Kukla's Korner Hockey
Entries with the tag: Mats+Sundin
Who Knew The Circus Was In Edmonton
by Paul on 01/07/09 at 06:50 PM ET
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from Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal,
If you didn’t know any better you’d have sworn Bruce Springsteen had brought his show to town Wednesday with the crush of the media around Sundin’s dressing room stall after the morning skate.
His stall is between the Sedins, proving you can split up the twins Henrik and Daniel. Sundin was expecting a somewhat ruder reception from the Oilers, more along the lines of body contact than eye contact with the media scrum, but he was clearly tickled to be back at work.
Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail is in Edmonton along with Damien Cox of the Toronto Star.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mats+Sundin,
Sundin Wants To Get One Good Practice In
by Paul on 01/04/09 at 06:55 PM ET
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from VancouverCanucks.com,
Both Mats Sundin and Vigneault have indicated that he will not play tonight and while Sundin will debut in a Canucks sweater tonight for jersey off our backs fan appreciation night, neither have a confirmed date for his debut in a Canucks sweater on skates.
“I haven’t even thought about dates to be honest with you,” said Sundin. “I’ll play it by day.”
Sundin continued skating in solo sessions while the team travelled to Nashville and Atlanta and participated in two game-day skates but has yet to join the team in a full practice since arriving at GM Place December 30.
“I think I need to skate with the team just once,” he said. “I haven’t had one practice yet with the whole group so I think getting a good practice, with two days, tomorrow and the next day, and then we can evaluate how everything feels.”
more on the Canucks…
Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mats+Sundin,
Afternoon Line
by Paul on 12/30/08 at 04:01 PM ET
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We all know it’s a long season and I missed the playoffs the last few seasons, so I’m going to do what I can to help the team get into the playoffs. That’s the most important thing, to secure a playoff spot.”
-Mats Sundin after his first practice with the Vancouver Canucks. More at the Vancouver Sun.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mats+Sundin,
Can Better Hockey Socks Help Prevent Injuries?
by Paul on 12/22/08 at 09:06 AM ET
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from Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province,
It has taken a self-inflicted wound to keep Teemu Selanne from inflicting more pain on the Vancouver Canucks tonight at GM Place. It has also reopened debate within the NHL Players Association whether players are properly protected from razor-sharp blades penetrating ultra-thin uniforms....
“You think about the socks and how much that plays a role in it and how thin they are these days,” Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa said Sunday. “I know I’ve spoken about it to a few people on the NHLPA and hopefully it’s something they address.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Kevin+Bieksa, Mats+Sundin,
Gambling Or Not
by Paul on 12/22/08 at 08:55 AM ET
Comments (1)
from Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun,
Now that he’s a Vancouver Canuck, all bets are off on whether Mats Sundin will play again and where.
But that doesn’t mean wagering and Sundin can’t be used in the same sentence. Aside from the daily (hourly?) updates regarding Sundin until the merciful conclusion last week, the Big Swede had been most visible as a so-called “celebrity supporter” of Pokerstars.net.
While not associated with sports wagering, the free poker website is affiliated with a play-for-cash one based in the Isle of Man, a haven for internet gaming. Sundin’s link to the wildly popular poker site hasn’t raised red flags with NHL brass officially, but the league is at least investigating the association.
“We need to understand the nature of the relationship and the entity it’s with before we have an official position,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told Sun Media via e-mail yesterday.
“But I don’t anticipate that it is inconsistent with any of our policies. Pokerstars does not accept wagers.”
continued plus more hockey notes…
Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mats+Sundin,
Advice For Sundin
by Paul on 12/19/08 at 06:19 PM ET
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from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,
Sundin is expected to make his debut with the Vancouver Canucks any time after New Year’s Day. He is 37, two-and-a-half years older than Niedermayer, with nearly 200 more NHL games played than the Anaheim defenceman.
“You’re stepping into a season [that is already] underway, where the team has got things going. Strategy-wise, personnel-wise … they’re already set with their D-partners, powerplay, penalty kill,” Niedermayer said. “And physically, there is a lot going on, obviously. Your legs, your hands…”…
“He has to have patience. His expectations will have to be a bit lower, at first,” Selanne warned Sundin. “It took me three weeks.”…
“It depends on how much intensity there has been in his workouts. You can’t know,” Carlyle said. “If it’s a sore hip, a sore groin, a sore back… Without the benefit of training camp, that’s one thing you have to be wary of. In essence, this is his training camp now.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mats+Sundin,
It’s All About The Money
by Paul on 12/19/08 at 07:51 AM ET
Comments (2)
from Larry Brooks of the NY Post,
Sundin followed his wallet instead of his heart. Good for him. Just one more mercenary the way pretty much professional athletes essentially are. They get it while they can, like most of us would....
The Rangers are going to lose any chance of competing for players who become available the rest of the year unless the general manager gets down to work and begins to create cap space for the rest of the season beyond the $1 million the Blueshirts now own.
Sundin went for the money. The Rangers didn’t have enough of it. Sather had better create cap space - and now - so that his team has enough of it when the next guy becomes available.
Filed in: NHL Teams, New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mats+Sundin,
Finally It Is Over
by Paul on 12/18/08 at 09:29 PM ET
Comments (1)
from Scott Burnside of ESPN,
What a sham this has been, this three-penny opera....
For months, the hockey world has been consumed with speculation and conjecture about where Mats Sundin would land as though he was some god descending upon Mount Olympus with a lighting bolt in his hand instead of a hockey stick and a résumé chock full of holes.
The great Swede has been mythologized and courted and coveted; and now, mercifully, he is back, if for no other reason, so we can stop wondering which team will be blessed with his presence.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mats+Sundin,
Evening Line
by Paul on 12/18/08 at 08:22 PM ET
Comments (1)
“I don’t think I’d be comfortable calling any team a contender other than maybe San Jose and Detroit, because they won last year. What we want to do is get into the playoffs and win round by round. For me, it’s more the process of how the team plays and the integrity it plays with. I know we’ll get results if we play that way.
“I think Mats is a great player that joins a good group of players committed to winning. I think we’re a better team for sure but I’m not going to place that label (Stanley Cup contender) on any team.”
-Canucks GM Mike Gillis at the press conference announcing the Sundin signing. More from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mats+Sundin, Mike+Gillis,
Report- Sundin A Canuck
by Paul on 12/18/08 at 06:07 PM ET
Comments (2)
If you only follow KK Hockey, then head over to Canucks & Beyond for all the news, which I am sure Alanah will be following.
added 6:36pm, I guess we can call Helene Elliott of the LA Times ‘crazy’. In early November I asked a few MSM what team Sundin would choose, Helene was the only one to say Vancouver!
Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mats+Sundin,
It Could Happen
by Paul on 12/18/08 at 02:31 PM ET
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from 24 Hours Vancouver,
JUNE 15, 2009: The Mats Sundin sweepstakes will end tonight.
The 38-year-old Swede will finally choose a team, but you won’t see him on ice.
The professional poker player and former Toronto Maple Leafs’ captain announced in a statement via agent J.P. Barry that he would declare his loyalty to the New York Rangers or San Jose Sharks, depending on which team is leading after two periods in tonight’s seventh and deciding game of the Stanley Cup finals.
Should the teams be tied, Sundin will choose the team that scores the go-ahead goal.
Filed in: NHL Teams | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mats+Sundin,
Did You Expect Anything Different?
by Paul on 12/18/08 at 08:17 AM ET
Comments (2)
from Larry Brooks of the NY Post,
Mats Sundin is waiting for the Rangers to clear enough cap space to present him with a full-season $6 million contract offer before he commits to joining the Blueshirts New York Rangers , The Post has learned.
Thus, with the NHL holiday roster freeze going into effect Friday night at midnight and lasting through midnight Dec. 27, Sundin - who has a $10M offer on the table from the Canucks that he obviously is in no hurry to accept - is likely to remain unsigned until late in the month.
added 10:21am, AM640 Toronto is reporting…
There will not be an annoucement from Mats Sundin, or his representatives today. Sundin’s Swedish agent, Claus Elefalk, says Sundin will indeed decide before Christmas, but there is no Friday deadline, and a decision may not come until next week.
Filed in: NHL Teams, New York Rangers | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mats+Sundin,
If Sundin Chooses The Rangers
by Paul on 12/17/08 at 09:54 AM ET
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from Larry Brooks of the NY Post,
If the Rangers are informed that Sundin is following his heart to Broadway rather than his wallet to Vancouver, the Rangers would be able to place players on waivers up until 3 p.m. New York time on Friday.
Though they technically do not have to clear salary-cap space until they actually register Sundin’s contract (which won’t take place until a day or two before the center is deemed ready to play in a game), their failure to trim or reorganize the roster by Friday means the Rangers would be carrying two or three dead men skating throughout the freeze.
That’s obviously not ideal for club unity or morale. Neither will it be good for club unity or morale if Sundin, who is returning to Stockholm for Christmas, begins practicing with the Rangers the last week of December with the current roster intact....
This means the most likely options would involve deleting Petr Prucha and Dan Fritsche from the roster. Making both moves by Friday would add approximately $1.565 millionto the $1 million in cap space they’re currently holding.
Filed in: NHL Teams, New York Rangers | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mats+Sundin,
Down To Two Teams For Sundin
by Paul on 12/15/08 at 03:12 PM ET
Comments (11)
from Bob McKenzie of TSN,
Unless someone pulls a rabbit out of the hat at the last minute, Mats Sundin will be, by the end of this week, either a Vancouver Canuck or a New York Ranger.
Sundin met with Rangers’ GM Glen Sather on the weekend, but sources say the Rangers have yet to formally indicate exactly how much they are prepared, or able (because of the salary cap), to pay Sundin. Once Sundin’s agent J.P. Barry gets that information, perhaps in the next 24 to 48 hours, Sundin is expected to make a final decision on where he will play....
In the meantime, Sundin is heading home to Sweden. He has completed his training in North America and plans to keep skating while in Sweden, spending Christmas there before joining his new NHL team immediately after that.
added 4:12pm, Bob McCown of Fan590 just reported he has been told Sundin has made his decision and he has chosen the New York Rangers. It will be announced later this week.
added 5:06pm, Link to Fan590 quoting Bob…
Update 6:12pm ET: (Alanah) TSN added to their story with this --
There had been speculation that Sundin had already made his decision and that he was about to sign with the Rangers, however Barry dismissed the rumours.
“No decision has been made,” Barry told TSN. “(It is) inaccurate speculation.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mats+Sundin,
Trouble May Be Ahead For Sundin
by Paul on 12/15/08 at 10:13 AM ET
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from Damien Cox of the Spin, his blog at the Toronto Star,
Mats Sundin, it would appear, has three choices.
Two make sense. One is a terrible risk.
The risky choice is to succumb to the pull of the hockey world and announce a return to the NHL sometime before Christmas.
This, it appears, is what most believe is going to happen. And that’s too bad.
See, the smarter choices for Sundin would be to either retire - which I’ve come to believe is what he really wants to do - or take the season off entirely and then join a new team next summer.
Jumping into the fray now is a recipe for trouble.
Filed in: NHL Teams | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mats+Sundin,
No To Sundin
by Paul on 12/11/08 at 11:09 AM ET
Comments (3)
from Steve Rosenbloom of Rosen Blog at the Chicago Tribune,
Sundin has never been on a champion. He chose not to try last season. How can you not question his heart or spine at this point? I’m not sure I’d want Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews exposed to a whiff of that mentality.
Right now, this Hawks team has shown wonderful character and focus. This Hawks team also is playing perhaps the most exciting brand of hockey in the league.
This Hawks team is not ready to beat Detroit in the playoffs, either.
So that’s the problem. I don’t think Sundin is the solution.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mats+Sundin,
Canucks Making Their Pitch For Sundin
by Paul on 12/05/08 at 09:20 PM ET
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from Matthew Sekeres of the Globe and Mail,
The Vancouver Canucks expect to speak with free-agent forward Mats Sundin this weekend, and they expect the former Toronto Maple Leafs captain will reach a decision on his NHL playing future in the next week....
...the biggest knock on Sundin joining the Canucks has been Vancouver’s extensive travel schedule. There was also the question whether the Canucks would be competitive in the Western Conference, as Sundin was expected only to consider teams that have a chance of winning the Stanley Cup.
But after next Saturday’s game against the Oilers, the Canucks will have played 19 of their 41 road games and have just two long trips remaining.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mats+Sundin,
Dater With Sundin Talk
by Paul on 12/05/08 at 08:58 AM ET
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from Adrian Dater of All Things Avs,
I’m reasonably confident the Avs have put their hat in the ring for the Mats Sundin “sweepstakes.” But I’d say they have about a 5 percent chance of getting the chrome-domed Swede into a Burgundy and Blue uniform.
I think Philadelphia and Chicago are the clubhouse leaders to land Sundin, according to my sources from the end of the bar. Vancouver has an existing offer on the table, at an astounding two years and $20 million (which would obviously be pro-rated now). But I’d place the Canucks third in the hunt at the moment.
added 9:19am, The Instigators debuted last night on NESN and Jack Edwards, Mike Millbury and Andy Brickley discussed players coming back in mid-season. Watch it here....
Filed in: NHL Teams | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mats+Sundin,
A Plea For Sundin
by Paul on 12/02/08 at 11:36 AM ET
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from Steve Zipay of Blue Notes at Newsday,
Sign Mats Sundin.
In the last two weeks, it’s become even more clear that the Rangers need a legit top six forward or center to capture a ready-to-win, weakened East, in which six teams seem already out of the playoffs: Panthers, Islanders, Leafs, Thrashers, Lightning, Senators. The Sabres and Flyers will battle for eighth.
If you penciled in Nigel Dawes and Ryan Callahan for 30 to 40 goals between them, well…and Henrik Lundqvist---while on track for a Vezina---cannot be expected to carry this current roster past the first round of the playoffs.
Sundin, who is working out in California, was paid $5.5 million by the Maple Leafs last season, $2.1 million less than he made in 2006-07.
Filed in: NHL Teams, New York Rangers | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mats+Sundin,
Sundin Decision Coming Soon
by Alanah McGinley on 11/17/08 at 01:14 PM ET
Comments (4)
From Pierre Le Brun’s ESPN blog:
At this point Vancouver, in our mind, remains the heavyweight since the Canucks not only have the most cap space and most money available to spend on Sundin, but they also are playing some decent hockey right now. Should Sundin sign the $20-million, two-year deal that’s apparently still on the table from last July, then one of the perks will be the Winter Olympics, which will be held in Vancouver in 15 months.
Still, the Canucks are far from a lock.
read on for more on Sundin plus some goalie speculation
Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks, NHL Talk | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: mats+sundin,
Sundin & Shanahan Talk
by Paul on 11/10/08 at 12:23 PM ET
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from Spector at Fox Sports,
Most NHL teams have already committed most of their available cap space for this season, leaving considerably little room for these two. Still, that hasn’t prevented pundits from guessing where Sundin and Shanahan will eventually sign.
Recent reports suggest the Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks could have varying degrees of interest in Sundin.
The Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues — as well as the Blackhawks, Canadiens and Flyers — are rumored pursuing Shanahan.
Filed in: NHL Teams | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Brendan+Shanahan, Mats+Sundin,
Where Will Sundin Land?
by Paul on 11/07/08 at 08:46 AM ET
Comments (4)
I posed that question via email to a few media types yesterday. Their response follows and I will add to it if I receive anymore responses.
Helene Elliott, columnist for the LA Times,
I’m not sure he knows what he wants to do.
i think Anaheim intrigues him because the Ducks have a legitimate shot at contending this year. But they can’t pay him a lot, so that could drive him away.Tthe Ducks would have to move a lot of bodies to get the cap space.....I’ll be crazy and say Vancouver.
Terry Frei of the Denver Post and ESPN.com,
Put me down for Montreal.
Adam Proteau of the Hockey News,
Sundin? Toronto. Why? Because it makes the least amount of sense for both the player and the team, and that’s more or less the way things have gone for this hockey team the last 40-odd years.
Keivn Allen of USA TODAY,
Anaheim, that’s his best fit and best chance to win a Stanley Cup. But he would have to take less money.
Jim Kelley of Sportsnet and Sports Illustrated,
My choice is the New York Rangers, creditable team, excellent goaltending, big city environment, easy travel, lots of endorsement opportunities, American dollars.
Rangers have a need for a veteran play-making center or centre and though it is New York, it still offers an opportunity to avoid the endless media obsession that he has endured in Toronto for years.
Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,
Rangers or Leafs. if I can only pick one, I’ll take New York.
added 12:22pm, Craig Custance of the Sporting News,
Montreal: Sundin will want to play with a Stanley Cup contender and will ultimately prefer the lighter travel schedule of an Eastern Conference team which rules out Anaheim and Vancouver. The Canadiens fit the criteria, although I wouldn’t rule out the Rangers either.
Filed in: NHL Teams | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mats+Sundin,
Will Sundin Leave Money On The Table
by Paul on 11/06/08 at 07:05 PM ET
Comments (11)
from Kevin Allen of USA TODAY,
If Mats Sundin truly wants to play for one of the teams with a better shot at winning a Stanley Cup, he will have to leave a wad of money on the table.
Currently, the three teams that seem like the most logical fit for Sundin would be the Anaheim Ducks, New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens and none of those teams have any significant room under the salary cap.
The Rangers and Ducks essentially have no room, and the Canadiens have approximately $1 million.
Filed in: NHL Teams | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mats+Sundin,
Ducks Talk—Sundin and More
by Alanah McGinley on 11/05/08 at 12:41 PM ET
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Brian Kamenetzky at SportsHubLA has a new podcast out:
To gain more insight into the Ducks, I spoke with Hall of Fame hockey writer Helene Elliott of the LA Times. Among other topics, we talked about Anaheim’s lack of a reliable fourth defenseman behind Pronger, Niedermayer, and Francois Beauchamin, their future under GM Brian Burke, and the possibility of bringing in Mats Sundin.
Check it out here. Notable is Elliott’s contention that she doesn’t feel Sundin is the guy to put the Ducks over the top this season. Sundin talk starts at about the 9 minute mark.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: helene+elliott, mats+sundin,
Sundin “Intrigued” By Ducks
by Paul on 11/03/08 at 08:15 PM ET
Comments (9)
via Helene Elliott and Chris Foster of the LA Times,
The Ducks are $900,000 below the salary cap and would have to make major moves to sign the 37-year-old."He’s intrigued. They’re a good hockey team, and one of his criteria is that he wants to play for a good team,” said Sundin’s agent, J.P. Barry. “He hasn’t made any decisions at all yet.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Anaheim Ducks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mats+Sundin,
Hockey Punditry
by Alanah McGinley on 10/24/08 at 01:52 PM ET
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From Pierre LeBrun and Scott Burnside at ESPN:
Pierre LeBrun: Scott, we get together again just in time to digest yet another update on Mats Sundin. As one GM told me the other day, “Tell the big Swede to make up his damn mind!” Well, Sundin is one step closer. He’ll start seriously skating and training in the Los Angeles area early next week, and then who knows after that. It might take three to four weeks before he’s ready to play.
Scott Burnside: Pierre, I never get tired of wondering about where the Ponderous One will end up. It’s like watching paint dry, only more pedestrian.
much more chat about Sundin, plus some goalie controversies to debate
Filed in: NHL Talk | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: mats+sundin,
Sundin Preparing To Train
by Paul on 10/23/08 at 09:24 AM ET
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from Tim Wharnsby of the Globe and Mail,
Mats Sundin has taken the first step toward a return to the NHL.
The 37-year-old free-agent centre underwent a physical exam at a Toronto hospital yesterday — necessary to begin a rigorous period of training to continue his hockey career.
Sundin, who spent the past 13 NHL seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, returned to the city last week and soon is expected to travel to Los Angeles to begin a two-week on-ice training stint.
It is believed that after those two weeks are up, he will begin talking to NHL teams to determine the best fit for him.
Filed in: NHL Teams | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mats+Sundin,
Evening Line
by Paul on 10/04/08 at 07:28 PM ET
Comments (1)
I still think he’ll come back around December. Where? To be determined. His heart remains in Toronto, but if the Leafs are already out of it come that time, he’ll need to cut the cord. Keep an eye on the Rangers and Flyers.
-Pierre LeBrun of ESPN on Mats Sundin. More from LeBrun and Mats, but we have heard it before…
Filed in: NHL Teams | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mats+Sundin,
Sundin Speaks
by Alanah McGinley on 09/26/08 at 02:53 PM ET
Comments (4)
From Sportsnet.ca,
Like millions of hockey fans who want to know what Mats Sundin is going to do, his own family has been putting pressure on the 37-year-old former Maple Leafs captain to make up his mind.
No more than his parents, who would regularly get up in the middle of the night in Sweden to watch their son perform in the National Hockey League.
“They all want me to play more,” Sundin laughingly told Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos in an exclusive interview at Sundin’s Baltic Sea cottage north of Stockholm. “That’s why I can’t stay (in Sweden) too long. I have to go make my own decision … There is pressure from everywhere.”
The full interview will air in Canada on Sunday at 9pm ET on Sportsnet television.
Filed in: NHL Talk | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: mats+sundin, nick+kypreos,
The Same With Sundin
by Paul on 09/24/08 at 05:24 PM ET
Comments (1)
from the CP,
Training camps are now open around the NHL and the regular season will get underway in less than two weeks. Even still, Sundin feels no added pressure to decide whether he wants to play again or not....
“There’s always going to be a hockey itch with me,” said Sundin. “I love the game of hockey. It’s been the biggest part of my life my whole life.
“The question that I don’t really have the answer for anyone at this point is whether or not I’m ready to play at the highest level and compete at the National Hockey League level. ... It hasn’t changed with training camps starting and all that.”
This should once again answer some emails I received over the last four days. Some guy who wants only “hits” on his website was claiming something was about to happen with Sundin. As I told some of you in a response, “don’t believe it.”
Filed in: NHL Teams | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mats+Sundin,
Sundin’s Drive Is Gone
by Paul on 09/15/08 at 01:24 PM ET
Comments (1)
from Mike Brophy of Sportsnet,
Sundin’s indecision and indifference has become downright boring. Imagine the fuss if we were talking about a superstar and not just a point-per-game guy. Don’t get me wrong; I’m certain the 37-year-old Swede could still help a number of teams, but let’s be honest; we’re talking about a player whose best years are long gone. And if his uncertainty about whether or not he’ll continue playing is any indication, you have to wonder if his heart will ever be in the game again.
Filed in: NHL Teams | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mats+Sundin,
Lightning After Another Forward
by Paul on 09/09/08 at 06:48 AM ET
Comments (6)
from Tim Wharnsby of the Globe and Mail,
While the NHL community awaits Sundin’s decision, his agent, J.P. Barry, confirmed two more clubs have recently expressed interest in his client.
Barry would not reveal the two new teams that have joined the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers in the pursuit of the veteran centre, but one is believed to be the Lightning.
Sundin not only met with Leafs general manager Cliff Fletcher last Friday and Canadiens boss Bob Gainey on Saturday in Toronto, he also played in the Right to Play charity game with his old buddy, new Lighting forward Gary Roberts, as well as new Tampa Bay owner Oren Koules.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mats+Sundin,
Sundin Looks Done
by Paul on 09/06/08 at 06:39 AM ET
Comments (1)
from Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun,
As he fought back his emotions at the heartwarming reception, the long-time Leafs captain broke into a big smile.
“Perfect,” he said as he doffed his helmet to the crowd.
Are we to read into his reaction that this was the “perfect” way to say farewell to his days as a Leaf—or, as the case may be, his professional hockey career? Sundin has not said as much, but it sure looked that way.
Filed in: NHL Teams | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mats+Sundin,
Sundin Free To Do What He Wants
by Paul on 09/03/08 at 07:37 AM ET
Comments (2)
from Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun,
The longer the process continues to drag out, the more Sundin will be accused of being “selfish” by fans and various media members alike for making teams such as the Leafs, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks and Montreal Canadiens wait as he attempts to make up his mind.
Such allegations have been front and centre throughout the summer.
They also don’t make much sense.
How is Sundin “selfish?” He is a free agent. He is the property of no one. And if there are any physical ailments, it only adds to the difficulty for the future Hall of Famer of finding the bottom line.
In any event, to claim Sundin is holding teams for ransom is silly. He owes them nothing even if, in the case of the Canucks, a whopping two-year, $20-million US deal was shoved in front of him.
more about Sundin…
added 12:00pm, via the CBC,
“I will not make up my mind before the season starts,” Sundin said at a news conference in Stockholm. “That’s how I feel right now. Others have started playing in the middle of the season. If I would feel like retiring, I would say it.”
Sundin was speaking at an event to announce his contract as a spokesperson for PokerStars.com. He will play in charity events for the company.
Filed in: NHL Teams | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mats+Sundin,
Sundin Update
by Paul on 09/02/08 at 12:47 PM ET
Comments (8)
Mats Sundin was on Leafs Lunch on 640AM in Toronto.
He is not at the point to make a decision on his NHL career. He had hoped during the summer he would get a clearer picture, but stated he is not there yet.
Probably will not make a decision by the time training camps open. Does not have a time line for his decision.
He has been working out but not skating on a regular basis. Again, not sure of what he will do yet and hopes people respect he is not at the point to where his career is headed.
added 12:49pm, Sundin stated he has not even looked at team options yet. Wants to decide if he is even going to play first.
Update 3:15pm ET: At AM640,
Sundin said despite offers from several clubs the decision of wether or not to play is still the biggest hurdle. Sundin also didn’t rule out a return to the NHL halfway through the season.
Audio available here.
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Tags: Mats+Sundin,
Sundin to Play in Toronto—But Not for the Leafs
by Alanah McGinley on 08/29/08 at 02:48 PM ET
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JP Barry was just interviewed on FAN 590 and stated that his client Mats Sundin will be in Toronto September 5th to participate in a charity game being played for the Right to Play organization.
Barry stated that a formal announcement will be made shortly. Other participants in the event:
The final roster of participants won’t be released until next week but the list of those already committed is pretty impressive—NHLers Joe Thornton, Jason Spezza, Curtis Joseph, Matt Stajan, Robyn Regehr, Mike Cammalleri, Andrew Ference and [Sean] Avery.
The celebrities include [Tim] Robbins, Alan Thicke, “Juno” director Jason Reitman, D.B. Sweeney and Cameron Bancroft.
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Tags: j.p.+barry, mats+sundin, right+to+play,