In their ongoing quest for playoff success, Maple Leafs management has attempted to expose players to no end of positive influences. The latest arrived Wednesday, when ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½â€™s all-time leading goal scorer and point getter walked into training camp.
Yes, that man watching practice in the camel cashmere sweater and the famously bald head was none other than Mats Sundin, fresh off a plane from hometown Stockholm. Not that everybody on the ice was immediately aware of his presence.
“Was he up there? Wow, I had no idea,†said Dennis Hildeby, the Marlies goaltender and Sundin’s fellow Swede. “That’s sick.â€
Without Matthews, Max Domi centred Mitch Marner and Matthew Knies at Wednesday’s practice.
Sundin, along with being a Hockey Hall of Famer who captained the Leafs for 11 seasons before his 2008 exit, was also captain of the Swedish national team that won Olympic gold in Turin in 2006. So if he’s a VIP in ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½, he’s downright royalty in his homeland.
“I just saw him at the end of practice. I couldn’t tell if that was him or not,†said Alex Nylander, the camp attendee and brother of William, also of Swedish heritage. “That’s awesome to see.â€
If the resident Swedes were chuffed, Leafs coach Craig Berube appeared nearly as excited by Sundin’s presence.
“Obviously he’s a great Leaf. Great captain here, great player. I’m so happy he’s here spending time with us, being around the guys, being around the coaches,†Berube said. “A guy like that, that played as long as he did and as good as a player as he was, has a lot of knowledge.â€
Sundin, speaking briefly to reporters, said he’s been spending much of his time on the home front, living life as the father of three children under 13.
“I am a hockey dad. I go to all the practices. It’s fun,†said the 53-year-old Sundin.
He’s not a hockey coach, mind you, although Sundin said one of his sons is coached by Niklas Kronwall, a defenceman on that 2006 Olympic gold-medal team and a member of Detroit’s 2008 Stanley Cup winner.
“So we’ve got a good coach,†Sundin said.
For all that, Sundin said he watches the Leafs regularly and is fully aware that his status as the franchise leader in goals is under imminent threat. Newly installed team captain Auston Matthews, third on the list behind Sundin and Darryl Sittler, needs 53 goals to replace Sundin at the top. Seeing as Matthews won his third Rocket Richard Trophy as the league’s top goal scorer with 69 last season, and has averaged 53 per 82 games since he arrived in the NHL, nobody would be surprised if it happened in the coming season. Matthews, for the record, was exempted from skating Wednesday for what the team called a “maintenance day†after he left practice early Tuesday with an upper-body injury.
Said Sundin of Matthews approaching the goal mark: “I’m sure he’s going to beat that soon. If he keeps up this pace, it’ll be over quick. It’s great to see. There’s so much talent on this team. Fun to watch.â€
Cost containment and leaner operations are a Rogers mantra. This week’s MLSE power shift is sure
Sundin is still a few hundred points clear of Matthews as the club’s all-time points leader. And certainly Sundin’s career resumé, though bereft of a Stanley Cup, includes far more post-season success than Matthews and his longest-running teammates can claim. The Sundin-captained Leafs made trips to the conference final in 1999 and 2002. Sundin was asked for his thoughts on what’s keeping this Matthews-era group, winners of one playoff series in eight trips to the post-season, from embarking on similarly deep voyages.
“I think ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ is a special place to play. It’s different than anywhere else in the league. And it’s going to take, I think more than anything, experience,†Sundin said. “It’s different than playing in Florida, for example. I talked to (fellow Swede and newly acquired Leafs defenceman) Oliver Ekman-Larsson (who won a Stanley Cup with the Panthers last season). I said: It’s a different market. No one recognizes you if you’re playing for Florida, whether you’re a star player or not. And you come here and everybody signs autographs if you’re on the Leafs … It puts more pressure on the players. But I think there’s no better place to play in the league than playing for the ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Maple Leafs. But also, you need to be really, really strong once you hit the playoffs to be able to win.â€
There are no secrets, no cheat codes. But Sundin, brought to town as a positive influence, offered these Leafs a simple bit of playoff advice.
“At the end of the day, it’s a hockey game like any other hockey game they play in their whole careers, and you win the same way you do anywhere else,†Sundin said. “I think you just keep going back to the playoffs and get another chance. There’s talent enough here to go far in the playoffs … I think experience will get them there.â€
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation