Welcome back to my latest Jersey Sunday! This piece has been on my "Want list" for quite some time. It took a lot of clearing out to get this item, but I can finally cross it off that list. Here we have my Toronto Maple Leafs Mats Sundin jersey made by CCM in the beautiful dark blue colourway.
I purchased this from an online seller and talked him down to a very fair price. I previously owned a Maple Leafs uniform before, however, I sold it in order to buy this which made me much more happy. The details are incredible with triple layered tackle twill in silver, blue, and white for the numbers and letters stitched onto a plate in the very unique font the team used in that era.
Born in Stockholm Sweden, Mats Sundin was the first European native to be drafted 1st overall when the Quebec Nordiques selected him in 1989, the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired him in a trade in June of 1994. Although the season was shortened that time, he led the team in points with 47 [1 point/game]and scored his second highest points total the next year with 94. During the 1996-97 season, he was appointed the team's new captain in the hopes of leading them to a brighter future.
Between the late 90s to early 00s, Mats Sundin would continue to improve, constantly leading the team in points. At the beginning of the 2006-07 season, he reached the 500 goals mark in a hat-trick fashion. The next season, he netted his 390th goal and scoring his 917th point as a Maple Leafs player becoming the franchise's all-time leader in those two categories. Later in the year, he became the first player in the team's longstanding history to score 400 goals. Although this time frame was very noteworthy for the club and player, they still had low success in reaching the Stanley Cup Finals due to late round eliminations or their inability to seed in the standings.
In his later years with blue and white, they failed to make the post-season three straight years causing fan frustration with management and players. By the end of the 2008 season, the free agent captain signed with the Vancouver Canucks where he would eventually finish his career. Forever a Maple Leaf to the city of Toronto, when it comes to the records and history books; Mats Sundin stands alone.
Mats Sundin competed for his native Sweden on 15 separate occasions winning three gold medals in the World Championships [1991, 1992, 1998] and a gold medal in the 2006 Olympic Winter Games.
Career Highlights and Achievements:
1346 NHL games played, 564 goals, 785 assists, 1349 points, 9x NHL All-Star [1996-2004], Hockey Hall of Fame Inductee [2012], Maple Leafs all-time leader in goals [420], and points [967].
On 2 February 2012, his #13 was honoured in a pre-game ceremony at the Air Canada Centre.
"With the fans and the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, the way I've been treated here has been awesome." - Mats Sundin
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