Mats Sundin taboo

[Chuk]

I have always been a Mats Sundin supporter. I think he has done everything that was expected of him as an NHL player, captain and face of the franchise. I do not begrudge him anything and completely understand his desire to win a cup before his career ends. I also understand if he just wanted to walk away.
I discussed his potential influence on Montreal in this LINK and I believe that he would be a fantastic addition to any team. He could easily be the piece of the puzzle to put any contending team over the top.
As a long time leaf fan, I am extremely torn, knowing that our beloved captain might walk away from MLSE, a brutal and incompetent franchise more concerned with profit than on-ice success. But as a Leaf fan the loyalties always lie with hope at the altar of MLSE, where hockey is a religion in Toronto. Leaf fans, always loyal to a fault.
This separation goes beyond business, beyond personal. I view it as a true separation or a \"divorce\" if you will. As a victim of this divorce, I am the one left to \"understand\" both sides position with the expectation to remain loyal and support both. I am the child of this divorce, that suffers the anger, sadness, betrayal and result without the slightest voice in the decision.
I know it must happen and I know it is the best for both parties. MLSE will go on, we will have another captain, we will see better days. New relationships and bonds will occur. Mats may retire, he might go play for another team where another city will embrace and respect him as one of their heroes. Both will have successes and failures and both should have me as a fan.
But if I could have a quick conversation with Mats, to let him understand where my heart is right now, I would read him what I wrote above, with one simple caveat.
That as a Leaf fan and a silent victim of divorce, he must know that I will always be loyal to the blue and white and I would still support him in his future endeavors in almost any situation, but one.
You don\'t leave your wife to marry her mean,ugly sister, and yes Montreal, you are the mean, ugly sister. That is just sick, go get remarried, have fun, but certain things are just taboo. I mean as a child of this divorce would I call her Auntie-Mom??? Uncle-Dad???

Go to Detroit, Anaheim, San Jose. Go to Calgary or Vancouver if you must, but some things are just not right. Walk away from hockey all together if you have to.
Some things will taint any relationship and seeing Mats in a Habs uniform would be enough for me too, to walk away.

[lockedge]

Using the divorce example, Toronto was the angry spouse who pushed Mats around, demanded unreasonable things. Basically telling Mats to whore himself out to his friend/co-worker/etc. for blackmailing purposes, then want Mats to come back and be a perfect little family again.

Toronto betrayed Mats last year around the deadline, and Mats deserved to choose not to waive his NTC, and Toronto deserves to have him walk out and move on to another team. Even if that team is essentially Toronto\'s rival step-brother who\'s been much more successful in recent years.

[Seeds of Grapes]

Montreal as the \"mean, ugly sister?\"

Man, is someone ever bitter!

Besides, it is not like there is no precedent. Russ Courtnall and Doug Gilmour come to mind. Thus, hardly taboo.

Just to clarify, the good looking sister is the one wearing the Stanley Cups. The ugly looking sister is... well, as you say in your own posting, the

incompetent franchise more concerned with profit than on-ice success

[The Comish]

Chuk,

Loved your post! Karma for sure, but Seed is right - Montreal is not the mean, ugly sister. Montreal is the hot, leggy aerobics instructor step-sister (possibly the same one Brodeur slept with, but I digress...), whereas Toronto is the overweight, bumbling, accident prone girl with bi-polar disorder who walks with a limp.

Love is truly blind.

[Seeds of Grapes]

All in good jest - Karma to both of you!

[Chicleteur]

I really like this post! Really funny, but pretty true!

I really hope he\'ll wear the blue, white and red shirt next year!

[NordiqueFan]

Go habs Go :P as a true nordique fan i will be very happy to have Sundin come back to the quebec province

[mister_mcgoo]

The Comish wrote:

Chuk,

Loved your post! Karma for sure, but Seed is right - Montreal is not the mean, ugly sister. Montreal is the hot, leggy aerobics instructor step-sister (possibly the same one Brodeur slept with, but I digress...), whereas Toronto is the overweight, bumbling, accident prone girl with bi-polar disorder who walks with a limp.

Love is truly blind.

yeah Chuk, I totally feel your pain man but Commish has it right, Montreal is your hot promiscuous sister that gets laid all the time (24 times to be exact). Toronto is the dried up old spinster that actually did get laid once upon a long time ago at summer camp but you\'d never know it cause now shes just old and bitter and hates men -lol

also to add to seeds precedents, the most famous I can think of was mahavolich, no one ever could imagine him playing for either detroit or montreal

[lanky522]

The Comish wrote:

Chuk,

Loved your post! Karma for sure, but Seed is right - Montreal is not the mean, ugly sister. Montreal is the hot, leggy aerobics instructor step-sister (possibly the same one Brodeur slept with, but I digress...), whereas Toronto is the overweight, bumbling, accident prone girl with bi-polar disorder who walks with a limp.

Love is truly blind.

Indeed.

Chuk... I completely understand what you\'re saying... Regardless of whether or not Sundin was \"an abused spouse,\" he shouldn\'t desire to go to Montreal. How can you play your heart out against a heated rival for YEARS and then go join their team?

If he does end up in red/white/bleu :laugh: (lol) then I actually question how hard he played against them in his years with toronto. No athelete imo should be able to spend their entire career striving to beat a team (physically, emotionally, and on the scoreboard) only to go and join said team...

I mean I bring up Ray Bourque as an example. One of the classier captains in the history of the sport. He was Boston. Yet, when he left to try and win a cup, he didn\'t sign with Toronto or Buffalo... he didn\'t even go to New Jersey (despite their obvious dominance at the time)...

He went to Colorado. A different Division. A different CONFERENCE.

Because of this, boston fans could really cheer for him... I can\'t count how many boston fans I knew who had a Ray Bourque AVS jersey...

If Sundin is anywhere near the player, and man that the Toronto fans think he is, there\'s no way he should sign in Montreal... regardless of how poorly he was treated.

Classy guys just don\'t go and play for the enemy for a chance at the cup. There are numerous teams that can win the cup every year... Just as hossa will leave pittsburgh (looking for a different cup contender to play with), Sundin should look at other options than Montreal in my opinion.

EDIT:
Also, why isn\'t anyone talking about the fact that Leafs management has given Montreal the EXCLUSIVE right to negotiate with Sundin before July 1st?

Thats like the woman telling the sister that she competes with in every regard (how good their kids are, how great their husband is, how sexy they are, how their hair looks... etc.) that she can sleep with and then take said woman\'s husband that she\'s been with for over a decade...

Why is Toronto giving Montreal this right? Are they just hoping that if/when mats goes to montreal, that this will mean that there\'s still at least 8 games a season that they can make money off of him or what?

You just don\'t EVER see star players move within divisions... it\'s something GM\'s hardly ever do... what\'s Toronto brass thinking exactly? Why give their rival any advantage? And why aren\'t fans pissed off at new management for this action?

[repenttokyo]

lanky522 wrote:

The Comish wrote:

Chuk,

Loved your post! Karma for sure, but Seed is right - Montreal is not the mean, ugly sister. Montreal is the hot, leggy aerobics instructor step-sister (possibly the same one Brodeur slept with, but I digress...), whereas Toronto is the overweight, bumbling, accident prone girl with bi-polar disorder who walks with a limp.

Love is truly blind.

EDIT:
Also, why isn\'t anyone talking about the fact that Leafs management has given Montreal the EXCLUSIVE right to negotiate with Sundin before July 1st?

i don\'t think it\'s exclusive, but Montreal has permission to talk with Sundin. they didn\'t move a draft pick for it or anything.

[mister_mcgoo]

i don\'t think it\'s exclusive, but Montreal has permission to talk with Sundin. they didn\'t move a draft pick for it or anything.

yeah its one of those \'conditional\' exclusive arrangements (i.e. the Habs get exclusive rights to talk to him but only if they do sign him are they required to pay up...its speculated to be a prospect going to the Leafs)

[lanky522]

repenttokyo wrote:

lanky522 wrote:

The Comish wrote:

Chuk,

Loved your post! Karma for sure, but Seed is right - Montreal is not the mean, ugly sister. Montreal is the hot, leggy aerobics instructor step-sister (possibly the same one Brodeur slept with, but I digress...), whereas Toronto is the overweight, bumbling, accident prone girl with bi-polar disorder who walks with a limp.

Love is truly blind.

EDIT:
Also, why isn\'t anyone talking about the fact that Leafs management has given Montreal the EXCLUSIVE right to negotiate with Sundin before July 1st?

i don\'t think it\'s exclusive, but Montreal has permission to talk with Sundin. they didn\'t move a draft pick for it or anything.

I really think it is exclusive... no one other than Montreal can talk to him... it\'s one of those things where if they sign him before July 1st, they\'ll have to give up something to Toronto in compensation... if they don\'t, then they don\'t have to give up anything...

that\'s my understanding from what I\'ve read... Pretty sweet deal to give your \"enemy.\"

[lanky522]

mister_mcgoo wrote:

i don\'t think it\'s exclusive, but Montreal has permission to talk with Sundin. they didn\'t move a draft pick for it or anything.

yeah its one of those \'conditional\' exclusive arrangements (i.e. the Habs get exclusive rights to talk to him but only if they do sign him are they required to pay up...its speculated to be a prospect going to the Leafs)

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=2414...s=topStory_nhl

\"If a trip overseas isn\'t possible, Gainey will undoubtedly lay it all out on the line for the 37-year-old star through numerous conversations with Sundin and agent J.P. Barry. While not confirmed, it\'s suspected that the Maple Leafs will get a second-round pick in return for Sundin if a contract with the Canadiens can be reached.\"

[rattus rattus]

Well, Bob has been known to overpay before, but to me the compensation will probably be Grabovski, because if they sign Sundin the Habs will find thenselves knee-deep in centers.

This is hardly a sweet deal for Mtl. (more a \"Swede\" deal, if you ask me), and Fletcher is no idiot.
He has probably been told by the Sundin camp that if the big fella plays it will almost certainly be in the City of Cahampions.
So, to get anything at all back, this is where the deal had to go.
I\'m sure Fletcher wishes - at the very least on the PR level, where it will be a mini-disaster - that it were otherwise.
On the other hand, considering how MLSE has treated Mats, sweet indeed!

As for the Habs, waiting 8 days could have got us Sundin for nothing.

And incidentally, the last time a player wore the number \"13\" in Montreal was 88 years ago.
Readers of Chinese cultural background (if any), will get the inference.
rattus

[Crazynuck]

Thx for the read Chuk funny stuff.