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Maple Leafs legend Mats Sundin looks back in 㽶ƵֱHome and Away㽶Ƶֱ

Longtime Toronto hockey star never realized his dream of hoisting a Stanley Cup in the city
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The cover of a new book on former Toronto Maple Leafs hockey player Mats Sundin is shown in a handout. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Simon & Schuster Canada

Mats Sundin was in a familiar place. Everything was also very different.

It was February 2009. The former captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs was back in his second home 㽶Ƶֱ only this time as a member of the opposition.

Sundin had signed with the Vancouver Canucks after 13 seasons under the brightest of spotlights in hockey㽶Ƶֱs biggest media market.

The Swedish centre jolted out of his hotel bed that cold Saturday morning. Sweat dripped down his brow. In his mind㽶Ƶֱs eye, a scenario had just played out in the Leafs㽶Ƶֱ locker room. The crowd was roaring. His team needed him.

And Sundin㽶Ƶֱs skate laces kept breaking.

㽶ƵֱFor a team captain, there㽶Ƶֱs no worse feeling,㽶Ƶֱ he writes. 㽶ƵֱIt㽶Ƶֱs my perfect nightmare.㽶Ƶֱ

That scene opens Sundin㽶Ƶֱs book 㽶ƵֱHome and Away,㽶Ƶֱ which tracks a path that began with his parents and two brothers outside Stockholm and eventually led to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

He dives into the pressures and anxieties of being the first European selected No. 1 overall at the NHL draft, getting traded by the Quebec Nordiques to Toronto for franchise icon Wendel Clark, and the turbulent end to his time with the Leafs.

It㽶Ƶֱs those campaigns with the Original Six club 㽶Ƶֱ including the last 11 as captain 㽶Ƶֱ that make up the bulk of Sundin㽶Ƶֱs engaging prose alongside co-author Amy Stuart.

㽶ƵֱThe Maple Leafs㽶Ƶֱ history is long and storied and complicated,㽶Ƶֱ he writes. 㽶ƵֱLeafs Nation is bigger than hockey. It㽶Ƶֱs its own universe.㽶Ƶֱ

Sundin arrived in Toronto in 1994 after the trade for the hard-nosed Clark. Things didn㽶Ƶֱt go according to plan early. There was a feeling in many hockey circles back then that teams with an abundance of European talent couldn㽶Ƶֱt win.

㽶ƵֱThe first years were a shock,㽶Ƶֱ Sundin said in a phone interview from Stockholm. 㽶ƵֱWendel Clark, the most popular Leaf at that point 㽶Ƶֱ being traded for him. A lot of challenges to try to earn the respect of the fans.㽶Ƶֱ

That respect would eventually come.

Sundin ended up as the Leafs㽶Ƶֱ all-time leader in goals (420) and points (987), although current captain Auston Matthews is on course to smash both marks. His 1,349 points across 18 NHL seasons ranks 30th in league history.

Team success, however, would never truly materialize with Toronto.

There were a few memorable playoff runs and a trip to the 2002 Eastern Conference final, but Sundin wasn㽶Ƶֱt able to get a club with a Cup drought dating back to 1967 over the hump.

And then with his career winding down and Toronto nowhere close to contending in the winter of 2008, uncomfortable questions about his future started to swirl. A media circus ensued.

Sundin had a no-movement clause in his contract. General manager Cliff Fletcher, who made the deal for Clark in 1994, was back with Toronto and aiming to retool the roster.

The veteran executive met with Sundin at the team㽶Ƶֱs hotel before a game in Carolina and asked if he would agree to be dealt to a contender.

Sundin understood the situation, but the Leafs weren㽶Ƶֱt that far out of a playoff spot. He declined management㽶Ƶֱs request with the trade deadline looming.

㽶ƵֱWhy it was even harder was that I had a really strong season,㽶Ƶֱ Sundin told CP. 㽶ƵֱAnd after 13 years with the team, 11 years as the captain, there was so much effort and will to try to win a Stanley Cup as a Toronto Maple Leaf.

㽶ƵֱIt felt like the right thing to do.㽶Ƶֱ

He also understood the business of the game.

㽶ƵֱToronto had a chance to get some youth,㽶Ƶֱ continued Sundin, who now lives in Stockholm with wife Josephine and their three kids. 㽶ƵֱBut I always saw myself trying to win that Cup for the Maple Leaf fans.㽶Ƶֱ

The club, however, failed to make the playoffs and Sundin missed the end of the season with an injury. He took the summer to contemplate his next move, which he thought was retirement.

But eventually the fire reignited, Sundin got back training and signed with the Canucks.

Fast-forward a few months later and he was receiving a standing ovation at Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

Later that night, the game was on his stick in the shootout. There was no chance Sundin would miss.

㽶ƵֱI spent 15 years imagining my last game in Toronto,㽶Ƶֱ he writes. 㽶ƵֱIn my dream version, my final game was playing for the Stanley Cup. We win the Cup in front of a home crowd, and an entire city unleashes before our eyes.㽶Ƶֱ

Sundin played his final NHL season in Vancouver. The Cup never materialized, but that night was special, if not strange.

㽶ƵֱI did score the winning goal,㽶Ƶֱ he adds later. 㽶ƵֱBut it wasn㽶Ƶֱt the dream ending. There㽶Ƶֱs no Cup to hoist, only a flight to catch.㽶Ƶֱ





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