Daniel Alfredsson scored way too many points off the ice as a Senator to go from hero to bum in anyone's eyes over the course of two news conferences.

But after tarnishing his legacy by bolting for the Detroit Red Wings as a free agent, he did etch another black mark during his Ottawa farewell Thursday.

A full 228 months after he was drafted by the local NHL team, Alfredsson explained his decision to jump ship by stating the Red Wings had a better chance of winning the Cup. At The Royal a few weeks later -- wearing his hair longer than we've ever seen it, as well as a dark blue suit and beige shoes -- the slick Swede acknowledged his lie.

"I wish I could have taken that comment back," he said, adding that Detroit and Ottawa are both "great" teams and repeating his belief that once you get into the playoffs, anything can happen.

Alfredsson is allowed the mulligan. He's no oddsmaker, and the summation was made while addressing an extremely sensitive subject before he really had time to think of a better excuse. He knew that's not why he was leaving, but he also didn't want to trash the Senators for what he felt was a negotiation blunder.

On Thursday, he had no trouble throwing them to the curb.

At least you had to appreciate the fact he reverted back to his honest self. It's difficult for anyone to own up to a fib, and as he clutched wife Bibi's hand while waiting his turn to speak in the hospital gymnasium -- then rose to read from what might be the first prepared script he ever held -- the former captain looked nervous.

He was going good, though, saying all the proper thank-yous and goodbyes, occasionally injecting his familiar humorous one-liners and flashing his winning smile. Then, the greatest sportsman this city has ever known and one of the classiest individuals you'll ever meet suddenly let his guard down and revealed himself as just another greedy athlete.

He acknowledged the move was all about the money.

Without repeating Alfredsson's chronology of how it all went down, the bottom line is he would have been handsomely rewarded had he stayed put. As well paid as he will be with the Red Wings? Maybe, or maybe a few hundred thousand shy of that. So a guy who has earned between $60-70 million from the Senators is going to a dump like Detoilet -- and if you have ever visited Motown's downtown, you can't object to that classification -- over a measly mil?

It's nice that he's taking the family on a "new adventure," but the Alfredssons aren't exactly on their way to Disney World. The boys are being torn from their friends and schools and hockey programs, and while their new house is sure to be in a ritzy neighbourhood, it's not like Hugo and Loui will be able to play road hockey outside Joe Louis Arena while dad is at practice. The sticks would be stolen out of their hands.

This split shouldn't be placed all on Alfredsson's shoulders, either. There is plenty of blame to go around. Agent J.P Barry should have scoffed at GM Bryan Murray's offer and actually earned his percentage by working for a better deal. Alfredsson, who clearly felt disrespected, should have been kept in the dark until Murray placed everything on the table he possibly could. At that point, Barry should have advised Alfredsson to sign here, because here is where he belongs.

Yes, Alfredsson "earned the right" to go to another team. Under the CBA, all players do after seven years. But Alfredsson is not just another player. Not in Ottawa. Here, he was a pillar of the community. He was bigger than life. He had Senators red running through his veins, even if he never fully understood the magnitude of his importance.

At a local mall recently, he was approached by four people over the age of 65 who pleaded with him not to leave.

"I almost started crying," Alfredsson said.

The moaning and whining Thursday came from the media who felt shortchanged by the time allotted for questions. Andree Steel, the Royal Ottawa Foundation's president and CEO, mishandled the event. She allowed queries from fans, but later cut a TV reporter off in mid-sentence and missed the raised hands of other reporters. Alfredsson signed autographs -- there were more than 100 people lined up outside the gym waiting for him -- but left to his doing, it's hard to believe he would have limited the Q and A to the 12 minutes it was.

Lastly, Senators owner Eugene Melnyk warrants more than a share of criticism for the whole mess. He deserves the lion's portion.

If Murray was responsible for gambling that Alfredsson wouldn't consider playing anywhere else, his boss should have actually instructed him to offer the "blank cheque" we were once led to believe existed.

Is Alfredsson, at age 40, worth $7 million a year? Of course not. As strictly a player, like he will be in Detroit, he's valued about right at $3.5 million plus bonuses. But for all he's done as a Senator, what he means to Ottawa and what he can still bring, $7 million is a bargain.

If Melnyk doesn't see that, or couldn't afford such an amount while acquiring Bobby Ryan, then we should all be worried for the Senators.

Maybe that's what Alfredsson thought, too. Maybe that's the real reason he left.

Twitter: @SunDoniB