Photo: Bildbyrån, Nils Petter Nilsson/TT,
During his 18 years in the NHL, Mats Sundin has played with some of the world’s best hockey players ever.
Now he has revealed who the biggest name is.
– The most fun I’ve had to do is play with Guy Lafleur, he has told Hockey Sweden.
One of the greatest Swedes to have played in the NHL is Mats Sundin53. In 1346 games he scored 564 goals and 785 assists. He is still the only Swedish player ever to score 500 goals in the world’s best league. He was also the first European to go first in the NHL draft.
“The curls flew in the wind”
But even Mats Sundin has played with a lot of legendary NHL icons over the years. Many are probably wondering who he personally thinks of as the very greatest he has shared a dressing room with.
The player in question is a man who died in 2022, then 70 years old. A Canadian who was insanely successful with the Montreal Canadiens, who did a single season with the New York Rangers and who finished his career with the Quebec Nordiques. It was there, during the 1990/1991 season, that “Sudden” hit Guy Lafleur.
– I usually say that the most fun I’ve had is playing with Guy Lafleur. You then think – are you that old? He then played his last year in the NHL and it was a fantastic experience to play with him, he tells Hockey Sweden.
READ MORE: Mats Sundin got a shock when he first played with Börje Salming
Among other things, Lafleur was known for not playing with a helmet, because you simply didn’t have to during the 60s to 80s. That set him apart from the younger players. As Mats Sundin described it: “The curls flew in the wind”, on Guy Lafleur.
Got good advice
When Lafleur passed away in 2022, Sundin was asked to say a few words about him on the NHL’s official website. He then told what he has carried with him from his time with Lafleur. It turned out that the Canadian – who won the Stanley Cup five times in his career – taught young Mats a lot about game preparation. Things that many might not imagine the very biggest stars to teach the juniors.
– He was a good person in many ways and he meant a lot to me when I came to the NHL. I remember so well when I stepped into the dressing room for the first time. I was nervous and was very early. All players’ match uniforms were in front – except Lafleur’s. When I went into the inner room where the scorer was, Guy Lafleur was standing there, fully dressed in his match suit, wrapping the club, he told the website.
READ MORE: Challe Berglund was about to ruin Mats Sundin in Toronto – that’s how their relationship is today
– There I learned that careful preparation, with the equipment, with the stick, everything, is the A and O in hockey. Incredibly important. And he often offered a kind word or a piece of advice. To me he told me to shoot more: “I know you have a good shot, so when you get over blue shoot”… and then some profanity in French.
Definitely really inspiring and fascinating to play with the legendary Guy Lafleur, the old school pro.
Who do you think is the greatest ever in NHL history? Feel free to comment on Sportbibeln’s Facebook page.
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