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"You heard it someplace, not here."

SUNDIN-A-POLOOSA: TRUTH AND RUMORS

It is getting laughable of late with the continual flow of idiotic rumors about the future of Mats Sundin. The people who are pushing forward these "gems" are apparently doing so with the agenda of generating buzz. Whether for a blog or a Newspaper or a hockey themed show, Mats Sundin's story remains a "gravy train" for those seeking a boost in readers or ratings. The problem is that the majority of these "stories" are ignoring two very significant things - the facts and the man.
Mats Sundin has never been about the money, he's a man of great integrity who values his reputation far more than dollars. He's a man who takes responsibility and captaincy very seriously. He's not afraid to make the hard choices, and he'll put himself on the line for his team-mates every time. When Mats says something, it comes after careful thought and his word is as good as gold.
Mats has said that he intends contemplate further on his NHL future. His agent has passed along that it will be late July or early August before he decides.
Given that, it is pretty silly to push out any rumor that suggests Mats has secretly agreed to a deal a couple of weeks early and will announce it later.
Mats is going to take every day that he has bought for himself. Logically too, if he were feeling pressure to decide early, then it would have been weeks ago that he would have announced a decision. If it were about the money, he surely would have jumped at a $20 million dollar offer when it was put on the table, rather than wait to see if the money is still there later, the Canucks have other players to sign, and a $20 million offer may not be practical later - don't fool yourself, Mats understands the business and knows this. If he goes to Vancouver, it won't be just about the money.
The hilarious comments by some that the 2010 games may be a draw for Sundin, once again defy logic. Mats will surely be a part of Team Sweden if he goes and has already suggested in the past that he'll likely retire to Sweden when his playing days are done. Having a house in the area would not require him to be a member of the Canucks, if he was that much worried about the Olympics. As for stumping the games, that can just as easily be done from Stockholm as Whistler.
In Montreal there seems to be reports daily about Sundin and Gainey keeping in touch or some unidentified acqaintance of Sundin suggesting he knows Mats mind enough to garentee he'll sign with the Habs.
Heck, I am surprised that we don't have reports from NHL cities stating that the entrails of birds or the patterns in stolen Sundin garbage clearly suggest a desitination.
I'm sticking to the best source I've heard so far - Sundin, who said he's make up his mind in a couple of weeks. Without a doubt, given his media connections he'll announce through a reliable media outlet that he trusts with a clear and unmistakable message, plus his reasons. OR he may just tell everyone that he's decided to play in Sweden this Fall and postpone any NHL decision for now.
He has a love of his home country and a Swedish fiance, and surely his summer has been shortened by the constatnt media hounding. I'd really not be surprised in the least to see him take the NHL season off.
Of COURSE, then there's King Clancy's Ghost...who's told me personally that Mats will return to Toronto in November. Maybe as reliable as any other quoted source.

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