Daniel Alfredsson says another cancelled NHL season could spell the end of his hockey career.
The Senators captain said he’d love to play again this year, but would be at peace if that wasn’t the case.
“Even if this (lockout) turned out to be the whole season and I won’t play again, that’s fine with me,” he said at the Royal Ottawa’s Leaders for Mental Health breakfast.
“I’m just a small piece in the puzzle.”
Alfredsson said a shortened season may still work for him as he approaches age 40 and the end of his contract.
“Even if (the season) is 60 games, that may even be good for me,” he said.
“When the kids are at school I’m at the gym and when they come home I’m practicing with my oldest son’s team, my brother’s the coach there so I’m on the ice with them.”
The man known as Alfie announced July 31 he would be coming back for his 17th season, the last on his current four-year, $19.5 million deal.
There have been concerns among hockey circles that another canned season would mean the end of the careers of well-known players such as Teemu Selanne, Alfredsson and Dwayne Roloson.
Players such as Mark Messier, Scott Stevens and Al MacInnis didn’t return after the 2004-05 season was lost.
The NHL is expected to announce this week that the first two weeks of the regular season won’t go ahead as scheduled, costing the Senators six games.
Two home games against the Dallas Stars and Washington Capitals would be cancelled or pushed back, along with road dates in Montreal, Toronto, Pittsburgh and New Jersey.
Those would be on top of seven pre-season games the Senators had cancelled.
With a report from CTV Ottawa’s Catherine Lathem
