PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Mats Sundin is one of our best hockey players ever.
He has always been a winner right down to the tips of his fingers.
The three Kronor profiles reveal the secrets of “Sudden”.
Few Swedish hockey players can measure up Mats Sundin’s greatness. He spent 17 seasons in the world’s best hockey league, the NHL, and is still the Swede who scored the most points of all time.
Sundin’s success
It was as much as 1,349 points in 1,346 games for “Sudden”, who also became the first European player ever to be selected number 1 in the NHL draft. He really left a big mark with the Toronto Maple Leafs after his ten years as team captain in the organization.
READ MORE: Mats Sundin refuses to be part of the TV program Mästarnas mästara
Mats Sundin was also incredibly loyal to Tre Kronor and usually accepted when the national team called on him. He won an Olympic gold and three World Cup golds in the blue and yellow national team uniform and is mentioned as one of our greatest Three Kronor heroes in history.
Food’s secrets
The son of Sollentuna has always been a true winner. Former national team profiles tell the secrets behind Sundin’s greatness and why he was so successful.
– Sudden and I fought together for the first time in the WC in 1991 and even then he was a great authority. Then a few years passed and he grew all the time. When Mats Sundin speaks, people listen. That’s how it is. Some people have that quality, says the former teammate Jonas Bergqvist to Aftonbladet.
– Among other things, Sudden and I played together in the World Cup in 1996. Before the last period against Finland, we lingered in the dressing room, just the two of us, and Sudden came up to me and said: “Now Berka, now the shit is going in”. Then he went out and scored two goals and we won the game. He not only delegates the tasks, he also carries them out. That is Sudden’s greatness as an ice hockey player.
READ MORE: Mats Sundins played in the back after the Swedish Olympic gold celebration
Anders Weiderstålbetter known as “Pudding”, was material manager for Tre Kronor for many, many years and reveals Sundin’s habits from the dressing room.
– Sudden is very accurate. For example, he used three pairs of gloves per match, because he doesn’t like them getting damp. He has a couple in the warm-up, ten minutes into the second period he changes again and lets the others dry. Same thing with the skates. He uses the same pair for a month at most, Weiderstål tells the evening newspaper.
Fredrik Modin had the honor of playing with Sundin both in Tre Kronor and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
– Sudden has a wonderful attitude and that is what makes him so strong as a leader. It doesn’t matter if it’s a match or practice? When he steps out on the ice, he does it with 110 percent. Call it weight. He shows with his body language what it is all about.
– It is no coincidence that he was captain in Toronto. I am impressed with how he handled his role. People should know that it’s tough to be the face of a classic team like Toronto. He doesn’t talk much, but he constantly shows an incredible winning instinct on the ice. The strange thing is that when he decides to score, he does. The teammates are sucked in in some strange way, he says in the interview.
– Sudden also hates losing, but he doesn’t show it outwardly in the same way. He is a great leader and he shows that even in adversity. I am convinced that many times he said one thing, but that deep down he wanted to say something completely different. As the team captain in Toronto, you have to be the face and he has learned to deal with losses in a good way.
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