Captain Sedin, gone but not forgotten

The Icecats parted ways with former captain and future hall of famer, Daniel Sedin. Sedin was one of the few original Icecats after GM Saouaf took over the former Murfreesboro team 5 years ago. Sedin was part of a failing Murfreesboro franchise wallowing in mediocrity. Although the team struggled, Sedin led the team by example and toughed through the tough times. "It was tough the first few years in Siberia. I had a lot of close teammates traded as GM Saouaf tore down the team. The biggest loss was losing Patrik Elias. He and I were close friends and roommates on the road. From that point forward, I did not know what the future held for me, but I knew I wanted to be part of the solution", said Sedin. Sedin indeed suffered through more player losses and losses in the standings.

The 2013/14 and 2014/15 seasons were especially painful as the Lizards/Icecats finished dead last in the league. "I knew we were going to keep losing but I had many meetings with GM Saouaf and he assured me that he had a plan. I trusted him and he was right. It was tough, but I saw a brighter future".

As the Icecats started to turn things around, there was Sedin to captain the team. He took young Connor McDavid under his belt and taught him what it meant to be a professional hockey player. "Daniel was such a huge influence on me in my first couple of seasons, especially after my injury in the first season. He taught me how to work through challenges and hardships and that has made a world of difference with me", said current coach McDavid.

Sedin's leadership continued to help the young Cats grow into the team they are now. "It was sad to trade Daniel but with our current team, he was sitting on the bench and we owed it to Daniel to let him go out on the ice, not the bench," said GM Saouaf. Sedin is now lending his leadership and talents to another rebuilding team who has shown some winning abilities this year, the Loons. Can Sedin help Dubois, who he played with briefly, flourish into a #1 center as he did with McDavid? My gut tells me he can.

Rumors persist that the Icecats will retire Sedin's jersey later this year. Stay tuned sports fans!