An open letter from Mats Sundin to the city of Toronto, and to the fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs, for whom he cares so deeply:

Dear Friends in Leaf Nation,

I think Leaf fans are going to be surprised about some of the younger players that are coming through the Leafs system.

I saw they won their first exhibition game so that was great.

I think the Leafs are going to have a good year. They should be fun to watch with a lot of new faces and some excitement around the team. I'm going to follow them here as the pre-season goes on.

There's always going to be a hockey itch with me. I love the game of hockey. It's been the biggest part of my life my whole life.

I am going to go back to Toronto at some point. I have my house there. I obviously consider Toronto as my home still.

Best Wishes, Mats Sundin