For the next two days, we're running 13 of our top memories of Mats Sundin as a Maple Leaf. There are more to choose from but Sundin captaining Sweden to Gold in 2006 and his years as a Nordique won't make an appearance on the list. For help, I enlisted Mats Sundin's biggest fan Eyebleaf to help come up with and number the list. It's far from exhaustive and your mileage may vary on our choices but these were the 13 that came immediately into our minds so consider it a small token of our appreciation for one of the greatest Leafs of all-time.

This has been a fun exercise for me in that I spent a lot of time watching highlight videos of Mats Sundin. I also realised that Leafs fans embraced Mats to a large extent much sooner than I had realised. That's a problem in that on the Leafs Nation podcast I said it came with this goal but it definitely came sooner.

I don't remember Sundin getting his 1000th point against Edmonton and beating Sittler on a fluke against the Islanders doesn't really fit the Sundin canon but his 500th goal? You could not write a better script.

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For the next two days, we're running 13 of our top memories of Mats Sundin as a Maple Leaf. There are more to choose from but Sundin captaining Sweden to Gold in 2006 and his years as a Nordique won't make an appearance on the list. For help, I enlisted Mats Sundin's biggest fan Eyebleaf to help come up with and number the list. It's far from exhaustive and your mileage may vary on our choices but these were the 13 that came immediately into our minds so consider it a small token of our appreciation for one of the greatest Leafs of all-time.

I was invited onto the Marek vs. Wyshynski podcast (which I forgot was on Sportsnet which could have been awkward when I almost said "those idiots on Sportsnet") on Friday to talk about Mats Sundin's tenure as a Leaf and I was asked for his place in the pantheon of Leaf greats. Being a young guy, I noted that for fans of a certain vintage, he'll never match Keon or Sittler but that at worst they have to admit he's in the troika of Toronto greats. However, for my generation, there is no doubt that he is the greatest we've had, are likely to have, and a lot of us would argue he's the greatest of all-time.

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For the next two days, we're running 13 of our top memories of Mats Sundin as a Maple Leaf. There are more to choose from but Sundin captaining Sweden to Gold in 2006 and his years as a Nordique won't make an appearance on the list. For help, I enlisted Mats Sundin's biggest fan Eyebleaf to help come up with and number the list. It's far from exhaustive and your mileage may vary on our choices but these were the 13 that came immediately into our minds so consider it a small token of our appreciation for one of the greatest Leafs of all-time.

We've managed to make it through this list without really touching upon the controversy of his departure. Well, get ready for it. This was the post I wrote when he signed for Vancouver. I think it's a pretty good summary of the situation. I'll admit that I was really angry with Mats. He had saved the Leafs so often over the years with a timely goal or assist that I wanted him to save them once more by falling on his sword and leaving the town that he loved. Of course, he would leave eventually but without leaving behind the bounty he could have brought in a trade. It would have been a nice moment of closure if the players the Leafs acquired in the Sundin trade were in the lineup tonight to watch Sundin's 13 raised to the rafters.

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For the next two days, we're running 13 of our top memories of Mats Sundin as a Maple Leaf. There are more to choose from but Sundin captaining Sweden to Gold in 2006 and his years as a Nordique won't make an appearance on the list. For help, I enlisted Mats Sundin's biggest fan Eyebleaf to help come up with and number the list. It's far from exhaustive and your mileage may vary on our choices but these were the 13 that came immediately into our minds so consider it a small token of our appreciation for one of the greatest Leafs of all-time.

The amazing thing about Sundin's tenure in Toronto was seeing him knock down so many milestones. I think that it really hit home how lucky Leafs fans were to watch him.

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For the next two days, we're running 13 of our top memories of Mats Sundin as a Maple Leaf. There are more to choose from but Sundin captaining Sweden to Gold in 2006 and his years as a Nordique won't make an appearance on the list. For help, I enlisted Mats Sundin's biggest fan Eyebleaf to help come up with and number the list. It's far from exhaustive and your mileage may vary on our choices but these were the 13 that came immediately into our minds so consider it a small token of our appreciation for one of the greatest Leafs of all-time.

A funny thing about hockey is that while it apparently has the most progressive fanbase according to some, as a sport it is unbelievably conservative. The thought of a European captain was usually met with the standard response that no team had ever won the Cup without a Canadian captain. That was then amended to a North American captain before finally the Red Wings won the Cup with Niklas Lidstrom as captain and they were shown not to be complete pantywaists. Of course, in Toronto we'd known a bit longer than most that Europeans could make great captains. We'd known since 1997.

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For the next two days, we're running 13 of our top memories of Mats Sundin as a Maple Leaf. There are more to choose from but Sundin captaining Sweden to Gold in 2006 and his years as a Nordique won't make an appearance on the list. For help, I enlisted Mats Sundin's biggest fan Eyebleaf to help come up with and number the list. It's far from exhaustive and your mileage may vary on our choices but these were the 13 that came immediately into our minds so consider it a small token of our appreciation for one of the greatest Leafs of all-time.

Imagine the Maple Leafs trading away a fan favourite after they scored 46 goals in a season and had been to consecutive conference finals. Imagine the pressure that the player being acquired would feel. One thing Sundin has in common with Phil Kessel is the burden of having to live up to the price paid for him.

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For the next two days, we're running 13 of our top memories of Mats Sundin as a Maple Leaf. There are more to choose from but Sundin captaining Sweden to Gold in 2006 and his years as a Nordique won't make an appearance on the list. For help, I enlisted Mats Sundin's biggest fan Eyebleaf to help come up with and number the list. It's far from exhaustive and your mileage may vary on our choices but these were the 13 that came immediately into our minds so consider it a small token of our appreciation for one of the greatest Leafs of all-time.

We're back in 2001 for # 7. This time, we're at game two of the series which was one of the wilder Leafs-Devils playoffs games and a harbinger of the post-lockout shootouts.

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For the next two days, we're running 13 of our top memories of Mats Sundin as a Maple Leaf. There are more to choose from but Sundin captaining Sweden to Gold in 2006 and his years as a Nordique won't make an appearance on the list. For help, I enlisted Mats Sundin's biggest fan Eyebleaf to help come up with and number the list. It's far from exhaustive and your mileage may vary on our choices but these were the 13 that came immediately into our minds so consider it a small token of our appreciation for one of the greatest Leafs of all-time.

It wouldn't be a series of memories about a Maple Leaf that played for the team during the late 90s and early 00s without at least one Ottawa Senators related memory. This one came when I was still high school.

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For the next two days, we're running 13 of our top memories of Mats Sundin as a Maple Leaf. There are more to choose from but Sundin captaining Sweden to Gold in 2006 and his years as a Nordique won't make an appearance on the list. For help, I enlisted Mats Sundin's biggest fan Eyebleaf to help come up with and number the list. It's far from exhaustive and your mileage may vary on our choices but these were the 13 that came immediately into our minds so consider it a small token of our appreciation for one of the greatest Leafs of all-time.

This one is focused on one particular goal but it really could just be about how Sundin was the player that the Maple Leafs could count on when they needed him most. Sundin is tied for the most overtime goals (15) and I just found out (thanks Wikipedia) that Mario Lemieux, Mark Messier, and Gordie Howe never scored one in overtime. I'd feel better if I read that in the Encyclopedia Britannica but it'll have to do.

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For the next two days, we're running 13 of our top memories of Mats Sundin as a Maple Leaf. There are more to choose from but Sundin captaining Sweden to Gold in 2006 and his years as a Nordique won't make an appearance on the list. For help, I enlisted Mats Sundin's biggest fan Eyebleaf to help come up with and number the list. It's far from exhaustive and your mileage may vary on our choices but these were the 13 that came immediately into our minds so consider it a small token of our appreciation for one of the greatest Leafs of all-time.

Scandinavians are known for a lot of things: drinking a lot (true), beautiful blondes (very true), and being pretty reserved emotionally (that's what they say anyway). In Mats Sundin's tenure as captain of the Maple Leafs, that perception is what often kept media and fans from fawning over him to the extent that he likely would have received in other cities. My favourite remark by MF37 is that if he had been born in Kelvington, Saskatchewan there'd be a statue of him in Toronto.

While that was the perception, I don't think it takes much scratching beneath the surface to see just how much Mats wanted to win and just how much he came to appreciate the fans eventual warming to him in the twilight of his career in Toronto. He wasn't one for displaying raw emotions. His cool demeanour was often interpreted as aloofness (he'd have been enigmatic if he was Russian) but it just showed how much he mastered every aspect of his performance.

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For the next two days, we're running 13 of our top memories of Mats Sundin as a Maple Leaf. There are more to choose from but Sundin captaining Sweden to Gold in 2006 and his years as a Nordique won't make an appearance on the list. For help, I enlisted Mats Sundin's biggest fan Eyebleaf to help come up with and number the list. It's far from exhaustive and your mileage may vary on our choices but these were the 13 that came immediately into our minds so consider it a small token of our appreciation for one of the greatest Leafs of all-time.

This entry is another that's heavy with symbolism although it does invite certain unwanted comparisons to the Auld Enemy Montreal. While they had a continuous period of success and recognisable names traversing the years to carry their closing ceremony from beginning to end, the Leafs had a long stretch of mostly dark ages before the torch passed to his hands.

Eyebleaf with les mots juste and a video after the jump.

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For the next two days, we're running 13 of our top memories of Mats Sundin as a Maple Leaf. There are more to choose from but Sundin captaining Sweden to Gold in 2006 and his years as a Nordique won't make an appearance on the list. For help, I enlisted Mats Sundin's biggest fan Eyebleaf to help come up with and number the list. It's far from exhaustive and your mileage may vary on our choices but these were the 13 that came immediately into our minds so consider it a small token of our appreciation for one of the greatest Leafs of all-time.

Before, during, and after the 2004-2005 NHL lockout, John Ferguson Jr. misjudged any number of changes. Part of that was no doubt due to his inability to sell the MLSE board on his plan to rebuild the Maple Leafs through divesting themselves of a number of veteran players and putting a renewed emphasis on youth and player development. The other part was that he was an awful General Manager.

He did have one major thing going in his favour: Mats Sundin. And in the midst of the run to eighth place, Sundin had his best regular season game ever to keep the Leafs in a race in which they'd ultimately fall two points short.

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For the next two days, we're running 13 of our top memories of Mats Sundin as a Maple Leaf. There are more to choose from but Sundin captaining Sweden to Gold in 2006 and his years as a Nordique won't make an appearance on the list. For help, I enlisted Mats Sundin's biggest fan Eyebleaf to help come up with and number the list. It's far from exhaustive and your mileage may vary on our choices but these were the 13 that came immediately into our minds so consider it a small token of our appreciation for one of the greatest Leafs of all-time.

In the 2002-2003 season Alexander Mogilny lead the Maple Leafs in scoring. This is obviously an odd choice for a list of memories of Mats Sundin but there is a method to our madness. It highlights a theme that you will no doubt remember from his career that will make numerous appearances on our list.

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Tonight, Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings scored the game winning goal against the Columbus with 0.4 seconds left on the clock. Or at least, that's how it will go into the records books. There seems to be some controversy over whether there was a clock malfunction or malfeasance that allowed the Kings an extra half second or two. Daniel Tolensky - the man you'll find tweeting positive stats about Pulver Sports clients whenever they are getting dumped on by Twitter users - was the first to catch the pause in the dying seconds on his twitter feed although there is a bit of a Zapruder quality to that video.

After the jump there's the original video and a selection of other angles.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs' three representatives had a pretty good weekend. Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul teamed up for a beauty two-on-one and Dion Phaneuf reined in his natural desire to hit people skating with their heads down. SBN's Peter Raaymakers - he of the extraneous 'a' and editor of Silver Seven Sens - was on the scene and captured some audio from the players. He did yeoman's work covering the entire weekend so check it out if you're so inclined.

Listen to a little bit of Kessel, Lupul and Phaneuf after the jump or read some rough transcripts.

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John Boruk Comcast Sportsnet Philly (a division of NBC Sports) has ranked the General Manager and Head Coach combinations in the NHL. He's not clear if he is ranking them on their reputation or on their body of work with their current team. I would assume that they are a hybrid because here's the Leafs' ranking:

8. Toronto Maple Leafs (Brian Burke/Ron Wilson) - Burke, like Holmgren, is very aggressive. He drafted the Sedins and Ryan Kesler in Vancouver, traded for Chris Pronger in Anaheim and won the Cup. He has an impressive track record, but a Toronto Maple Leafs resurrection may be his most challenging. He paid handsomely for Phil Kessel, who is finally putting up superstar numbers. His blue-line moves have been questionable. Wilson could never get the Sharks over the hump and in his first three seasons in Toronto, he has yet to make the Leafs into an Eastern Conference contender.

Biggest question mark moving forward: Can the Leafs land a No. 1 center they've desperately needed since the departure of Mats Sundin?

If it's the former then I think he ranked the Leafs' duo a bit high especially considering a couple of GMs and coaches below have more Stanley Cup rings than Burke and Wilson and if it's the latter then he's really gone too high. Although, either way, he's done well with the bottom of the list.

Here's the complete list. Where did he go wrong? What's he got right?

Athletes as a group tend to appear to lack in the personality department. Part of that is because it's easier to hide it than to share it and have to deal with people opining on it (step forward Tim Thomas) and part of it is because when you devote so much time to become among the best in a particular field you sometimes don't have time to develop an actual personality. Joffrey Lupul apparently has no such problems. Whether it's chirping Buffalo for being ugly or chirping Ottawa's fans for not buying tickets or, apparently, playing water games with former teammates:

"As soon as there was a TV timeout, it was just like during a game: You had about 2 and a half minutes to get the job done and get back to your seats and pretend like nothing happened. It was pretty funny," said Hartnell.

The word after the Draft, however, was that Team Chara's Joffrey Lupul used his assistant captaincy to cut the line for the bathroom, specifically in front of his old Flyers teammate Hartnell.

Hartnell denied Lupul pulled rank to get into the men's room. Because ... well ...

"Let's just say we shared the same bathroom at one time. He had to get out there quick. Everyone likes to play swords I guess," he said, with a laugh.

Let's be honest though: if you know enough people that play hockey at a decent level then you've probably hear much worse stories involving urine. Enjoy your imagination running wild!

Links after the jump.

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