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A fairytale ending in Toronto for Mats Print
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Written by Scott Rosts   
Sunday, December 27, 2009 00:00

Some thought Mats Sundin, wearing a Vancouver Canucks uniform, would be booed in his final game in Toronto. Before the puck dropped, even the press row crowd couldn’t help but smile.

Editor's note: This is the sixth in a series highlighting the NHL's most memorable and important moments of the decade, as chosen by HPT staff writers.
Without opening up his veins, it is safe to say that Mats Sundin bled blue and white.

Some say when he retired this fall, he left the game as the best Toronto Maple Leaf ever.

While that's up for debate, without a doubt Sundin was a golden boy in Toronto for 13 seasons. He was a leader, a class act and the top scorer for the Maple Leafs in all but one of those seasons. All this was remembered and celebrated during his last game at Air Canada Centre in Toronto — and he wasn't even wearing a Maple Leafs jersey.

Scott Rosts' All-Decade selections:

• Best Forward: Alex Ovechkin, Washington

Ovechkin has only played half of the decade, but how do you count him out as one of the most exciting, hyped and dominating forwards. His 65 goals in 2007-2008 was the most by any player in more than a decade. Rookie of the year in 2005-2006, Ovechkin followed that up just a couple of years later with the Rocket Richard, Art Ross, Hart Memorial and Lester B. Pearson trophies in that dominating 07-08 campaign. He is the only player to win all four awards since the start of the Richard trophy in '99. He sells the game and is huge on the ice.

• Best Defenseman: Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit

Next stop for Lidstrom is the Hall of Fame with the stats and trophies (including Stanley Cups) he is stacking up. 

• Best Goaltender: Martin Brodeur, New Jersey 

He continues to break NHL records and still appears to have some time left to even build further on his NHL best-ever totals. Toss in some trophies, Stanley Cups and general domination and he is the top netminder. He’s setting the bar higher and higher. 

• Executive of the Decade: Ken Holland, Detroit

He has put together a masterpiece in Detroit. A couple of Stanley Cups this decade, in 2002 and '08, not to mention multiple Presidents Trophy winners. Great underrated draft picks that grow up in the system. He is in a league of his own. 

• Coach of the Decade: Mike Babcock, Detroit/Anaheim

Hard to ignore his resume, much like Holland. The Cups, division titles, Presidents Trophies. Well deserving of the 2010 Olympics head coach post for Team Canada.

• Best Game: May 4, 2009, Eastern Conference semifinals.

Sidney Crosby tallies his first playoff hat trick. So does Ovechkin. "Sick game. Sick three goals by me and Crosby," said Ovechkin after the game. It was an example of why the two players are dubbed the best in the game, and why there is such a hot rivalry whenever they meet. 

• Best Team Over One Season: 2000-01 Colorado Avalanche

While tempted to go with the following year’s Cup champs in Detroit, I’ll go this route. The names include Forsberg, Sakic, Hejduk, Drury, Blake, Tanguay, and, most importantly, Ray Bourque. Oh yeah, in net, Patrick Roy. One-hundred eighteen points, 52 wins; Sakic won the Hart, Lady Byng and Pearson trophies and finished three points shy of Jagr for the scoring title. And most importantly, No. 77 raised the Stanley Cup. Classy Sakic handed it over almost right away. It was the best season the Avs ever had. 

• Best Team (Over One Season) Not To Win the Stanley Cup: San Jose Sharks, practically any year.

They have been Cup favorites for years, stacked with talent, but haven’t had success in the playoffs — in fact, they haven’t made it to even the conference finals despite four 100-point seasons. They particularly should have excelled in 2008-09, their Presidents Trophy year. They were knocked out by the eighth-seed Ducks in the first round.

• Most Important Figure: Sidney Crosby.

The young superstar is the golden boy of the game in Canada and the youngest Stanley Cup-winning captain at 22. He's always one of the top players in the game, has sparked a well-publicized and well-watched rivalry with Alex Ovechkin (see last year’s playoff series), is polite and is hugely marketable for the league.

For a hockey fan, and a Leaf fan since age six (that's almost 24 years now), covering that Feb. 21, 2009, game wasn't just my hockey highlight of the decade. It's my all-time hockey highlight, and it snuck up on me. I wasn't there to cover Mats' return; a fellow reporter and I actually had our credentials before Sundin had signed with the Canucks earlier in the season. The plan was to cover a rare return to the area by Kevin Bieksa, a Vancouver defenseman who makes his home in the Niagara Region. When Mats signed with the Canucks, it was just the icing on the cake.

Some may wonder what all the hype about Mats Sundin is for; he was an NHL all-star in multiple seasons, but never won a major individual award or Stanley Cup. 
For Leafs fans, he was the bright light during some dark seasons.

Sundin was dealt from Quebec to Toronto on June 28, 1994 with Garth Butcher, Todd Warriner and a first-round pick (traded to Washington, who took Nolan Baumgartner), for Wendel Clark, Sylvain Lefebvre, Landon Wilson and a first-rounder (Jeff Kealty). It was draft day, and growing up in a hockey hotbed near Toronto, I was listening on the radio.

Many questioned the deal at the time. Sundin had been taken with the first overall draft pick five years earlier, had a major upside and strong numbers. But Clark was the club's captain, a fan favorite and coming off a career season with 46 goals in 64 games, plus two great playoff runs in 1992-93 and 1993-94.

Sundin was never able to lead the Leafs as deep in the playoffs, but he played right into the hearts of fans, and the record book, as the club's all-time leading scorer. The Swedish superstar played in 981 career games for the blue and white, registering 420 goals, 567 assists and 987 points, along with 748 penalty minutes. He remains the team's all-time leader in goals, points, game-winning goals (79) and overtime goals (14). 

After minimal playoff success the first few years of the decade, things went downhill for the Leafs. After advancing in six consecutive seasons prior to the 2004-05 lockout, Toronto has been locked out of the postseason since. Mats was the bright light for fans. He led the team on and off the ice, whether leading the team in scoring or lending a helping hand in the community. He remained excellent on the ice, and likely locked up a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame with his incredible numbers. His stature was so big that, when he put his house for sale in Toronto in 2006, the local media suddenly hopped on the real estate beat, creating a buzz of speculation about his future.

In 2008, signs of the end arrived. The Leafs were out of playoff contention and with Sundin set to become a free agent on July 1, trade rumors went into overdrive. Being the class act he was, however, Sundin said he would not waive his no-trade clause, stating that he did not believe in being a "rental player" and that if he won the Stanley Cup, he wanted to do it over the course of a whole season.

After he became a free agent Sundin held out for months before signing with Vancouver. He made his Canucks debut Jan. 7, 2009 and, just a month and a half later, found himself back in the spotlight in Toronto.

The hype began well before Sundin took to the ice. 
The big question was whether or not Sundin would be booed when he took the ice. Some felt he should have waived his no-trade clause to bring the team future draft picks, if not other, younger talents. Others complained that he never led Toronto to a Stanley Cup.

Still others felt he deserved a large standing ovation. He had earned the respect of Leafs fans and shouldn't have his no-trade clause held against him — management had offered one, after all. On top of that, Sundin was never given prime talent to play with. Could you win the Stanley Cup lining up with Jonas Hoglund on your top line? The Toronto brass, said this school of thought, was guilty of not providing Sundin some help when he was in his prime.

It was a coveted game for journalists across Canada, who only added to the announced sellout crowd of 19,504. When Sundin first stepped on the ice at Air Canada Centre, he was welcomed with a chorus of boos, mixed in with some cheers. The moment to remember came soon after, when the Leafs played a video tribute, complete with Sundin's biggest Toronto moments, on the scoreboard during a TV break in the first period. It ended with the words "Thank you Mats." A standing ovation ensued and lasted as long as three minutes. Fighting back tears, Sundin waved to the crowd from the visiting bench.  When he took the ice for his first shift, even the referees took time to let Sundin collect himself, backing away momentarily before dropping the faceoff. The cheers got louder and louder.

Even on press row, where cheering is verboten, it was still surreal to be there in person. I took it all in with a big, cheesy grin on my face, snapping photos to capture the moment.

After a back-and-forth game, the drama continued after a scoreless overtime period. Sundin provided the ending, tallying the shootout winner to seal the Canucks' 3-2 victory. The perfect conclusion was capped off when Sundin was named the game's first star. The longtime Maple Leafs captain skated onto the ACC ice for the last time of his career, waving and blowing kisses to the crowd, and bowing in gratitude to the fans.

"You dream about getting chances like that," Sundin told reporters after the game, "to be the deciding shooter, have breakaway at the end of game or an overtime goal."

He admitted he was crying a little, the outpouring of 13 years' worth of emotions. He appreciated the respect of the fans, calling it "amazing."

"No matter how this game would have ended it would never change my memories with the Leafs. It was always going to be the same," said Sundin. "The ovation from the fans was very special. I will remember that for the rest of my life."

Leafs fans, like myself, will remember it the rest of their lives, too.

(For a glimpse back at the moment and other highlights from the game, including his dramatic shootout winner, check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFzQHwZxyfM&feature=fvw)

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