40 Facts About Mats Sundin

Mats Johan Sundin is a Swedish former professional ice hockey player who played the majority of his career in the National Hockey League, retiring in 2009.

Originally drafted first overall in 1989, Sundin played his first four seasons in the NHL with the Quebec Nordiques.

Mats Sundin was then traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1994, where he played the majority of his career, serving 11 seasons as team captain.

Mats Sundin appeared in the Stanley Cup playoffs in 10 of his 18 seasons.

On 14 October 2006, Mats Sundin became the first Swedish player to score 500 goals.

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Mats Sundin is the Maple Leafs' franchise all-time leader in goals and points.

Internationally, Mats Sundin won three gold medals with Sweden at the World Championships and a gold medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.

Mats Sundin was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame on 26 June 2012, in his first year of eligibility.

Mats Sundin became the second Swede, following Borje Salming, to be chosen to the Hall of Fame.

In 2017 Mats Sundin was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.

Mats Sundin was drafted by the Quebec Nordiques with the first overall pick in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, becoming the first European-born player drafted first overall in NHL history.

At the time, Mats Sundin was playing in the Swedish second-tier Allsvenskan for Nacka HK.

Mats Sundin played the following season in Sweden's Elitserien for Djurgardens IF, helping the club to the Le Mat Trophy as league champions.

Mats Sundin scored his first career NHL goal against the Hartford Whalers in his first NHL game on 4 October 1990.

Mats Sundin played one more season with the Nordiques, recording 85 points in 84 games, before being dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 1994 Draft.

When NHL play resumed later that season, Mats Sundin made an immediate impact, leading the Leafs in scoring at a point-per-game pace with 47 points.

Mats Sundin finished with a career-playoff-high 16 points in 17 playoff contests.

Mats Sundin returned to the lineup after a month to lead the team in scoring with 78 points.

Mats Sundin achieved the milestone on 14 October 2006, with a hat-trick effort against Miikka Kiprusoff of the Calgary Flames.

Mats Sundin remained with the club and, with 78 points, marked the fourth consecutive year and 12 of 13 years as the Maple Leafs' leading scorer.

Mats Sundin became a free agent on 1 July 2008, although the Maple Leafs had previously given the Montreal Canadiens special rights to negotiate with him until then.

The New York Rangers, Canadiens and Leafs made contract offers; however, Mats Sundin chose to hold out for the beginning of the season, contemplating retirement.

Mats Sundin returned to Toronto on 21 February 2009 to play his first game against the Maple Leafs.

Mats Sundin missed the final two games of the Canucks' first-round sweep against the St Louis Blues with a suspected hip injury after falling awkwardly behind the net in Game 2, but returned in time for the second round against the Chicago Blackhawks.

On 30 September 2009, Mats Sundin announced his retirement at a press conference in Stockholm.

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Mats Sundin was honoured on 29 October 2011, more than two years after his retirement, at a Toronto Maple Leafs home game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

On 12 November 2012, Mats Sundin was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame alongside Joe Sakic, Adam Oates and Pavel Bure.

In November 2013, Mats Sundin was named as an inductee into the IIHF Hall of Fame, alongside Peter Forsberg, Danielle Goyette, Paul Henderson, Teppo Numminen.

On 10 September 2015, it was announced that Mats Sundin would be added to "Legends Row", a statue outside the Air Canada Centre consisting of 12 of the best players in the franchise's history.

Mats Sundin represented Sweden at various international competitions, including the World Cup and the Winter Olympics, and held the position of team captain for the national squad for the nearly ten years.

Mats Sundin was widely recognized as one of the top players in the world in these international competitions, and added a highly impressive list of accomplishments to his credentials as a result of his outstanding performance in the 2002 Winter Olympics and 2004 World Cup.

Mats Sundin won three IIHF World Championships with Sweden in 1991,1992 and 1998.

Mats Sundin finally clinched an Olympic gold medal with Sweden in 2006 in Turin.

City of Toronto is home to an intense hockey media, and since Mats Sundin is a private individual, he was arguably the most scrutinized athlete in the city.

Mats Sundin regularly deflected any probes into his personal life, and rarely spoke negatively of his teammates in public.

In May 2006, Mats Sundin put his four-bedroom house up for sale for a price of $6.

On 30 April 2008, Mats Sundin was receiving a leadership award at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic High School in Guelph, Ontario, when he announced that he and his girlfriend Josephine Johansson were engaged to be married.

Mats Sundin plays under the username "MatsSundin" and will donate any earnings to charity.

Mats Sundin was a Goodwill Ambassador for the Adopt-A-Minefield Campaign; an organization that raises awareness and funds to end the human and economic suffering caused by anti-personnel landmines.

Mats Sundin was a partner in a Standardbred harness racing horse named Rotation, which in 2003 won the prestigious Maple Leaf Trot at Mohawk Racetrack.