Mats staying put

According to Mr. Berger, Mats Sundin has declined to waive his no-trade clause and will be remaining with the Leafs. Let the inanity begin...

According to a Berger report on Eklund's site (yes, I was there, and yes, I feel a little dirty), Mats is staying put. Reading some of the comments on that site, there is a fairly even split of people applauding him for his loyalty and people excoriating him for being selfish.

I will throw my hat into the ring and congratulate Mats for doing what was right for him. Anyone choosing to question his competitiveness or will to win is just plain wrong. Watch him play just once and you'll see a fierce competitor. When some of his teammates are coasting, he's backchecking and driving the net and hitting. He's done everything asked of him for this franchise, and with a few exceptions, has not had much help on the ice.

It is not, as some will say, his job as captain to sacrifice himself for the future. He didn't offer the restrictive contracts to Tucker, Blake and Kubina. He didn't trade Tuukka Rask for Andrew Raycroft. And now that Ferguson is gone, his mistakes are not Mats' to fix.

Sundin may have fetched a nice package of prospects and picks, none of which would have guaranteed any future success for the Leafs. But now we get something else - something perhaps far more valuable. For the first time in nearly 40 years, we get to see a truly great Leaf captain retire as a Leaf captain. Gilmour and Clark came back, but it wasn't the same, having watch them wear other jerseys (Gilmour as a Hab? Clark as a Red Wing? Ugh). Whether Mats retires after this season, or decides to play one or two more years, he will retire as the Captain of the Maple Leafs. If we can't have a Cup, then I'll take seeing Mats take his bows in blue and white.

Berger, Cox (hey Damien - I forget...when was the last time the Leafs won the Cup? Prey, please tell me...) and their ilk can call me a sheep and ridicule my unconditional reverence. But damn it, this team is in my blood, Mats is our captain and after decades of seeing captains leave unceremoniously, we'll get to celebrate his great career properly.