Hockey Hall of Fame Induction: 5 Best Moments of Mats Sundin's Career

By (Featured Columnist) on November 12, 2012

799 reads

12Icon_comment

Previous
1 of 7
Next
Hi-res-79801054_crop_650x440
Dave Sandford/Getty Images

Consistency and productivity are two of the attributes that marked Mats Sundin's brilliant career in the NHL.

Whether he was wearing a Quebec Nordiques uniform in the early part of his career or the familiar blue and white of the Toronto Maple Leafs during the majority of his career, hockey fans could always count on Sundin for pushing it to the max every time he stepped out on the ice.

Sundin finished his career with 1,349 points in 1,346 games. He was a big-time producer with a powerful shot, scoring 564 goals in his career.

The Swede also helped break the stereotype of the soft European player. He would go into the corner and take abuse to make a play. However, he also stood up for himself, as he had 1,093 career penalty minutes.

Sweden's Gold Medal

Mats Sundin never captured the Stanley Cup in his NHL career.

He never really got close with the Nordiques, Maple Leafs or Vancouver Canucks.

However, he captured Olympic gold while leading his native Sweden in the 2006 Olympics. Sundin had three goals and five assists during the eight games he played in the Olympics to earn his gold medal.

Highest Scoring Swede

Of the many great European-born players who have starred in the NHL, only Jari Kurri, Teemu Selanne and Jaromir Jagr have scored more points in the NHL than Sundin.

He is the leading Swedish-born scorer in the history of the NHL with 564 goals and 785 assists for a total of 1,349 career points.

Overtime Hero

Mats Sundin was one of the best players in the NHL when it came to working overtime.

He scored 15 regular season overtime goals, ranking second to Jaromir Jagr in that category.

Sundin also scored a playoff overtime goal vs. the Senators for the Maple Leafs in their 2001 playoff series. Sundin excelled in clutch situations, and he proved it with his overtime scoring.

All-Time Leafs Leading Scorer

The Toronto Maple Leafs have one of the longest and proudest traditions in the NHL.

While they have not made the playoffs since 2004 and the last Stanley Cup was won in 1967, they are the second-most decorated team in the league's history behind the Montreal Canadiens.

Sundin is this historic team's all-time leading scorer. He scored 420 of his career goals in a Toronto uniform, and he also registered 987 points for the Maple Leafs. He scored 124 power-play goals for the Leafs.

Sundin eclipsed Darryl Sittler in both goals scored and points to become the all-time leader in those categories.

Sundin's 6-Point Night

Sundin was known for his consistency rather than his explosive, highlight-filled play.

However, when the Leafs were in pursuit of a playoff berth late in the 2005-06 season—they would not be successful—Sundin had a remarkable night.

The Leafs lined up against the Florida Panthers April 11, 2006 and won the game 6-5 in overtime. Sundin scored four goals and had two assists to lead Toronto to a spectacular and memorable victory.

Begin Slideshow
Keep Reading
Flag
Props (0)
This article is

What is the duplicate article?

Why is this article offensive?

Where is this article plagiarized from?

Why is this article poorly edited?

Flag This Article
Default-user-icon-comment
or to post a comment

12 Comments

There are no comments yet. Get the conversation started by leaving the first comment
Big
Loading comments...
just now posted just now
  • Loading...
  • Nobody has liked this comment yet
Cancel

This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete

Follow B/R on Facebook

Fans of

Icon_subscribe
Icon_youtube
Icon_google
NHL

Subscribe Now

We will never share your email address

Thanks for signing up.

We're Scouting Top Writers

Biggest Surprise Playoff Stars Hint: you can use arrow keys to navigate through this channel.