Mats Sundin's Surprising Reaction to Auston Matthews Chasing His All-Time Leafs Goal Record
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a modern day legend in Auston Matthews and his rise to the top has been endorsed by franchise icon Mats Sundin.
In their illustrious history, countless legends of the game have donned the Maple Leafs jersey. Johnny Bower, Frank Mahovlich, Darryl Sittler and probably most famously Mats Sundin. The former Maple Leafs captain became more than a household name in his time in Toronto, armed with a wicked backhand and an infectious and humble charm, fans could not get enough of him during his time in Toronto.
He's the franchise leader in goals, points, powerplay goals, game winning goals, 6th in games played, 2nd in assists, and 3rd in shots. His name was lifted to the rafters after the Maple Leafs retired his number and he joined the Hockey Hall of Fame in he joined the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012.
But much like the Maple Leafs of the 90's and 2000's, this generation's fans of Toronto have their own legend and household name in Auston Matthews, who's coming off a torrid campaign with the most goals scored in a season in nearly 20 years.
Auston Matthews has been nothing short of incredible in his time with the Leafs, and though it hasn't led to playoff success so far, he's shot up the ranks amongst the all-time greats of the team. He's already 3rd all-time with 368 goals and will absolutely pass Darryl Sittler this season barring anything catastrophic. Well, Sundin acknowledges this and is more than happy to see Matthews overtake him for the record of which he is only 52 goals away from; a number Matthews is more than capable of achieving this year and then some.
In his classic dry wit and humble nature, Sundin knows how special of a talent Matthews is, and knows his journey with the Maple Leafs hasn't always been the easiest. In an interview in February of 2024; Sundin mentioned knowing exactly what type of pressure the core of the team is under in Toronto:
Sundin has always been a name that screams Maple Leafs. He lived and breathed every inch of the team and city during his time here and handled himself with grace and humility. There were many times the Maple Leafs were down and out only for Sundin to will them back to life; his chemistry with the likes of Gary Roberts, Owen Nolan, Alexander Mogilny, Nik Antropov, Jonas Hoglund and more all made them better players overall. He was an underrated defensive wizard, and never had a problem sticking up for his teammates at times:
With Mats Sundin embarking on his autobiography tour around Ontario in October, he will be a bit busy talking about his life but he will for sure be following Matthews and the Maple Leafs wherever he goes. He bleeds blue and white, and his passion for the team overrides his personal need for statistics. Matthews will pass him and Sundin will be there front and center to shake his hand.
| POLL | ||
Where does Mats Sundin rank amongst Maple Leafs franchise players? | ||
| GOAT - Greatest Of All Time | 21 | 25.3 % |
| Top 3 | 41 | 49.4 % |
| Top 10 | 15 | 18.1 % |
| Top 20 | 6 | 7.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
