Wind ups on a Sundin

Forever young, the Leafs signed Mats Sundin for another year and another hefty amount of cash. No doubt all Leafdom appeared ecstatic. The well ventilating Bob McCown spouted his usual contra-baritone disclaimer of really liking Sundin, but...

Sundin should go.

And he's right. But not for the collections of reasons he thinks.

Sundin is a very good player. The argument has always been that he needs good players to play beside him. Now that is a crock.

Every other "great" player usually brings up the level of those on the field of play, not the other way around. Mats does bring up the skill level of any hockey team if he choses. The example of this is the exceptional play of the Swedish National Team. In recent years that is the only time the real talent of Sundin goes on display. In Toronto, everyone assumes that Sundin really wants to win a Stanley Cup. He says he does. Well saying that alone is worth a million dollars. Sundin is an exceptionally smart man for the usual hockey player.

Actually Sundin is very easy to figure out if one takes another view apart from the usual North American hockey analyst and usual hockey macho. No, the Stanley Cup is not the most important trophy to him. He could care less about this trophy. In Sweden, in Europe, the most important trophy is the world cup of Hockey known as the World Championships. Sweden is his home. He is the national hockey hero there. The Swedish fans care less about the Stanley Cup and all about the World Championships. Sundin only cares about the Swedish Hockey Hall of Fame not the Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame. First one must understand that to understand the rest.

Here's why Sundin wants to play for the Leafs. Sundin is a very smart guy. He knows that with this set of management the Maple Leafs probably will never get to the playoffs. They can barely make it out of spring training. And if in the rare chance they did, the chances are enormously good that this team will certainly get knocked out of the first round, especially if he is on the ice.

Sundin knows that if he stays on the Leafs the most games he will play is about ball busting 84 games ...tops. And they finish in April usually before the World Championships. Now if Sundin did want to play on a great team they would go through to the Stanley Cup and have to play at least 100 games or more and finish in June. Even with bonuses Sundin gets maybe $6 million. A Stanley Cup versus another year of $6 Million in the bank. Hmmmm weigh it financially.

So if he plays with the Leafs he is working his body far less which simply adds years to his career. And playoff hockey is harder on the body than regular season games where it is easy to sluff off performances when one gets over tired. If he plays on the Leafs he might get an extra couple of years out of his body. Remember what Sundin said right off... "I am 36 years of age"

His age runs his life not the absence of a Stanley Cup trophy. If he goes to the great contending teams their long pounding play off schedule could take years off of his playing career and that many times less that there will be the opportunity to do the more important thing for Sweden which is to win the World Championships. And while their are 8 other teams in an NHL division the Swedes only have to manage to defeat the Canadians and maybe one of the Russians or Czechs or maybe a hot Finish team to get to the World Cup. Winning a World Cup in a Swede's mind is far easier and far more relevant to his post hockey career life. That's the end game for the Swedish hockey player.

Sundin knows that he will lose $6 million per year if he went to a contender NHL team. In World Hockey though the chances of getting a World Cup are much better on a good Swedish team. And bringing home the World Cup to Sweden is far more important to Sundin. So playing for the Leafs extends his playing career maybe two more years, gives him a longer summer off, and gets him the greater opportunity to get the Swedish team to the World Cup.

As long as Sundin is playing with the laughable Leafs it is great. The reason that Sundin wants a one year clause is not for laughs either. What would happen if the Leafs actually managed to get into the second round of the playoffs? Again he wants to go to another team, not a good one but one bad enough not to ever make it to the post season. He only wants to play on a dog team of a hockey team. As long as the Leafs win, and there is no one in Leafs management smart enough to understand this scam, he keeps playing for the Leafs and gets a $5 million per year salary. He gets almost the same pay as a "front line star" at 80% of the ideal workload. So if he stay on the Leafs, he gets; a longer playing career, a bigger bank account, a full summer off, a lasting hockey fame in Sweden, a lingering worship in hockey stupid Toronto. Only if he stays put.

The telling tale was in the last 20 games of the Leafs schedule. Only one goal. Yes he got an assist per game but he would get that anyway in addition to the goal. In order to get goals in the NHL it requires that a goal scorer be able to pound through "the Trap." Sundin was laying back making sure that the Leafs would not win the playoffs. After all he was playing golf and being a celebrity in Sweden about six weeks early than any other "star". And collectively, the Leafs management from the MLSE Board of Directors to the ever unimaginative John Ferguson would be only twice as stupid as Sundin, if he Sundin, underwent a double labotomy. Sundin's motives are plain.