1,346 NHL games.
Now Mats Sundin points out the best goalie he faced in the NHL.
And those are words that give every Swede goosebumps.
Mats “Sudden” Sundin is one of Sweden’s greatest of all time. His jersey number 13 has been retired by the Toronto Maple Leafs, but it wasn’t just there that the Swede excelled. He was a hero in Tre Kronor where there were a total of three WC golds and one Olympic gold.
Incredible career
In the NHL, Sundin became the first Swede ever to be selected as a draft pick, and he even managed to exceed the enormously high expectations placed on him. Sudden became team captain in hockey-crazy Toronto, and in total there were 17 seasons in the world’s best hockey league.
To this day, Mats Sundin is the Swede who scored the most goals and points in the NHL, and in total it was a mind-boggling 1,349 points in 1,346 games for Sundin, who can look back on a career that included everything but the Stanley Cup. But despite that, in the first year where it was possible, Mats Sundin got an honored place in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012. And for all Swedes, he will always be remembered for his part in the goal that won Sweden Olympic gold in 2006, together with Peter Forsberg and Nicklas Lidström.
Powerful words about Henke
Sudden is not only one of Sweden’s greats, but also hockey in general. With his many matches, he has faced some of the best players and goalkeepers of all time, and when he was once asked to point out the best goalkeeper he had ever faced, he came up with a real tribute to the Swedish icon Henrik Lundqvist.
– I have met everyone involved in the conversation. And Henke is among the best, Sudden told Expressen.
Henrik Lundqvist was the face of the New York Rangers for over 15 years, but according to Sudden, there was a goaltender who was even better than Henke, namely six-time Vezina Trophy winner Dominik Hasek.
– I say Dominik Hasek, he had a few seasons when he was terribly good, says Mats Sundin.
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