Freddie P and I have agreed to disagree about many things, and one of those things is Mats Sundin. Fred likes to diminish Mats' value in his blog. As recently as this morning he went off on the absurd offer Vancouver reportedly made for Sundin's services. This city, it seems, is comprised of two kinds of people: those who like Mats Sundin and those who don't.
I like Mats. He's been our best player since he arrived in 1994 and he's one of the classiest athletes ever to play in this city. No, he hasn't led us to a Stanley Cup final, but neither did Darryl, Wendel or Dougie. Sundin gave his all to this franchise and I say we're lucky to have had him as long as we did.
In addition to not being Canadian, Mats had something else working against him. He's a different kind of cat... a deeper thinker who is very private and very proud. The news today is that he needs more time to think about whether he will play again. Even though teams are throwing big bucks his way, Mats isn't yet sure what he wants and he's going to take some time to figure it out. The man could have signed yesterday for $20M but instead he's motivated by other factors. You have to respect that.
He's an enigma wrapped in a riddle. Whatever he decides, he's got a big fan right here.
