Photo: Sören Andersson/TT, Nathan Denette/AP/TT
Mats Sundin left the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2008.
Three years later, he received word that one of his best friends from there, Wade Belak, had killed himself. He writes about the friend in his new autobiography “Tur och retur – my story”.
– It leaves its mark. You’ve always had something like this since then, says Sundin to Expressen.
Finally have Mats Sundin53, wrote his autobiography. The American book publisher Simon & Schuster has been pestering him for five years, now it has become a reality. “Round trip – my story” will be released on October 22 and it is partly about his upbringing in the Sweden of the 70s and 80s with parents who had strained finances, partly about how he became a celebrated NHL star and about the Olympic gold with Three Crowns.
Came as a shock
In the book he writes, together with the author Amy Stuart“Sudden” also tells about what it was like when he received the death notice about his friend Wade Belak. Belak and Tie Domi were the Toronto Maple Leafs two tough guys during the time Sundin was there. They protected him on the ice and were also his friends outside.
In 2011, when Wade Belak was 35 years old, he committed suicide. He had suffered from the progressive degenerative disease CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy), which usually affects people with a history of repetitive brain trauma, such as hockey players. Belak could not bear to live any longer.
– It was a shock. It’s like with Börje (Salming). Everything he went through with ALS. It leaves its mark. You’ve always had something like this since then. It was difficult afterwards, says Mats Sundin in an interview with Expressen.
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“There were no such signs”
During the years they knew each other, Wade Belak was always a happy person and “Sudden” could never guess that he was actually depressed. The death took a toll on him.
– It is very difficult to know who is unwell. There were no such signs during the years we played together. It was terrible. You never know who is suffering from mental illness. He was so happy and forward, he says.
He believes to some extent that it may have to do with the style of play that both Wade Belak and Tie Domi had. They were forced to be physical and fight on the ice, something they did not always choose. But Belak had been told it was his only chance to play in the NHL, so he continued to be the tough guy he was molded to be.
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– Yes, absolutely. Wade and Tie, those types of players. Imagine having that as a job at the matches. If you want to keep the job, you have to fight during the season. You don’t have to fight maybe every game, but they know themselves that this is what I have to do to keep the place in the team. I have always said that it is absolutely the toughest and most difficult job in the NHL, says Mats Sundin.
Turn here if you feel unwell
So incredibly tragic in many ways. Mental illness is really nothing to turn a blind eye to.
Thank you for daring and wanting to tell me, Mats. It will be so interesting to read more about your life in your new book.
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