Leafs to raise Sundin's No. 13 to the ACC rafters
So it came as no surprise
that Donald
Driver Jersey
the ovation was much louder on Saturday night, when
the Leafs' former captain visited the Air Greg
Jennings Jersey
Canada Centre for just the second time since
leaving Toronto for a one-season stint in Vancouver. It was also his first time
sitting in the stands, not skating on the ice below.
But Sundin will be
back soon - Feb. 11, to be exact. That night, before the Leafs take on the
Montreal Canadiens, the franchise will make its all-time points leader the 16th
player to have his jersey number honoured with Ray
Nitschke Jersey
a spot in the ACC's rafters.
"I think once
you retire, you get a chance to reflect on your career and where you played and
what it meant to yourself," Sundin said between the first and second periods of
the Leafs' 4-3 win over Pittsburgh. Charles
Woodson Jersey
"To get a chance to represent the Leafs for all the
years that I did and play in a city like this - and you realize the first time
you watch a game in the stands, the atmosphere and everything - it's tough to
describe in words .... It's a huge honour to get the invitation. "
Sundin
became a Leaf on June 28, 1994, when Quebec sent him, Garth Butcher Jermichael
Finley Jersey
and Todd Warriner to Toronto for Wendel Clark,
Sylvain Lefebvre and Landon Wilson.
While Toronto mourned the loss of one
icon in Clark's departure, they gained another in Sundin. In 2007-08, his final
year in Toronto, he broke Darryl Sittler's team records for goals and points.
The only thing missing from a lengthy resume, which included Olympic gold with
Sweden in 2006, was a Stanley Cup victory.
But Sundin is not dwelling on
that much.
"I played almost 20 years," he said. "We'd been to the
conference finals twice. Of course you want to win the Cup, but my career's
given me so much - both playing in the National Hockey League and on the [
Swedish] national team. I could not have asked for any more. I've been blessed
with way too much. "
The Leafs only retire numbers of players whose
careers were cut short tragically. Bill Barilko's No. 5 and Ace Bailey's No. 6
are the only two that will never be worn again. The other 16 numbers in the
rafters are available for use (although many , including Doug Gilmour's No. 93,
are unlikely to be used again).
Asked if he was bothered that his No. 13
would technically remain in circulation, Sundin simply shrugged.
"Hey,
I'm just happy to be mentioned in the same breath as Bjore Salming, Darryl
Sittler, all these great legends of the game," Sundin said. "It's great. I don't
care about that."