You did the right thing by standing up to the corporate barons who would peddle away the heart of the team if it could make them a bigger profit. No Leaf captain has retired wearing the Maple Leaf on his chest since George Armstrong called it quits almost 4o years ago. Doug Gilmour, Wendel Clark, Rob Ramage, Rick Vaive, Darryl Sittler, and Dave Keon were dumped in most cases for spare parts that never brought the team close to a Stanley Cup.
Sundin always provides value for money so why not keep him around. The rebuilding process will be less painless with him in the dressing room and on the ice. He will give you a solid effort every shift. Who else is going to provide this type of leadership - Darcy Tucker, Bryan McCabe, Alex Steen? I don't think so.
Sundin has not been the problem in this organization. He has been the solitary shining light amid underachieving teammates, feuding executives, incompetent managers, and ineffective coaches. I think Mats said it best when he commented "why should I have to fix the mistakes made by John Ferguson"? I agree.
