The hockey world was stunned after it was announced that Daniel Alfredsson
was joining the Toronto Maple Leafs
' coaching staff. Among those who were shocked was Clearing The Crease
host James Cybulski, who drew comparisons to professional wrestling.
Alfredsson, a former Ottawa Senators
captain, was once involved in a fierce rivalry with the Maple Leafs. The Senators and Maple Leafs battled in the playoffs during the early 2000s, with Mats Sundin getting the upper hand over his fellow countryman.
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While Alfredsson is beloved by Senators fans, he has been a villain for Leafs Nation because of the rivalry. The 'Battle of Ontario' has been eventful and even personal at times when Alfredsson and Sundin led their respective teams.
"I don't know if there is a more beloved player in [Senators] franchise history. [Alfredsson's] career ending as a player was awful, but that was more of an organizational screw up with the previous ownership," Cybulski told The Game Plan.
As a result, Alfredsson joining the Leafs organization in an attempt to win a Stanley Cup is definitely surreal. Cybulski hilariously compared Alfredsson's hiring to that of WCW
babyface stars joining the villainous nWo
during the 1990s.
"To just turn around and say, 'You know what, I need out.' And to go [join] the team that Daniel Alfredsson knows probably more than anybody that you want to beat, the team you hate the most, the team that brings in the fan base with thousands of hockey fans every time you play a home game, the Leafs, that's the team," Cybulski said. "Imagine that conversation, 'Listen, I'm going to resign because I've got a really good job opportunity to go work for the nWo, right?"
James Cybulski Says Alfredsson Lifting the Stanley Cup with Maple Leafs Would be Surreal
James Cybulski
also said Daniel Alfredsson lifting the Stanley Cup as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs would be surreal.
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Although he retired as a Detroit Red Wing
, fans identify Alfredsson as an Ottawa Senators lifer. Leafs fans also share that same sentiment for Sundin, who holds a hockey operations role with the organization. That is a key reason why Cybulski finds the move so shocking.
"You see those guys in the fight, working hard, being a leader, doing it time after time and persevering. So I've always rooted for those guys to have success and to see Alfredsson leave the Ottawa Senators and join the Toronto Maple Leafs, that is a what the [expletive] moment," Cybulski told The Game Plan
. "Just seeing Alfredsson hoisting a Stanley Cup with a Maple Leafs jacket on or a Leafs hat. It's been three decades since I lived in Ottawa, but I would still be like, 'Holy [expletive].'"
Cybulski Recalls Leafs vs. Senators Rivalry
Cybulski also recalled the Leafs vs. Senators ' Battle of Ontario
' rivalry and how heated it became at times. Sundin and Alfredsson led their respective teams and always brought the best out of each other.
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"One of the great, nasty villains of Maple Leafs lore of the last 25 years, Alfredsson would be up there, right," Cybulski told The Game Plan
. "I remember the 'Krusty the Clown' thing and the whole stick over the glass thing with Mats [Sundin]."
It will be interesting to see the reception not only on opening night in Toronto, but also when Alfredsson returns to Ottawa.
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