Nuckertuzzi wrote:rockalt wrote:
To me Sundin belongs in the category of a Naslund, with Nazzy being a better player in his prime but Sundin being consistently good for a for longer period.
But that consistency can not be overlooked. It takes a special player to play over 1300 games and post over 1300 points. That criteria alone makes him an automatic in my books. Mats was not overrated by any means,..except maybe when we thought it was wise to get him when he was old. I also disagree about Markus being a better player in their primes. He had a couple great regular seasons but nothing overly special than anything Mats did..and more importantly Markus never had much of an impact for us in the playoffs, whereas Mats for several years was a real force for the leaves.
Agreed. Mats Sundin is one of the very best players to come out of Sweden. Unfortunately he got stuck in a crap team (which he also captained from 1997 to 2008) in the NHL, and never won anything important there. But he played 18 NHL seasons, and scored 1349 points in 1346 games. That's quite a feat in itself. Excluding his rookie season, the shortened lockout season and his half season with the Vancouver Canucks, Sundin scored at least 70 points in every season of his career, played at least 70 games in every season, and led the leaves in points
in every year he was with the team except 2002–03, when Alexander Mogilny beat him by seven points.
He currently ranks 27th in career scoring in the NHL, and I don't see any active players threatening that position in the next few years, and is tied with Joe Nieuwendyk for 21st in career goal scoring (564). He is also one of only two players to score at least 20 goals in each of his 17 first NHL seasons.
The first European player to go as #1 in the draft (1989) and one of the first Europeans to captain an NHL team (trailing Lars Erik Sjöberg, Stastny, Steen and Mogilny).
Anyway, I think his achievements make him a natural in the HHOF.
- Canada Cup All-Star Team 90/91
- Elitserien Champion 89/90
- NHL Best Swedish Player "Viking Award" 01/02, 96/97, 93/94, 92/93
- NHL Mark Messier Leadership Award 07/08
- NHL Most Game Winning Goals 03/04
- NHL Second All-Star Team 01/02, 03/04
- Olympic Gold Medal 05/06
- Olympic Most Points 01/02
- Swedish Junior Hockey Player of the Year "Årets Junior" 89/90
- TV-Pucken Gold Medal 86/87
- World Championship All-Star Team 91/92, 97/98, 02/03
- World Championship Best Forward 91/92, 02/03
- World Championship Bronze Medal 93/94, 00/01
- World Championship Gold Medal 90/91, 91/92, 97/98
- World Championship Most Assists 93/94
- World Championship Most Points 93/94, 90/91
- World Championship MVP 02/03
- World Championship Silver Medal 89/90, 02/03
- World Cup All-Star Team 95/96