By Tom Bradley

I’m a sports fan.
I’m a Canucks fan.
I was a Mats Sundin fan.  Until now.

Mats’ little dance with NHL general managers is one of the most cynical things I’ve witnessed in sports - the NY Knicks signing of Latrell Sprewell after he choked his coach is up there, Roger Clemens’ retire/unretire routine would get votes, and the signing of Steve Avery later this winter by a team pushing for the playoffs will be another.  

While Mats did his PokerStars endorsement (nice touch for a league icon) and mulled over his decision, his future team (New York, Vancouver, whoever) was fighting and scratching for every point they could get.  He’s had Vancouver’s offer sitting beside his chips since the summer, but he couldn’t make up his mind soon enough to provide veteran leadership at training camp.  He wasn’t around to step up in the dressing room when Roberto Luongo went down with an injury.  And now after he’s finally decided, he doesn’t show up for the press conference in Vancouver, but instead is off to Sweden for the holidays.  His teammates will play another 5-6 games while he hangs around the Christmas tree with his family.

His ‘process’ is so disrespectful of what team sports is all about.  I recognize that he is not the only one to blame – he had to have someone to dance with and Canucks G.M. Mike Gillis left his offer on the table for 6 months – but he has to take most of the responsibility.

It is such an interesting juxtaposition that Mats floats into town (figuratively, not literally) on a week when the city honours a true sports star and hero, Trevor Linden.  Would Trevor leave the team hanging for months?  Would he endorse a gambling company instead of visiting kids in the hospital?  Would the Captain go home to Medicine Hat for the holidays and let his teammates play a bunch more games without him?  No way.