The letter people in Vancouver received.
by asymsynap on Dec 23, 2008 1:34 PM EST
106 comments
Editor's Note: Presented without comment.
Dear Citizens of Vancouver,
Last season, I had two things on my mind. One was the consideration of retirement. The other, I hoped a deal could be signed to keep me in Toronto through retirement, if I chose to continue playing. Though the people of Toronto did not readily accept me, after years of playing every game with grit and intensity, they gradually became, I think, quite fond of me. Though it hurt to see it, I believed that last season, those people who so vocally wanted to drive me out of Toronto were the loud-mouthed minority. I thought that the years of service, devotion to my team, and my proud identification as a Maple Leaf meant more than being cast off as trade bait. I am not so sure any more.
In any case, despite many efforts by me and my agent to find some common ground for a new deal, throughout last season and this, I have come to accept that the current management has absolutely no interest in keeping my association with Toronto. For my part, I accept the criticism that thoughts of retirement made the situation worse. I understood that all along, but had to be completely honest about my feelings that I did not want to play at less than my top form, which requires all of my focus and determination.
I have kept my thoughts about Toronto management to myself and will continue that. The sting of rejection from Toronto fans has left a lasting impression on me. The intensity of the interest by Vancouver management has helped ease much of that pain. It is good to feel wanted after being cast off by people you thought were dear friends. It is nice to be playing where the management seems to be focused. It is also nice to continue playing where hockey matters. In Vancouver, my hope is that with my former team-mate Kyle, we can deliver what we so much longed for in Toronto, a Stanley Cup.
Skoal,
Mats
PensionPlanPuppets.com is a fan community that allows members to post their own thoughts and opinions on the Toronto Maple Leafs and hockey in general. These views and thoughts may not be shared by the editor of PensionPlanPuppets.com.
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i was gonna ask the same thing...
but didn’t want to come off looking stupid…
thanks for taking the bullet there PPP… :P
"You do dat, you go to da box, you know, uh, two minutes by yourself, and you feel shame, you know, and then you get free."
The Left Coast Lock
Well, I need to know. Because if it’s real then maybe Fredo won’t be getting those cheers in 2031 at his jersey retirement…
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
I wouldn’t be surprised either way.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
No just no way
All these years Mats has been insanely diplomatic in dealing with the Toronto media and been so careful with what he said, I do not see him suddenly doing a 180 and burning his bridge with Toronto just because he signed with the Canucks for a half a season… just no way
"God's in His heaven. All's right with the world." - Robert Browning (1812-1889)
Yeah
But there are a lot of things that I would have never thought Sundin would do that he’s done so what’s one more?
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
While
The Vancouver thing was relatively unexpected it wasn’t that mind shattering as this letter is if it were real
"God's in His heaven. All's right with the world." - Robert Browning (1812-1889)
I thought “Skoal” at the bottom was a dead giveaway.
Good letter though. Reminded me of this one from September. Another fake letter, but using ACTUAL quotes from Sundin.
by general borschevsky on Dec 23, 2008 2:41 PM EST up reply actions
Isn’t ‘Skoal’ “cheers” in Swedish? I know it’s something similar in Danish.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
I'm not Swedish :(
Good satire though.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
are you guys seriously asking this question?
by Darryl Sittler's 10 Pt Night on Dec 23, 2008 1:46 PM EST up reply actions
Yes
We obviously trend towards this being a spectacular work of fiction but…
you never know. Who would have thought that Mats would be a Canuck one year ago?
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
I had Mats pegged being gone at last deadline and I certainly didn’t see him coming back to Toronto the year after. In fact, I thought Vancouver would be one of the teams he’d probably go to then.
Just saying Mats being on the Canucks isn’t too outrageous.
by Darryl Sittler's 10 Pt Night on Dec 23, 2008 8:35 PM EST up reply actions
Eh. Carry on.
Ain't nothing but puck drops and poke checks, babydoll.
by wrap around curl on Dec 23, 2008 1:40 PM EST reply actions
Where?
I can’t find it on tsn.ca…
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
I was just messing around lol. I was going to come on a few minutes later and go “LOL, GOTCHA” but I fell asleep … so yeah.
by WildWolfdog on Dec 23, 2008 10:52 PM EST up reply actions
Go Canucks Go
I cannot wait for Vancouver playoff action…
A Toronto sports blog, where we unequivocally and unapologetically support the home team...
Listen Benedict
Stop cheering for other teams. If the Canucks make the playoffs then they are part of the unholy pentagram of Canadian teams that have to be eliminated before I can sleep well.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
the Canucks aren’t another team.
I want Sundin to win a Cup. He’s had a marvellous career. It’s unfortunate it couldn’t happen here, but that doesn’t mean I want him to not win it. He deserves it. He deserves to have his name on that trophy, regardless of which sweater he’s wearing on his back.
A Toronto sports blog, where we unequivocally and unapologetically support the home team...
NO!
I thought the same way when him winning the Cup with another team was a function of having been moved in order to save the Leafs.
Now: He’s just another mercenary hockey player! I don’t want him to win anymore than I want to see Jeff Carter score 25 goals.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
It wasn’t his responsibility to be moved in order to save the Leafs…
A Toronto sports blog, where we unequivocally and unapologetically support the home team...
And it’s not my responsibility to wish him well either.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
and you had to throw in a Jeff Carter reference!!!!!!!!!!1
A Toronto sports blog, where we unequivocally and unapologetically support the home team...
Yes
Both things hurt a lot. Whether or not Sundin wins a Cup will go a long way towards determining which one hurts more.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
I love the Leafs. I love Sundin. Things happen for a reason. What’s done is done. Mats may have left us with a sour taste in our mouths, but the good far outweighs the bad, in my eyes. And that’s why I want him to win.
A Toronto sports blog, where we unequivocally and unapologetically support the home team...
Well...
It’s not like I want him to die! (anymore) I wish him all sorts of well. I hope he has lots of little Mats’s with Josephine that grow up to play for the Leafs and win lots of Stanley Cups.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
but no Cup as punishment?
A Toronto sports blog, where we unequivocally and unapologetically support the home team...
It’s not a punishment. It’s the reality of fandom. Who ever wants to see another team win the Cup?
You know why I cheered for Tampa and Carolina? Because I don’t know any of their fans but I know that I don’t want to have to put up with Oilers or Flames fans after a Cup win.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Everyone's different...
I was cheering for both Edmonton and Calgary.
A Toronto sports blog, where we unequivocally and unapologetically support the home team...
I heart Sundin too
But I dunno if I can watch him win the Cup with another team…
It’s like that ex you never quite get over
"God's in His heaven. All's right with the world." - Robert Browning (1812-1889)
I cried when Bourque won. And I wasn’t even that attached to him. I will ball out of control if Sundin gets to raise the Cup.
I can’t compare Sundin to an ex. Guys who stay with one team are extremely extremely rare. I knew he’d eventually move on. I was just hoping he’d have won a Cup here first.
A Toronto sports blog, where we unequivocally and unapologetically support the home team...
I laughed
As if winning that Cup meant anything. It should have meant nothing to him but the mere presence of a ring is often more valued than the process in winning it. I used to think Mats thought the same way.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
It's not about the ring...
It’s about having your name engraved on the Stanley Cup for all eternity…and only a few people are so lucky.
A Toronto sports blog, where we unequivocally and unapologetically support the home team...
True
I don’t want to punish him, but like I said, Sundin was the first Leafs player I knew when I became a die hard member of the blue and white fan corp… it will be tough to get over him and watch him in another uniform
"God's in His heaven. All's right with the world." - Robert Browning (1812-1889)
mats
can not win the cup in any other city but toronto.
sorry eyebleaf. i would cheer for the sens against the canucks…it’s that bad
"You do dat, you go to da box, you know, uh, two minutes by yourself, and you feel shame, you know, and then you get free."
The Left Coast Lock
indeed it will be tough...
but i think he’ll fit in well there…
it’s a new chapter. i’m excited b/c if the leafs don’t make the playoffs, at least i have a vested interest. i usually always watch even if the leafs don’t make it, but i’ve already adopted the canucks as team 1A the rest of the way
A Toronto sports blog, where we unequivocally and unapologetically support the home team...
What about the Caps!? They even made us a logo!
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
caps vs canucks cup final…?
holy crap, that actually sounds kind of exciting
"You do dat, you go to da box, you know, uh, two minutes by yourself, and you feel shame, you know, and then you get free."
The Left Coast Lock
Exactly
And it means infinitely less when you’ve parachuted into a perfect situation.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
for me
that hopeful Cup victory for sundin is not about only this year…
it’s about his entire career….you know, the entire journey
A Toronto sports blog, where we unequivocally and unapologetically support the home team...
no dice?
that’s my personal opinion!
A Toronto sports blog, where we unequivocally and unapologetically support the home team...
So?
Opinions can still be wrong.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
thanks for the update
A Toronto sports blog, where we unequivocally and unapologetically support the home team...
hahaha
It’s true though. What if my opinion was that certain races were less human than others? Is that opinion right?
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
What do Sens fans have to do with any of this?
Down Goes Brown - Unapologetically nostalgic for the past. Brutally realistic about the present. Grudgingly optimistic about the future.
by Down Goes Brown on Dec 23, 2008 3:21 PM EST up reply actions
Fake
I may be the top Mats-basher out there, but there’s zero chance this is real. He’s not that dumb.
Down Goes Brown - Unapologetically nostalgic for the past. Brutally realistic about the present. Grudgingly optimistic about the future.
by Down Goes Brown on Dec 23, 2008 2:22 PM EST reply actions
Really?
I think you made a pretty persuasive argument that he is just that dumb.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
He’s indecisive, probably not really interested in winning a Cup, thin-skinned, and royally screwed up repeatedly in the last year.
He’s not dumb. Not this dumb. And even if he is, his PR people aren’t.
This letter doesn’t even sound like him. And besides, the “citizens” of Vancoucer received it? All of them?
There’s a Canucks blog somewhere having a laugh over this, I guarantee it.
Down Goes Brown - Unapologetically nostalgic for the past. Brutally realistic about the present. Grudgingly optimistic about the future.
by Down Goes Brown on Dec 23, 2008 2:25 PM EST up reply actions
Side note: asymsynap is a Canucks fan who’s defended Mats at DGB. He’s just having some fun here.
Down Goes Brown - Unapologetically nostalgic for the past. Brutally realistic about the present. Grudgingly optimistic about the future.
by Down Goes Brown on Dec 23, 2008 2:28 PM EST up reply actions
there's your answer....
trying to get us to hate them like they hate us…
and all we’re wondering is if Mats is this stupid….
sorry ’nucks fans. you fail to register
"You do dat, you go to da box, you know, uh, two minutes by yourself, and you feel shame, you know, and then you get free."
The Left Coast Lock
There’s a Canucks blog somewhere having a laugh over this, I guarantee it.
Meh, maybe if everyone thought it was real but all anyone’s done is talk about whether it could be real based on how things have gone.
Would it be the first time that an open letter to the fans was printed? JFJ did one last year in the local papers.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
No may be
You are the top Mats-basher out there.
Second prize goes to Wendel’s Moustache, who has reached obscene levels of douchebaggery in only a week.
A Toronto sports blog, where we unequivocally and unapologetically support the home team...
Second prize goes to Wendel’s Moustache, who has reached obscene levels of douchebaggery in only a week.
Because he doesn’t want Mats to win a Cup and is angry at him? Sorry, that’s part and parcel of being a fan. Of course for some the name on the back matters more than the crest on the front.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
I have to agree that the level of obscenity was totally uncalled for though. I’m sure things will be said that will be regretted, but that kind of stuff is pretty much instantly regrettable. I’m just hoping more people put up fanposts so it will disappear from the fanpost headlines on the side of the site soon!
by LeafFanInVan on Dec 23, 2008 2:31 PM EST up reply actions
You may not agree with it but...
and this is in response to Eyebeleaf too, he wrote that immediately after the announcement. Think of how charged up everyone was and there were thousands of fans that had the same reaction.
Of course, you know how to bump fanposts down right? ;)
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
so any emotional response is OK?
if i’m pissed off with you and write a fanpost right after the fact bashing you and telling you to suck my left nut, it’s ok because i’m emotional?
A Toronto sports blog, where we unequivocally and unapologetically support the home team...
hahaha
No and if Mats ran this site he could delete that fanpost.
And there is a difference between understanding something and condoning it. Like LFiV said, everyone wrote their own post according to their own beliefs and used the language that they thought was acceptable. MF37 had a long debate with him and you could have jumped in any time to tell him that he was so so wrong if you wanted to or you could have ignored it.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
I haven’t been on the comp much. I didn’t even know it was a fanpost. I most unfortunately actually found his new blog, itself.
A Toronto sports blog, where we unequivocally and unapologetically support the home team...
LOL
Write a new fanpost and bump him off. Also, have you written two? Because if not you can’t win the Sundin jersey :P
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
that poor sundin jersey is going to be burned on a hockey stick, i can see it now
i will be watching from afar, in tears
A Toronto sports blog, where we unequivocally and unapologetically support the home team...
if i win...
i won’t burn it. i won’t wear it…but i won’t burn it.
"You do dat, you go to da box, you know, uh, two minutes by yourself, and you feel shame, you know, and then you get free."
The Left Coast Lock
Videotape the tears!
No one will burn it. They’ll put it in their closet for 2031 when his number is honoured.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
hopefully your anger will have subsided by then
A Toronto sports blog, where we unequivocally and unapologetically support the home team...
I already said it would. It’s all of my latino heat. Of course you’re all zen and pacifist! You’re from Gandhiland.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
except when it comes to Raycroft. then I’m all militant.
A Toronto sports blog, where we unequivocally and unapologetically support the home team...
Well
I bet Gandhi hated someone.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
I may not agree with it and it may make me cringe a little, but I’d defend anyone’s ability to say saucy stuff like that (as long as a line is not crossed – that’s a whole other ball game!).
I still think there will be a time when people look back and perhaps feel a small frisson of embarrassment for the things that were said.. But people will learn from it and hopefully move forward.
by LeafFanInVan on Dec 23, 2008 3:14 PM EST up reply actions
give me a break. there’s a difference b/w being angry at him and acting like a juvenile the way moustache did. you’re mad at him, PPP, but you didn’t sink to those levels.
calling him a traitor and telling him to suck his left nut? that’s fandom alright.
A Toronto sports blog, where we unequivocally and unapologetically support the home team...
So if Mats actually put out a statement like this one, you’d still defend him?
Down Goes Brown - Unapologetically nostalgic for the past. Brutally realistic about the present. Grudgingly optimistic about the future.
by Down Goes Brown on Dec 23, 2008 2:30 PM EST up reply actions
All Signs Point To Yet
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Hmmm...
Maybe if we send it to TSN it can go from
We obviously trend towards this being a spectacular work of fiction
to an inter-city incident.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
my hope is that with my former team-mate Kyle
That part made me laugh.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
I bet Kyle is sent down before January is out.
Too funny.
by LeafFanInVan on Dec 23, 2008 3:15 PM EST up reply actions
…but the funniest thing was the Wolfman saying that he read the same thing on TSN. Almost laughed myself off the chair.
Yeah
That sneaky bastard. Sent Winkle and I on wild “Holy shit! It actually is true?!?” goose chases.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
No fcking way Mats would say those things, even if it is exactly how he feels. He is too much a class act.
It's ok
You can swear ;)
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Speak for yourself
I never bought it for a second!
"God's in His heaven. All's right with the world." - Robert Browning (1812-1889)
That’s why there are two question marks there ;)
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
You know how you can tell it's fake?
It’s timely.
If it was really from Mats, he’d need some time to consider all of his letter options, who he wants to send it to, meet with his agent, consider if he really has it in his heart to send out a public statement, and then determine who has the best postage rates.
By the time that was done, this letter wouldn’t get posted for another three months at best.
Bitter Leaf Fan: a life-long Toronto Maple Leafs fan comments on the team, the media and the exasperation...
by mf37 on Dec 23, 2008 3:56 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Plus we’d get a letter that said the exact opposite a few months later. At which point some people would race to post “oh, and you never changed your mind”?
Down Goes Brown - Unapologetically nostalgic for the past. Brutally realistic about the present. Grudgingly optimistic about the future.
by Down Goes Brown on Dec 23, 2008 4:42 PM EST up reply actions
gah!
i forgot my mental note…
no drinking before reading new comments…second spit take of the day courtesy of this site
"You do dat, you go to da box, you know, uh, two minutes by yourself, and you feel shame, you know, and then you get free."
The Left Coast Lock
I’d hate to be stuck in the middle seat between DGB and Eyebleaf on a cross-country journey.
Bitter Leaf Fan: a life-long Toronto Maple Leafs fan comments on the team, the media and the exasperation...
Here’s how I’d react to news of that seating arrangement.
Down Goes Brown - Unapologetically nostalgic for the past. Brutally realistic about the present. Grudgingly optimistic about the future.
by Down Goes Brown on Dec 23, 2008 8:26 PM EST up reply actions
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