Despite the Toronto Maple Leafs' struggles to find playoff success in recent years, franchise icon Mats Sundin still has lots of faith in the team’s current group to keep growing and eventually break through.
On an appearance on the J.D. Bunkis Podcast on Thursday morning, Sundin said that as the Maple Leafs core continued to grow and earn its stripes, the team's time in the spotlight would come.
“You have some of the top players in the league today, they’re young, they’re hungry, every game they play in the regular season, they’re going to gain experience, but it’s also going to (add) some fuel to the fire,” Sundin said. “Every time they lose a playoff game or lose a playoff round, they’ve actually got to want it even more.”
The former Maple Leafs captain, who will be flying into Toronto for the Hall of Fame game and to celebrate the class of 2023 – he was inducted in 2012 – pointed to his Maple Leafs teams of the early 2000s as a group that the current core could look to emulate.
“We had a fantastic room in Toronto those years,” he said. “And as you get closer to the playoffs, and no one is getting paid anymore, I think the importance of those values -- the close room, having a bigger goal -- comes very, very much into play.”
Sundin added that the current core, and any concerns of what Bunkis called "blue and white disease" – where a player feels they are a big deal just because they are a Maple Leaf – should be the last thing on any fans' minds. He reiterated his belief that, just as had been the case during his time in Toronto, that the players deeply desired to win a Stanley Cup while wearing the blue and white.
“The foundation of this team is going to get many chances (over the years) to reach deep into the playoffs and win a championship ... and all these guys on the Leafs team today are very competitive, there’s nothing else they want to do but win a championship,” said Sundin, 51.
Also in town for the festivities are three Swedish inductees in Daniel and Henrik Sedin, as well as Sundin’s longtime Battle of Ontario foe Daniel Alfredsson. In addition to Borje Salming, who continues his ongoing battle with ALS, and his presence this weekend, Sundin noted that this was a very special moment in history for Swedish hockey.
“Borje Salming is, for my generation, the guy that paved the way for Swedish hockey players into North America. He showed that we’re good enough to play with the best,” Sundin said of the legendary Swedish defenceman. “He was my mentor when I became a Maple Leaf, when I was asked to be the captain for the Toronto Maple Leafs, (and) I always talked to Borje Salming as a friend.”
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