Alfredsson was as bright as the sun-splashed grounds of the Scotiabank World Cup of Hockey Fan Village, where the Ottawa Senators legend and his wife, Bibbi, joined 100 other new Canadians at a special swearing-in ceremony Tuesday.

"Probably new pants," he said with a laugh, his right pocket having come apart a little at the seam. "I ripped my pants … but don't tell anyone!"

TORONTO -- Having taken his solemn oath less than an hour earlier, Daniel Alfredsson already knew how he was going to spend his first dollar as a Canadian citizen.

In the audience were the couple's four children: Hugo, Loui, Fenix and William. All were born in Ottawa, where their father played 17 seasons with the Senators, and already are dual citizens of Canada and Sweden.

Presided over by women's hockey icon Cassie Campbell-Pascall, the ceremony included all taking their citizenship oath and presented with a certificate from their new country. It ended with all pulling on Canada hockey jerseys, the same style being worn by Team Canada in the World Cup of Hockey.

"The last time I had a Canadian sweater on, I'd lost a bet with my [Senators] owner for the World Juniors," joked Alfredsson, 43, who's serving as a special World Cup adviser to Team Sweden. "It's a beautiful sweater and I know it means a lot to Canadians. But right now it's [Team Sweden's] blue and yellow that's in my heart in this tournament. Maybe if all things go well, it will be a Canada-Sweden final.

"We have Canadian sweaters [at home], the kids have them. This one is going to fit nicely in there with the blue and yellow and my Ottawa jerseys."

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After playing 1,246 games from 1995-2014, all in an Ottawa jersey but for 68 in his final season with the Detroit Red Wings, Alfredsson has heard "O Canada" many hundreds of times. On Tuesday, he stood with his wife and proudly sang the words while a giant Canadian flag flew in front of him on the video board of the Fan Village's main stage.

"It was a different feeling today, there's no question," Alfredsson said of hearing the national anthem for the first time as a citizen. "We knew this was going to be a special day for us, and we felt comfortable with all the hockey references.

"Usually when I've heard ["O Canada"] over the years, it's 90 seconds before puck drop. It's a song I know inside-out now because of all the games I played in the National Hockey League. It has a special meaning."

The citizenship ceremony was part of the World Cup of Hockey 2016 Legacy project, a multipronged initiative of the NHL and the NHL Players' Association that especially touches immigrants, refugees and other newcomers to Canada.

Video: Bettman on Alfredsson's Canadian citizenship ceremony

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman described Alfredsson and Bibbi as "an example of hockey and Canada as one" while speaking of the international melting pot the NHL has become.

"Our League was born in 1917, and in 2017 the NHL will celebrate our centennial," Commissioner Bettman said. "Let there be no doubt as to our citizenship. To quote the Canadian national anthem, Canada is hockey's home and native land.

"Canada is the heart and soul of hockey, and hockey is the heart and soul of Canada. 2017 will also mark the 125th anniversary of the donation of the Stanley Cup, our championship trophy and the most revered trophy in all of sports. Lord Stanley, the sixth Governor General of Canada, who donated the Cup on March 18, 1892, was born in London, England. The Cup he donated was crafted in Sheffield, England. Today, players from all over the world compete for the Stanley Cup."

Alfredsson and his wife, Swedish natives, became permanent residents of Canada in 2011. He arrived in Ottawa 21 years ago and noted Tuesday that the couple has lived almost their entire adult lives in this country.

"Obviously it's unique to become a citizen of a second country," Alfredsson said. "Hockey is what brought me over [from Sweden], and to have this [ceremony] happen during the World Cup in Canada is a very special day for me and my wife. We've established our roots here and our four kids were born in Ottawa, going to school here, playing hockey and playing sports in general."

Alfredsson spoke with a number of fellow new Canadians during the ceremony, saying he met people who had lived in Canada for a few years "and really love the country.

"As Cassie touched upon in her speech, Canada is a country of freedom of speech and freedom of religion," he said. "That's what I feel as well. That's what's special about this country. There's a real inclusiveness in terms of sexual preference, ethnicity and culture. That's what makes Canada great.

"It's the same thing with the World Cup here as well. You bring all these countries together and you get different hockey from Russia, Sweden, Canada. That's what makes a great hockey tournament. It's same thing for a country."

Video: The NHLPA unveils the 2016 Legacy Project