Leafs legend may take on a larger role with the team in the near future
The path for club-specific icons to return to their stomping grounds as part of the front office once their storied careers come to an end is very common in the NHL - and sports in general.
The Detroit Red Wings have Steve Yzerman as their general manager and Nicklas Lidstrom as their VP, the Ottawa Senators recently hired Daniel Alfredsson, the Vancouver Canucks have Henrik and Daniel Sedin around, the Colorado Avalanche have Joe Sakic as the President of Hockey Operations, and the list goes on.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, who just travelled to Sweden to kick off their Global Series campaign, were visited and greeted by a familiar face in Mats Sundin. Arguably the greatest Leaf of all time, Sundin has kept a low profile over the years as he raises his three kids with his wife Josephine in his home country.
Nevertheless with the Leafs in Sweden, Sundin was able to watch the team in person for the first time in ages and even delivered a speech before their game on Friday. While he doesn't technically have a position with the club like his fellow-countrymen in Alfredsson and Lidstrom do for their respective teams, everyone is well aware of his impact and presence.
Sundin joined Brad Treliving, Brendan Shanahan, and Sheldon Keefe for their team dinner and spent some time with the current crop of Maple Leafs that included fellow-Swede William Nylander and Max Domi:
"He's a proud Maple Leaf, first of all. You can see that. But also, he just loves the game, and I think he just enjoys being around everyone and telling the stories," Keefe says.
This won't be the end of the road for Sundin and the Maple Leafs this season as the 52-year-old is set to return to Toronto ahead of the All-Star Weekend in February. There is hope that a potential special job opportunity could arise for him in the not-too-distant future.
Sundin holds the franchise record for goals (420) and points (987) and is 2nd all-time in assists (567) and pushed the Maple Leafs to 8 post-season berths in his 13 seasons in Toronto, including Conference Finals appearances in 2001-02 and 1998-99.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 18 | 283 ANSWERS Leafs legend may take on a larger role with the team in the near future Do you think Mats Sundin will take on a new position with the Maple Leafs? | ||
| Yes | 183 | 64.7 % |
| No | 100 | 35.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
