Okay, Mats, I'll come clean. I love you and at some indefinite point in the future, I will get over this.

Right now, I think you're a bawbag.

Maybe you were hurt that the club tried to move you, that they made it clear it was time to move on. We know how you felt. We've all been dumped. I can understand. We wanted a more realistic outlook from you, but got an emotional response instead.

It's unfortunate, but it doesn't upset me.

It's not the money, either. I've never understood why fans get upset when players take more cash to play somewhere else. After all, a professional sportsman is one bad challenge away from running a pub for the rest of his life. Even after the money you made in Toronto set you up for life, I can still understand you taking the offer from Vancouver. At the end of the day, it's still just a job. God knows, if someone came and offered me more money to do the exact same job for them, I'd be off. I think most people would. Even at your age and with your bank balance.

I completely understand if you were just dazzled by zeros.

So that doesn't upset me either.

Hell, if you've had a bad run on PokerStars, it makes even more sense to me.

What annoys me, is the talk.

"I have never believed in the concept of a rental player. It is my belief that winning the Stanley Cup is the greatest thing you can achieve in hockey but for me, in order to appreciate it you have to have been part of the entire journey and that means October through June. I hope everyone will understand and respect my decision."

That was you, back in February, explaining why you didn't wat to be traded. And, again, I was fine with it. Even though it was obvious you had no long-term future here, you had your reasons and I respected them. Team sport is such a mercenary business that any stand of principle should be applauded.

How do I feel now? I'm unamused.

October through June.

We're less than a week from Christmas. By the time you're fit to play, the Canucks will have played half their season. If you really hurry, you might even get a few All-Star votes.

Money, the chance to win, you miss the lifestyle and cameraderie. Whatever your motives for coming back, it's okay, these things happen and I can move on. But either you lied to us back in February or you're lying to yourself now. Whichever it is, I'm hurt, disappointed and annoyed with you.

What matters to me is that you broke your word.