THN Archive: Sundin VS. Forsberg

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 Sundin VS. Forsberg – Sept 1, 2016 - Ryan Kennedy & Matt Larkin

Pardon the spot-on metaphor, but Mats Sundin is a Volvo. He epitomized the perfect Swedish stereotype as a player. He was consistent, durable, fundamentally sound, humble…safe. He had an exemplary career, but the highs weren’t all that high and the lows weren’t all that low.

Peter Forsberg broke the mold. He was a Ford Mustang on the ice: fast, loud, powerful, a little dangerous and with a shorter shelf life.

Picking the greatest Swedish forward is a matter of what you value more: consistency and reliability or pure dominance. Sundin had a stellar career. He was the first European drafted No. 1 overall and delivered on the hype. His 564 goals and 1,349 points rank first all-time among Swedish NHLers. He’s second in games and assists behind Nicklas Lidstrom. He’s third in points per game at 1.002.

Sundin was consistently very good for 18 seasons and earned a spot in the Hall of Fame. Other than that, though, where are the individual accolades? Sundin never won a scoring title. His best finish was fourth in 2001-02. He never led the league in goals. He wasn’t rookie of the year, nor MVP. His best finish in Hart Trophy voting was eighth. And Sundin won nothing at the team level in the NHL. He never even played in a Stanley Cup final.

Forsberg, a.k.a. ‘Foppa,’ set a different tone to start his career. He scored the winning shootout goal at the 1994 Olympics and earned his first of two gold medals. Forsberg took home the Calder Trophy in 1995. He finished top-10 in scoring five times, top-five four times and won the Art Ross with 106 points in 2002-03. Forsberg captured the Hart as league MVP that season, too. He took home a pair of Stanley Cups with the Colorado Avalanche. Chronic injuries, especially to his feet, drastically shortened Forsberg’s career to the point he played only 708 NHL games, roughly half Sundin’s total. But that makes it all the more impressive how much more Forsberg accomplished than Sundin.

Forsberg’s 1.25 points per game rank him first all-time among Swedish NHLers and eighth in NHL history among all players, trailing only Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Mike Bossy, Bobby Orr, Sidney Crosby, Marcel Dionne and Peter Stastny. If we factor in that Forsberg played during one of the lowestscoring eras ever, it’s staggering to see him rank that highly in points per game.

If there’s an edge Sundin has over Forsberg in the argument, it’s quality of teammates. Sundin had nowhere near as good a supporting cast in his career. He regularly played with pedestrian wingers such as Jonas Hoglund, Mikael Renberg or a late-career Gary Roberts. Forsberg had another Hall of Fame center, Joe Sakic, siphoning defensive attention away, and the Avs’ had the likes of Claude Lemieux, Valeri Kamensky, Milan Hejduk, Alex Tanguay and, briefly, Theo Fleury, Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya. Forsberg’s Stanley Cup-winning teams had Patrick Roy in net and, the second time around, Ray Bourque and Rob Blake on defense. Foppa was surrounded by elite talent. Sundin was actually drafted by the same franchise, and it hardly seems a coincidence that his most productive season came in 1992-93, when he set career highs with 47 goals and 114 points playing primarily on Sakic’s wing.

But part of what made Forsberg so special was he elevated those around him, not vice versa. Take his MVP campaign of 2002-03. That Avalanche team had Roy at 37 playing out his final season. Bourque was retired. Sakic missed 24 games due to injury. It was Forsberg’s team, and he carried the Avs on his back with 106 points in 75 games. He helped Hejduk snipe a league-high 50 goals. Hejduk’s previous high was 41, and he never bested 35 after that.

We can praise Sundin for his class, reliability and ability to play so well without elite support. But imagine you have one hockey game to win to save your life, and you can play one line. You can start Forsberg or Sundin at center. The decision isn’t even close.

Mats Sundin came to North America with a ton of hype and very high expectations, and he didn’t disappoint, producing a Hall of Fame career. He holds major offensive records for one of the oldest NHL franchises in existence and did so without the benefit of linemates who were in their prime. That is why he is the best Swedish forward of all-time.

Sundin was the first European ever to be picked No. 1 overall in the draft, going to the Quebec Nordiques in 1989. He played very well for Quebec in four seasons before a blockbuster trade to the Maple Leafs that saw franchise legend Wendel Clark go the other way. The fact Toronto was willing to give up their beloved captain in exchange for Sundin speaks volumes: The Leafs knew what sort of talent they were getting.

WHEN YOU’RE IN A TIGHT GAME AND NEEDED A GOAL, ALL THE GUYS HOPED MATS WOULD SCORE…AND HE WOULD– BOYD DEVEREAUX, FORMER MAPLE LEAFS TEAMMATE

From there, Sundin carved out a huge legacy, willing the Leafs to several playoff runs, despite a supporting cast that could not keep up with the Wings, Avalanche or Rangers of the era – teams with multiple future Hall of Famers playing in their prime. The disparity between Sundin and the rest of his teammates was evident in the scoring column. Discounting his first year with the Leafs (which was a shortened lockout season), Sundin would lead Toronto in offense seven straight years, with the second-highest scorer always double-digits behind him. Steve Thomas came closest, with 10 fewer points than Sundin on two occasions.

It wasn’t until Alex Mogilny caught fire in 2002-03 that Sundin relinquished the Toronto scoring crown. But Sundin was back one year later, once again leading the pack. This time, the gulf between him and Bryan McCabe was 22 points. Not only did Sundin lead the Leafs in points most years, he also wore the ‘C’ with vigor. “I was curious what his personality was like and I was excited when I signed with the Leafs,” said former teammate Boyd Devereaux. “He’s very humble, and that’s always a great sign of a leader. Guys wanted to be around him. He was always cracking jokes and keeping things light in the room.”

Devereaux didn’t weigh in on the debate over best Swedish forward ever, but he did have a pretty good scouting report on why the 6-foot-5, 231-pound Sundin was so effective in the NHL. “The physical skill set was impressive,” he said. “He was so strong on the puck. He had the ability to protect it, but also make that move to the net, despite heavy checking. He would create opportunities, and he had an amazing scoring touch.”

A lethal backhand, equal parts mystifying and terrifying, was one such weapon. But perhaps what made Sundin so important was when he scored goals. He had 96 career game winners – most of any Swedish NHLer and eighth all-time. He had 15 overtime markers in the regular season and two more in the playoffs. “He was The Guy,” Devereaux said. “When you’re in a tight game and needed a goal, he scored in those moments. All the guys on the bench would be hoping that Mats would score…and he would score.”

When it comes to Swedish forwards, no one comes close to Sundin’s totals. Long-time Ottawa frenemy Daniel Alfredsson trails Sundin by more than 100 career goals (564 to 444), and he’s the closest countryman in the all-time rankings. In terms of career points, Sundin is nearly 200 better than Alfredsson (1,349 to 1,157).

Put together the raw numbers and the overall longevity and it’s not hard to make the case Sundin was in fact the best forward Sweden has ever shipped to the NHL.