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Mattias Johan Sundin (born February 13 1971 , Bromma , Stockholm ) is a Swedish professional Ice Hockey player in the National Hockey League ( NHL ). A 1.95m (6 ft 5 in), 105 kg (231 pound) Centre , he is the current captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs . He was named the 16th captain of the Maple Leafs in 1997, becoming the first European player to wear the Captain's "C" for the Leafs. His nickname in Sweden is "Sudden". PLAYING CAREER NHL Draft and early years Originally drafted by the Quebec Nordiques with the first pick in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft (from the Swedish Elitserien club Djurgården ), Sundin was the first European in league draft history to be chosen with the first overall selection. On June 28th, 1994, the Nordiques made a blockbuster deal with Toronto that sent then-Leafs Captain Wendel Clark , Sylvain Lefebvre , Landon Wilson and a first round selection ( Jeffrey Kealty ) for Mats Sundin, Garth Butcher , Todd Warriner and 1st round selection (previously acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers , later traded to the Washington Capitals - Nolan Baumgartner ). Sundin has played his last 12 seasons for Toronto. Statistically, Sundin's best season came during the 1992-93 campaign with the Nordiques when he combined 47 goals with 67 assists for 114 points. Sundin is one of the NHL's elite attacking players, combining point production, his overwhelming size and strength, capable leadership abilities, and grit to his all-around game. He was criticized by the media early in his career with Toronto for a perceived lackluster effort, and for being traded for fan-favourite Wendel Clark . Sundin is respected around the NHL as one of the best hockey players in the game. Sundin is also one of the highest paid players in the league and is being paid $6.84 million USD during the 2005-06 NHL regular-season. International play He has represented Team Sweden at various international competitions, such as the World Cup of Hockey and the Olympics , and has held the position of team captain for the national squad for the better part of the last decade. Sundin is widely recognized as one of the top players in the world in these international competitions, and has added a highly impressive list of accomplishments to his credentials as a result of his outstanding performance in the 2002 Winter Olympics and 2004 World Cup Of Hockey . Sundin has won three IIHF World Championships with Sweden in 1991, 1992 and 1998. Sundin finally clinched a gold medal with Team Sweden in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. Stick-throwing incident On January 6 , 2004 , in a game against the Nashville Predators , Sundin's stick broke on an attempted shot and he threw it away in disgust. Instead of hitting the glass, the stick went over and into the crowd. The NHL reacted by giving him a one-game suspension. The game he was suspended for was an important match against the Leaf's main rival, the Ottawa Senators . During a later game in Toronto , Sundin's good friend and fellow Swede Daniel Alfredsson 's stick broke, and immediately he faked a toss of his stick into the stands. This caused an uproar with the Maple Leafs, in part because they had also lost the game badly, by a score of 7-1. Alfredsson dismissed the Leafs' reaction calling it an over-reaction. This incident has added to the rivalry, and Leafs fans continue to hold hostility towards Alfredsson every time he plays in Toronto . Sundin and Alfredsson won Olympic gold together in 2006 . Present Sundin used his off-time during the 2004-05 NHL lock-out to return to his native Sweden. In March of 2005, he announced that he would not participate in the 2005 World Hockey Championships , which took place in Vienna/Innsbruck, Austria. Sundin has also made the NHL All-Star Team in nine consecutive seasons and been a Second All-Star Team Centre twice (2002 and 2004). In the opening game of the 2005-06 Season on October 5th , he took a puck to the face which fractured his lower Orbital bone. He returned to the line up on November 5th , 2005 , exactly one month after sustaining his injury which caused him to miss a total of 12 games. Sundin currently holds the NHL record for most overtime goals with 14. He began the 2005-06 season tied with Sergei Fedorov , but moved ahead with a game winner against the Montreal Canadiens on November 26 . Sundin is the only player in the NHL to have scored at least 70 points (excluding lock-out shortened season in 1994-95 ) in each of the last 13 seasons. Sundin has also distinguished himself as the longest-serving European-born captain of an NHL franchise in league history. His finest game in the Leafs' uniform came on Tuesday, April 11 , 2006 when he had 6 points (4 goals and 2 assists), and won 27 of 37 faceoffs, against the Florida Panthers in a desperate attempt to keep the Leafs' playoff hopes alive. It was not his career-high in goals and points in a game though, as he scored five goals and seven points on March 5 , 1992 versus the Hartford Whalers . In the 2005-06 season, he also recorded his 800th point for the Leafs, surpassing other Leaf legends. AWARDS
CAREER STATISTICS INTERNATIONAL PLAY Played for Sweden in:
International statistics SEE ALSO
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