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Sens’ Turris on Alfredsson: ‘Don’t judge him for this one decision’

TurrisAlfie

Kyle Turris has nothing but respect for ex-Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson -- something he says won’t change now that Alfie’s in Detroit.

“I think he should be extremely respected coming back (to Ottawa), and hopefully the fans appreciate everything he’s done and don’t judge him for this one decision,” Turris told the Ottawa Citizen on Thursday. “I think when it’s all said and done, he’s at a point where he’s kind of earned the right to do what he wants.”

Alfredsson and the Red Wings visit Ottawa for the first time next season on Dec. 1, and nobody’s quite sure what the reaction will be.

The immediate aftermath of Alfredsson’s departure was anger and vitriol from Sens fans, as per CBC:

On local sports radio reaction was mixed from sadness to anger with some fans going so far as to call Alfredsson a traitor while others blamed the organization for allowing the captain to leave.

Various fans threatened to cancel season tickets; others called for Murray’s resignation while others felt Alfredsson was allowing greed to dictate his future.

The general consensus seemed to be that this would likely tarnish Alfredsson’s legacy with the Senators.

That was followed by Alfredsson saying he expects “resentment and anger from fans -- and there should be.”

But as days passed, bad feelings seemed to diminish as more and more people from the Ottawa organization spoke.

“You have to respect [Alfredsson’s] decision,” said Sens defenseman Marc Methot. “He’s done so much for this city. It’s kind of hard to hold a grudge against him. I wish him all the best.”

Owner Eugene Melnyk, who was front and center during the Alfredsson departure, admitted that “at the end of the day, we’ll never forget Alfie for what he’s done for us.”

Now, Turris is standing up for his former teammate as well.

“I’m not going to lie, it was a complete privilege and honor to play with him for two years,” said Turris.

“I’ll think back to it for the rest of my life, what he taught me and how much fun it was playing with him, and I want to wish him the best of luck in Detroit.”