OTTAWA — Take a bow, Ottawa. "Ya done good."

The NHL put a red ribbon around the All-Star Weekend with an entertaining game at Scotiabank Place only a field goal separated Team Alfredsson from Team Chara in a 12-9 spectacle where good cheer and camaraderie trumped competition all day long.

At the close of a week that has celebrated Daniel Alfredsson's 16-year Ottawa career, the venerable Senators captain did not disappoint, scoring twice, including a gorgeous solo effort that had coaches and players on both sides stopping to applaud mid-game. As Alfredsson stood at the faceoff circle, unable to contain his grin, fellow Swedes Henrik and Daniel Sedin tapped their hockey sticks in tribute, as the familiar Beautiful Day, Alfredsson's U2 goal song, filled Scotiabank Place.

Afterward, Alfredsson termed the week-long adoration from fans and players "almost overwhelming."

Beautiful Day it was, to cap a terrific week for the all-star festival in the nation's capital. As it did when the 2009 World Junior Championships took over the city and region, Ottawa at large demonstrated a capacity for staging the large event.

"The whole weekend has been beyond what I expected as far as the amount of electricity in the air," said Senators owner Eugene Melnyk.

"The people stepped up and really became ambassadors for the city of Ottawa."

And if the weather didn't always cooperate, limiting some of the events planned for the Rideau Canal, organizers and revelers adapted and made the best of it. Melnyk himself kept his skates on the sidelines.

"I had my skates sharpened just before I got on the plane," said Melnyk, laughing. "I was looking forward to spending a lot of time on the ice and it just didn't happen."

It happened elsewhere this week, though, happened on the streets and in the bars and hotel lobbies.

Especially, it happened at Fan Fair, where the crush of people was so enormous on Saturday afternoon, potential attendees would have demolished Convention Centre fire regulations had they all been allowed in.

As it was, fans made like sardines inside the building, grinding through the masses to find hockey heroes and hockey souvenirs. As if his ego needed a boost, retired forward Jeremy Roenick received the rock star treatment and even ex-Senator Tom Chorske was mobbed.

Kids walked out of the building armed with autographs on programs, hockey cards, jerseys and even the plaster casts of injured minor hockey players.

Between Thursday and Saturday, nearly 30,000 people attended Fan Fair at the new Convention Centre, where so many NHL all stars and former players were milling around it was all but impossible not to meet and greet a hero of some degree.

All-access-all-the-time might have been the theme. To an unprecedented degree, players were available to fans and media off the ice and via miked-up situations during the fantasy pool draft, skills competition and Sunday's game.

Who didn't enjoy hearing Montreal Canadiens' Carey Price chirp fellow goalie Jimmy Howard of the Detroit Red Wings for a casual effort during the fastest skater competition.

"Did you get your heart rate over 80?" Price asked Howard.

"It's for the fans, everything we do the whole week is for the fans to enjoy," said Toronto Maple Leafs forward Joffrey Lupul, who endured the heat of a few boorish fans during Thursday's fantasy draft.

"It's about more than the game," Lupul said. "Being miked during a game shows fans another side of the guys."

The week was a success from all perspectives.

"Whether it was at the rink or in the city, you could feel the atmosphere," said Marian Hossa of the Chicago Blackhawks, warmly received by his former teammates and fans in Ottawa. "It was well organized and we had so much fun. When I found out the game was here, I was looking forward to it because it's not just another game, but a special place to come."

His fellow Senators on Team Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, Erik Karlsson and Milan Michalek, were honoured to bring the world to Ottawa at the same time as sharing Alfredsson with the world. Having played in this city, Senators understand the privilege, Spezza said, but by having most of the greatest players in the game here is "a thank you to a great hockey city."

Nobody felt more special than Alfredsson, who said he may have to wait until his four kids were tucked into bed before he could put what he called a "surreal" personal experience into perspective.

"You don't dream of anything like this," Alfredsson said. "You don't know how to embrace it, really."

Melnyk said he will be thrilled if Alfredsson embraces it by doing what he does best - playing the game in this town for at least one more season.

"We are looking," Melnyk said, "at a living legend."

As they departed SBP on a feelgood Sunday, hockey fans agreed.

ALL-STAR WEEKEND BY THE NUMBERS

28,289

Number of people who attended the NHL Fan Fair over the three days it ran at the Ottawa Convention Centre.

29

The number of pre-sale Fan Fair tickets sold was 29 per cent higher than last year's event in Raleigh, North Carolina, according to NHL officials.

31,000+

Despite the high pre-sale numbers, last year's Fan Fair had still managed to attract more visitors, with more than 31,000 people going to the 2011 edition in North Carolina.

100,000

Number of square feet full of everything hockey-related that fans had to cover at the Fan Fair.

45

Number of current and former NHL players that came to the Fan Fair to sign autographs, do interviews, and meet fans, including five professional women's hockey players.

1,600,000

The audience which tuned in to watch the NHL All-Star Fantasy Draft on Thursday night.

1,500+

Amount of people registered for the Energizer Night Skate on Friday. The event was supposed to be held on the Rideau Canal, but was moved to the Rink of Dreams due to poor weather conditions.

100

Number of children who ended up donning headlamps and skating on the Rink of Dreams as part of the Energizer Night Skate.

75,000

Amount of money the Energizer Night Skate raised toward the Sens Foundation initiative of building 19 outdoor rinks around the city of Ottawa.

108.8

Speed, in miles per hour, Zdeno Chara's killer shot travelled in the hardest shot category during Saturday's skills competition, shattering his previous record of 105.9.

4

Number of times Chara broke his old record for the hardest shot on Saturday.

35,000,000

Estimated economic impact, in dollars, that the All-Star game weekend had on the local economy, according to event organizers.

Read previous columns by Wayne Scanlan at ottawacitizen.com.

He can be reached at wscanlan@ottawacitizen.com