Mats Sundin is getting into more feuds with National Hockey League referees than former boss Pat Quinn.
Last night in Montreal it was a non-call on a high stick by Garth Murray that infuriated the captain, causing him to cuss out referees Bill McCreary and Stephane Auger and then blow off reporters for a second time on this trip.
In a 3-2 loss in a shootout to the New York Islanders on Thursday, Sundin felt he was robbed of a goal by Kerry Fraser and did not speak to the media afterward.
When Cliff Fletcher and Bill Watters were contemplating the shocking deal that would bring Mats Sundin to Toronto almost 13 years ago, they picked the brain of former captain Darryl Sittler.
The proposed swap would cost the Maple Leafs fan favourite Wendel Clark, but Sittler and the rest of the Toronto braintrust still saw an upside to the transaction.
"Cliff just had a vision and foresight where the team was headed," Sittler said yesterday. "Wendel was very popular and talented, but there were very few opportunities to get such a talented young gun like Mats.
Mats Sundin is just three goals away from catching Darryl Sittler for the most goals as a Maple Leaf. Sittler had 389. Sundin has 386. But the current captain took his usual approach when it comes to milestones.
"During the season, it's nothing you're really focused on," he said. "We have day-to-day goals and the next games, that's obviously where all my focus is. I understand how many goals are left and all that but it's nothing I'm really thinking about. It happens whenever it happens and we'll go from there."
The theory, one that's held up through countless line combinations over the years, is that centre Mats Sundin has almost always been teamed with inferior wingers in order to elevate the play of his linemates.
Now, finally, it appears Sundin's wingers are helping him.
Since being reunited with bulky bookends Alexei Ponikarovsky and Nik Antropov, the Maple Leafs captain has been playing with a greater ferocity and edge than at any point the season. It's likely no coincidence.
Every year after the all-star break, Mats Sundin undergoes a transformation.
Jeff O'Neill says the affable Swede becomes "intense." Chad Kilger adds that the Leafs captain's tone is more "serious." And, according to John Pohl, Sundin's clear blue eyes even turn blood red.
These observations cause the 36-yearold to laugh. But there is no denying that Sundin, who has six goals and 13 points in the past 10 games, has been a different kind of animal since the all-star break.
It was a night to celebrate the Maple Leafs' past but, when the tributes were over, Mats Sundin also bolstered Toronto fans' hope for the immediate future.
Sundin, a captain with an impeccable sense of occasion, dished out the in-your-face hockey that has sparked the club in its late-season push for a playoff spot and his two goals included the hard-earned winner in a 4-3 victory over Edmonton.
The Toronto Maple Leafs gained sole possession of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference after being inspired by a ceremony honoring their last Stanley Cup victory 40 years ago.
Mats Sundin and John Pohl and each scored twice and the Maple Leafs held on for a 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night.
Sundin scored his seventh goal in the last 10 games for the Maple Leafs, who moved two points ahead of Montreal and the New York Islanders -- who both lost.
John Pohl was born 13 years after Toronto's last Stanley Cup triumph but still got a kick out of meeting the '67 Maple Leafs before Saturday night's game.
"It was really cool, they came to see us before the game in the dressing room," Pohl said. "It was really nice to meet the guys. And it was a nice ceremony. I think it did give us a boost."
Pohl and captain Mats Sundin scored two goals apiece to lift the Leafs to a 4-3 win over the reeling Edmonton Oilers, the present-day edition of the hockey club giving the 19,599 fans at Air Canada Centre reason to dream at least of a playoff berth with yet another strong effort.
No one wants to scratch the Maple Leafs' 40-year Stanley Cup itch more than captain Mats Sundin.
Constantly reminded that the franchise has not hoisted the coveted silver mug since 1967, Sundin has handled the pressure with the type of class his coach admires.
Toronto captain Mats Sundin had a goal and an assist as the Maple Leafs snapped a three-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory over the Flyers at Philadelphia last night.
The Flyers were without captain Peter Forsberg, who was traded to the Nashville Predators before the game for right-winger Scottie Upshall, defenceman Ryan Parent, and two draft picks.
Jeff O'Neill, Niki Antropov, and Carlo Colaiacovo also scored for Toronto, which had won seven of eight before their losing streak.
Peter Forsberg should feel fortunate that he was forced to sit this one out.
Scratched from the lineup during the pre-game skate because he had been traded to Nashville, Forsberg could only watch as the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2 at the Wachovia Center on Thursday.
Toronto led 3-0 by the 14-minute mark in winning its fourth straight over Philadelphia and sixth in the last seven showdowns.
All Mats Sundin wants for his 36th birthday is a win.
He doesn't care if there's no party tonight. He isn't asking for cake or candles. Considering his age, he wouldn't mind at all if the whole birthday matter went unnoticed.
And one more thing: He doesn't want a trade. Not today. Not at the deadline. Maybe not ever.
Mats Sundin turns 36 today, but his stellar play of late suggests the Toronto Maple Leafs captain still has plenty of hockey left in him.
"Physically and mentally I feel as strong as I ever have," Sundin said yesterday after practice at Air Canada Centre.
He's playing his best hockey of the season since the all-star break, collecting points in all seven games (four goals, five assists) while lifting his team back into the Eastern Conference playoff race.
It was 13 days after Mats Sundin turned 35 last year that the Swedish hockey captain received a belated birthday present in the form of an Olympic gold medal.
This year, it is obvious what the captain of the Maple Leafs desires. But unlike Ray Bourque, Sundin said Monday that he is not willing to win a championship in any other city than Stanley Cup-starved Toronto.
All Mats Sundin wants for his 36th birthday is a win.
He doesn't care if there's no party tonight. He isn't asking for cake or candles. Considering his age, he wouldn't mind at all if the whole birthday matter went unnoticed.
And one more thing: He doesn't want a trade. Not today. Not at the deadline. Maybe not ever.
Mats Sundin turns 36 on Tuesday, but his stellar play of late suggests the Toronto Maple Leafs captain still has plenty of hockey left in him.
"Physically and mentally I feel as strong as I ever have," Sundin said Monday after practice at Air Canada Centre. He's playing his best hockey of the season since the all-star break, collecting points in all seven games (four goals, five assists) while lifting his team back into the Eastern Conference playoff race.
The ninth-place Leafs sit two points behind eighth-place Carolina and face another big one Tuesday night against the 10th-place New York Islanders, who are only one point behind Toronto.
Mats Sundin turns 36 today and the captain's only wish is to win a Stanley Cup with the Leafs .
Calling Toronto his "home," captain Mats Sundin said he has no desire to leave the Maple Leafs even if it meant a more realistic shot at winning the Stanley Cup elsewhere.
"I think my feelings have been that I really want to stay and be a Maple Leaf," he said yesterday, on the eve of his 36th birthday but, more significantly, two weeks before the NHL trade deadline.
"I've never had the desire to – or never looked at it that way, anyway – that if our team doesn't make the playoffs, I want to go somewhere else just to win.
It was 13 days after Mats Sundin turned 35 last year that the Swedish hockey captain received a belated birthday present in the form of an Olympic gold medal.
This year, it is obvious what the captain of the Maple Leafs desires. But unlike Ray Bourque, Sundin said yesterday that he is not willing to win a championship in any other city than Stanley Cup-starved Toronto.
"I think winning a championship is a season-long experience," he said. "I shouldn't say that. There's lots of guys that won Stanley Cups just playing in the playoffs. It's almost a season in itself.
Mats Sundin turns 36 on Tuesday, but his stellar play of late suggests the Toronto Maple Leafs captain still has plenty of hockey left in him.
"Physically and mentally I feel as strong as I ever have," Sundin said Monday after practice at Air Canada Centre.
He's playing his best hockey of the season since the all-star break, collecting points in all seven games (four goals, five assists) while lifting his team back into the Eastern Conference playoff race.
