Dave Sandford / NHLI

As any Ottawa native knows, the 417 is as close as you can get to a parking lot before Sens games. It’s packed, parking sucks, and only a rookie thinks that taking Terry Fox Drive is a shortcut. However, last week for the NHL All-Star Game, sitting in traffic and the parking lot after the game for an hour felt almost magical as I basked in the festive atmosphere of the once-in-a-lifetime weekend.

For as long as I can remember, it has been a childhood dream of mine to see the NHL All-Star Game come to Ottawa. There is just something special about knowing that all these amazing players are in the same city as you at the same time. I used to imagine meeting players like Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Steve Yzerman and Paul Kariya skating down the Rideau Canal. The game itself, as I knew even back then, was a joke. The players don’t try hard, defense is a four-letter word, and physical contact is non-existent. So, needless to say, when Ottawa got the All-Star Game this year, I was mainly looking forward to the atmosphere and the nostalgia, not the hockey itself, and definitely not Drake. 

When I first arrived at the arena, I could already tell it was going to be a special experience. The parking lot was full of cars from all over the map, ranging from Florida to Saskatchewan.  Once I entered the stadium, I saw mascots from five different teams, dancers from two, and a guy with a Nashville Predators jersey I didn’t even know existed. It really felt like the United Nations of hockey was holding its GA in Ottawa and I was invited to participate. 

Before the game, all the players were introduced as they skated onto the ice. Undoubtedly, the introductions for the Senators players were the loudest and most enthusiastic, which was to be expected, but expectations were even higher for Daniel Alfredsson’s entry. The fans did not disappoint, and neither did Alfie. The Ottawa captain got a huge ovation from the crowd, and Alfredsson waved back, saluting those who had been cheering him for so many years. I remember thinking there was no way this ovation could have been surpassed, only to hear the crowd erupt one more time when Alfredsson scored his first goal, splitting the defenseman and scoring on Montreal’s own Carey Price. After the goal, the crowd gave Alfredsson another long standing ovation and, when it was apparent that it wasn’t going to stop any time soon, the Sedin twins skated out of the face off circle to let Alfie have his moment. This was the highlight of the game, and indeed the weekend for me—seeing a player whom everyone in Ottawa adores get his share of the spotlight. For a guy who has never won a Stanley Cup, a scoring race, or even the game MVP (that went to Marian Gaborik), this was Ottawa’s way of showing Alfie that he was and will always be our city’s MVP. 

In all, it was a fantastic experience, and even though Team Chara walked away with a 12-9 victory, nobody left disappointed. The game was great, the atmosphere was fantastic, and even though the hockey itself wasn’t the best, it was certainly an experience that I won’t soon forget.