Ottawa signs captain to deal

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson signed a five-year contract with the Senators on Sunday.
Alfredsson has 31 goals and 78 points, tying him with Marian Hossa for the team lead.
This season, the 31-year-old right wing reached 200 goals, 500 points, and 600 NHL games played, all with the Senators. Alfredsson, who played in his fourth All-Star game last month, could've become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
"As I stated at the purchase of the franchise, it was my intent to keep the Ottawa Senators hockey club a contending team and this starts with leadership," team owner Eugene Melnyk said in announcing the deal the day before the Senators played at Tampa Bay. "I am pleased that Daniel has determined to be a Senator for life."
Alfredsson, the Ottawa captain since 1999, is the Senators' career leader in goals (218) -- tied with Alexei Yashin -- assists (348) and points (566).
"Daniel is such a quality person of strong character, who has come to define who the Senators are," general manager John Muckler said. "We are very pleased he is here for the long term."