No. Ty Sambrailo Jersey . The Wizards gave up two seldom-used players — forward Jan Vesely and point guard Eric Maynor. Vesely goes to the Nuggets, while Maynor gets shipped to the 76ers. Philadelphia receives two second-round draft picks, one from the Wizards in 2015 and one from the Nuggets in 2016.It was inevitable that Virat Kohli would make a big score at some point in the Test series against England, according to Michael Atherton. The India captain ended day one of the second Test in Visakhapatnam unbeaten on 151 as he made England pay for dropping him when he was on 56.The hosts closed on 317-4 after James Anderson removed Ajinkya Rahane late on with the new ball, but Kohli remains and will be confident of adding to his tally on a batsman-friendly track. Virat Kohli finished day one unbeaten on 151 England were always going to feel the force of Kohlis bat at some stage, Atherton told Sky Sports. He didnt have a particularly good series against England in 2014 when Jimmy Anderson was all over him but it all came together nicely for him today.Hes on the back of runs in that Rajkot game, so hes feeling confident. Although hes not played a Test match here, in one-day [internationals] hes got a wonderful record at this ground and he won a good toss on an excellent pitch.He was in early because of those two wickets and really he couldnt have asked for nicer conditions to bat in than he had today. He played superbly.While Kohli will take the headlines, he was ably assisted for much of the day by Cheteshwar Pujara, who notched his third hundred in as many Tests before falling to Anderson for 119. Kohli (r) and Cheteshwar Pujara both hit centuries on the opening day The pair put on 226 for the second wicket with their contrasting styles drawing comparisons with another famous Indian duo.Pujara is a wonderful player too and I think they combine well together, that was their fourth 100 partnership in Test matches; he is a good foil for Kohli, Atherton added.Its a little bit like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid in years gone by. Tendulkar, as Kohli is now, is the big draw card - the man that everybody wants to come and see - but what you need down the other end is a guy who hasnt got a big ego and who isnt going to try and compete but who will get runs in whatever situation you find yourself in. India vs England November 18, 2016, 3:45am Live on Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass The challenge now for England, argues Atherton, is to take the remaining six Indian wickets before the pitch begins to deteriorate to allow themselves a chance to bat while conditions are still favourable.ddddddddddddThe pitch will change more than Rajkot, its not as firm a pitch and therefore it feels as though the top will go, said Atherton. How quickly is the key question, of course.If India get 450, its going to be difficult for England. Itll probably stay fine tomorrow but if India can bat until tea-time tomorrow, itll probably start to go on that third day which is why the toss was so important. There wont be as much bounce as Rajkot but I think its going to spin more. The best of the action from Day One of the Second Test in Visakhapatnam How Anderson rocks up tomorrow will be interesting and Stuart Broad seems to have this issue with his right foot, he only bowled 11 overs today so it hasnt been an ideal day for England.Watch highlights of day one of the second Test between India and England on Sky Sports 2 from 2pm, then stay tuned for The Verdict at 3pm on the same channel. Live coverage of day two begins at 3.45am on Friday morning on Sky Sports 2 and across our digital platforms. 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