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Mats Sundin Hanging in Vancouver
by Alanah McGinley on 07/08/08 at 01:36 PM ET
Comments (13)
... or so sayeth Howard Berger on FAN 590 for the last two days, reporting it as a rumor (one that, apparently, only he has heard). So I’d continue to ignore Berger but it’s getting hard to—he keeps saying it and people keep asking about it.
While I have no idea if Sundin is (or was) in Vancouver this week, here are a couple things to consider:
(plus evening updates below...)
First, to my knowledge, none of the Vancouver beat writers have written a word about it. And while I happen to enjoy pointing out their flaws on occasion, I also prefer to think that none of them are idiots… if Sundin were around, I’d expect them to be stalking him like the NSA tracks terrorists.
Secondly, Berger is not always—how shall we say?-- entirely reliable.
So, in summary: Maybe Sundin has visited Vancouver in the last couple days, or maybe not. The point is that Canucks fans probably shouldn’t be taking Howard Berger’s word for it.
_______________
Randomly, here’s Mats Sundin starring in The Nutcracker ballet last year:
And you can see him on video here.*
It’s worrisome, the damage that spending years in Toronto can do to one’s reputation…
_____________
Update 6:08pm PT: More about Sundin…
“I want to give him a little time to get his head around playing here and the team that we have,” said Mike Gillis, who will reduce the term to one year if that would lure Sundin.
Sweet geezus. Don’t get me wrong: at this point, I want Sundin and I feel it’s entirely his choice where he wants to play....
But I’m also starting to get the feeling I’m going to have to buy him a pony, soon.
_______________________
*thanks to Cheezencrackers for the image and link
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: fan590, howard+berger, mats+sundin,
Comments
I’d expect them to be stalking him like the NSA tracks terrorists.
Well, since bin Laden still hasn’t been found… 
Posted by Alan from Atlanta, GA, USA on 07/08/08 at 12:59 PM ET
That retraction on Avery was completely incorrect. I listened to the radio show where he said it, and what he said was that a player on the team confirmed it by saying “I couldn’t believe he said that”. Maybe he got ahead of himself, but in no way was he wrong. The retraction was damage control, not the truth.
Posted by Chris on 07/08/08 at 01:44 PM ET
A few observations:
I, for one, think you are being much too hard on Howard Berger. He has proven again and again that he’s on the cutting edge of breaking news in the NHL. I mean, you need look no further for proof than the photo you yourself posted, with Howard on the left, Bruce Garrioch in the center and Mats on the right.
On a related note, during the video, a comment was made that “this was the most excited they ever saw Mats about a request.” With that thought in mind, it’s much more easy to understand why he’s stayed in Toronto for all these years with the circus that is MLSE. Perhaps Tampa Bay should take a run at him? Or maybe the Blues could bring back that wacky “blue note” jersey and promise to only play calliope music at their home games?
Finally, with it being “The Nutcracker,” I really would have expected a guest appearance by Eddie Belfour.
Posted by YzermanZetterberg on 07/08/08 at 01:57 PM ET
No matter how horrible some of the Canucks uniforms (excluding the retro blue and green ones) have been, nothing could possibly compare with that getup. Although for $10 million a year…
It takes an awfully good sport to do that. 
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 07/08/08 at 04:46 PM ET
bcrt -- If so, they fooled me and a lot of my emailers. (But I didn’t listen to the entire shows either day, just enough to agree with people who wrote me. So I guess their “joking around” made us all wonder a bit!)
Alan -- Good point. And after this post went online, a couple local radio stations promptly started reporting that two-day old rumor, so maybe they just need a nudge sometimes.
Chris— Thanks for the interpretation. All I meant to say was pretty much what you said… Berger gets a bit ahead of himself. Perhaps I should have used a better example. (There are more than a few...)
YzermanZetterberg -- Smartass. (Yet, funny...!)
Baroque -- Such a good point—that ballet thing makes the Canucks jersey history look awesome by comparison! (and you’re also right about this: Sundin is clearly a good sport.)
Posted by Alanah McGinley from British Columbia on 07/08/08 at 07:38 PM ET
I feel so bad for Mats Sundin. He’s been in the Leafs organization for so long, it seems like he’s lost all joy for the game.
I think that’s why he’s taking so long for him to decide if he wants to come back. He’d rather be off enjoying his life than playing fora team that’s going to struggle to compete. JP Barry surely is urging him to take the two years, but I don’t think he really wants to do it.
As a Wings fan, I love that we got Hossa, but I’ll always wonder if playing with his countrymen for a good organization could have given Sundin the storybook ending he deserved.
Posted by Jayo from Toronto on 07/08/08 at 09:02 PM ET
What’s wrong with a pony? When I was a little boy in Poland, we all had ponies. My sister had pony, my cousin had pony...so what’s wrong with that? He was a beautiful pony, and I loved him!
Posted by eyebleaf from Toronto on 07/09/08 at 01:35 AM ET
Ponies are nice. But I figure the major selling point is still that $20 million.
Just a note about Berger’s Sundin-in-Vancouver rumor… Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun just talked to another host on FAN590 today and clarified that Sundin was NOT in Vancouver this week—he’s still happily vacationing in Sweden.
(This episode of As The Canucks Turn will be back shortly...)
Posted by Alanah McGinley from British Columbia on 07/09/08 at 12:01 PM ET
What’s wrong with a pony? When I was a little boy in Poland, we all had ponies. My sister had pony, my cousin had pony...so what’s wrong with that? He was a beautiful pony, and I loved him!
Well, I’m sure you did. Who wouldn’t love a pony? Who wouldn’t love a person that had a pony?
>> YOU, you said so!
I’m sure at the time in Poland, they were very common. They were probably like compact cars.
Who leaves a country packed with ponies to come to a non-pony country?
Who figures and immigrant’s gonna have a pony?
Posted by Dubble_AA from Vancouver on 07/10/08 at 05:56 PM ET
does Ponikarovsky have a pony? Signed, just curious.
Posted by Percy Weaver from New York on 07/10/08 at 07:21 PM ET
Why would Sundin give up one woeful team to come to one that is even worse?
I think our meddling owners will decimate the Canucks in short order.
We are heading for last place this year. Our coach is being held onto so he can be fired in October when they have lost 10 in a row.
Posted by tom from vancouver on 07/11/08 at 12:54 AM ET
The
pony bit is a Seinfeld reference?
Posted by Mark on 07/14/08 at 01:17 AM ET
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About Canucks & Beyond
Alanah McGinley has been blogging hockey since 2003, sharing opinions, rants and not-so-deep thoughts with anyone who will listen. In addition to writing Canucks & Beyond and helping manage Kukla’s Korner, Alanah is one of the founders and co-hosts of The Crazy Canucks Podcast, as featured at Canucks.com.
She has contributed pieces to FoxSports.com and the New York Times Slapshot blog, as well as other stray destinations in cyberspace.
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Other Canucks Blogs
I think Berger and Farraway are just joking around.
Posted by bcrt2000 on 07/08/08 at 12:55 PM ET