Bitchin' 'bout the bitchers

See how unlike other blogs we've managed to touch the Sundin issue once, and only once?

Yeah, that was a lame excuse for our hiatus over the summer. But we're back, and let's hope we're back longer than Mats is in Toronto. Oh, he's out of town already? Nice. Leafs County 1; Sundin 0.

Seriously though, it would be quite nice for those Leafs fans bashing on Sundin to just shut up a little.

What has he done but serve the team and the city with his heart and show up every night to give this deadbeat of a team a chance to win? Well by deadbeat I refer to the last three years anyway. The (relatively) glorious Pat Quinn era will be another post, trust me. Merv and I can't stand the Quinn bashers either. Must be the Irish connection.

Back to Sundin. It seems like we're fighting a losing battle with this one-- must be easy for people to kick the ones who are on their way out anyway. Them bashers love to point out two things: The Sundin-led Leafs hasn't made the playoffs in three years, and he is selfish to the city and fans for not waiving his no trade clause.

As much as I'm champing at the bit to address the latter point, let's start with the first one. Now if people's point was that Sundin's Leafs didn't make the playoffs for three years and perhaps it's time for a change, fine, I accept that. But the prevailing misguided sentiment was that because the Leafs hasn't made the post season for three years, Sundin's is a bad leader and isn't worthy of his money and status.

Whoa.

Bit of a leap there, no? As much as I like the hardass attitude of Ron Wilson, I'd have to disagree with him if his thinly veiled shot was indeed directed at Sundin. The reason the Leafs didn't make the playoffs for the last three years was because they have a bad team. Third liners playing on second lines, Second liners playing on first lines, and a whole bunch of one dimensional players. People seem to be under the impression that because the team didn't bring home the results, therefore the leader must be inept. I think, judging from the three years, it seems to be the opposite. Any player playing with wingers he had, who honestly had no business being on a top line (okay, maybe Antropov, but that's still a stretch), and tallies stats like his and has his team come within inches of 8th is pretty damn good.

Now to the fun one. I remember reading a whole bunch of comments in the Toronto Star comments section about Sundin turning his back to the fans by not waiving his no-trade back in February. Now I concede the Star's readership, and for some reason especially the sports section readers, aren't the brightest ones out there, but I'm starting to think maybe a whole group of Leafs fans feel that way. If that's the case, we might have to check our water supply.

There was a whole bunch of horseshit about him being selfish. Please, he owes Toronto nothing. After years of playing with ragtag wingers (save for the Mogilny era), I'd commend him for having the patience to hold out this long. Who told Fergie to give him a no-trade clause? And people cry because used it? Anybody who calls Sundin selfish has not watched in detail how he conducts himself, how he plays on the ice, and how he feels towards Toronto.

It'd be nice if us Leafs fans can just let the man make up his mind and get on with it. Meanwhile a little less bitching about the heart and soul of the team for the past 10 years would be refreshingly nice.