Yeah, I think it's pretty dumb and quite unfair that Sundin was hated on for not being able to get the Leafs beyond the Conference Finals while Gilmour and Clark are basically heroes because they took the team just as far... I'm not knocking Doug and Wendel... I'm just saying that Sundin took the team as far as they did. The Leafs made the playoffs every year from '99-'04, finishing fourth or higher in their Conference four times during that six year stretch. You'd think the fans of a franchise that has been a complete joke for the better part of 30 years would appreciate the time when Sundin at least made the team competitive. I certainly do. I hope they can finally break through to the SCF during the AM era. We'll see.
Only reason Sundin wasn't held in the same regard as Clark or Gilmour was because he was Swedish. If Sundin was Canadian no question he would have been more popular than Clark or Gilmour.
No. Sundin was a physically big player, and with him came greater expectations as compared with Gilmour who was looked on as an overachiever, which he was.. As for Wendel, he was a good player, a tough player and fighter from day 1, and players like that are special with the fans.
Which shows how idiotic Leaf fans are. Considering half the loud mouth mouth breathers who held that belief were barely literate Italian and Portuguese leaf fanatics who never played the game. it’s embarassing
Sundin is still one of the greatest to ever lace a pair of skates whilst wearing the Blue and White of the Maple Leafs. Its a shame he was looked at too critically, because what he accomplished during his 14-year tenure with the Leafs shouldn't go unwarranted.
You all are too young to realize that Dave Keon was a far more respected Captain in Leaf history. Don't even think about arguing with me cause I'll destroy you.
CaptainMazda Now I know for sure I could outskate you. Just keep using your net as a walker, you sad old ankleburner. FYI Only Syl Apps and George Armstrong were up there with Keon but 14 could outskate them all. Like I could around you. Mouthpiece!
***** Nope, you have not told me why Armstrong, Apps or Keon aren't the greatest Leaf captains. Maybe you are an uneducated Leaf fan. Go ahead and back yourself up. Better do you'r fucken history, before wasting my time, bumlick.
Jimiel Joseph For somebody that's calling us all "too young" to realize who the greatest Leaf of all time is - opinionated - you're acting like a 5 year old.
I don't think people realize in fact how good Sundin actually was. To me, he's the most talented Leaf ever. He had that kind of presence on the ice like Lemieux and Gretzky had. Everytime he touched the puck, you felt something was going to happen. Imagine had he played in today's NHL where there is less physicality and more skill favored. Or if he had played with top end wingers....with all due respect to guys like Thomas, Roberts, Hagman, etc.... Even today, Sundin is still arguably the greatest Swede ever (him or Forsberg) and one of the greatest ever European born hockey players in history. He was the first European player to go 1st overall so he broke new ground. Gilmour and Sundin are the two greatest ever at least in my time, and I give Sundin the slight edge over Gilmour.
So pretty much Mats Sudin played amazing for leafs, but leafs fanbase were way too harsh at mads sudin. He was criticised for leading his team into the conference finals, etc.
When he got traded I think they all realized how big of a player he was. When he was on Toronto because they traded Wendell Clark they had such high expatiation for him.
The first few years with Sundin the Leafs were bad. They were a slow, sluggish defensive team that mostly couldn’t score. Not until 98-99, when Pat Quinn took over as head coach, while bringing in the acrobatic stud Curtis Joseph in net, and turning the Leafs into an offensive powerhouse.
Sundin carried the Leafs on his back every year! Never had a true goalscorer to play with him. One of the very few things that Sundin and the Leafs needed to reach Lord Stanley
I think that's the view of older generations. If you ask millennials, a lot would say he's one of the best Leaf players of all time if not the best. His name is on my jersey.
salming is the best toronto maple leaf since 1967, a true leader, outstanding individual and a man who played to win every hockey game during his stellar nhl career, if you want to win play like Borge Salming 🍁 thank you Borge rip 🇸🇪
SPORTSNETCANADA? If it's a Canadian sports channel, shouldn't there be Habs, Sens, Canucks, Oilers, Jets and Flames at 100 too? Rename yourself to SPORTSNETTORONTO
@@neroameealucard945 Okay, but he wasn't a leader like a Messier ,Gretzky or Lemieux , he couldn't lead a team when it counted the most , maybe if they had reached the Finals, I might Change my mind but he didn't do that. He is the John Cena of Hockey , he was overrated just like Cena was during his career as well...
@@aaazzz090 blame the leafs for not giving him any kind of help on the wings. The only noted scorer of note he had with him was a by then past his prime Alex Mogilny. Its mostly the leafs fault they couldn't get over the hump while he was there, same for Gilmour and Clark, strong teams but always missing something that held them back or a puck not bouncing their way
@@neroameealucard945 why are you making excuses for Mats Sundin for not being a true leader, he was always a player that did really well at playing second fiddle to the best player on that team, which was the case when he was in Quebec, the role suited him perfectly, of course when he came to Toronto and they constanstly shoved him down people's throats to all hockey fans in North America he crumbled under the pressure, and the fact that the Leafs kept him for as long as they did was extremely dumb on their part, everybody and their grandma knew he wasn't a leader and couldn't lead the Maple Leafs to the Stanley Cup Final no matter who he had on his team, by they way more people remember the 93 and 94 Cup runs for the Maple Leafs than any of the ones Sundin was part of because of how great that team was ,once they destroyed that team for no reason but stupidity and Sundin came they once again became Medicore and bad, even when they did surprise people with their fluke playoff runs once they got to the Conference Finals they got badly outplayed . The fact that people revere Mats Sundin is a complete joke, the media in Toronto really hype this guy up and tried to make him this big superstar and it failed, much the same as when they tried that with Lindros,the Blue Jays and Raptors have been way more popular in Toronto than the Leafs could ever dream of. ,proving that Hockey is not the number one sport in Toronto ,,,FACT...
@@aaazzz090 I'm not, I'm just stating facts. Sundin had Mogilny as another scorer but he was long past his peak because of injury. Curtis Joseph made that defense he had look a lot better than it really was. If you're a bitter nordiques fan then just say it.
And then he REFUSED to be traded because he said he wanted to retire as a Toronto Maple Leaf. And then he signed with Vancouver and tried to win a cup with the sisters from Sweden. At the time Tomas Kaberle was on his way to Philly for a young Mike Richards and a first round pick. That was for Kaberle. Had Mats left what would we have gotten for him? Mats Sundin, Tomas Kaberle, Pavel Kubina, Darcy Tucker, and Bryan McCabe all refused to waive their no trades. Had the captain left they all would have and we would have been SPOILED with young riches. But no. Mats lied, signed in Vancouver, and came back and scored a game winning goal against Toronto in Toronto and the idiot Leaf fans cheered him on. He f*cked them for the second time and they STILL applauded him. This city and these fans deserve nothing. Let's go Florida.
