Halford & Brough in the Morning - Canucks Legend Mats Sundin

Episode Date: November 12, 2024

In hour three, Mike & Jason preview tonight's Canucks home matchup versus the Flames with analyst Landon Ferraro (1:14), plus they chat with former Canuck and Hockey Hall of Famer Mats Sundin (24:10) to discuss his new book "Home And Away'. This podcast is produced by Andy Cole and Greg Balloch. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

🎵 🎵 Okay! 804 on a Tuesday Happy Tuesday everybody Somebody stop me You're listening to the Halford & Brough show on Sportsnet 650 Halford & Brough in the morning is brought to you by Vancouver Honda, Vancouver's premier destination

For Honda customers They have a friendly, knowledgeable staff That can help with anything you're looking for Sales, financing, service, or parts. We are in Hour 3 of the program. Landon Ferraro is going to join us in just a moment here to kick off Hour 3. Matt Sundin is going to join us at 8.30. Big final hour on the Halford & Brough Show.

Hour 3 of this program is brought to you by Campbell & Pound Real Estate Appraisers. Trust the expertise of Campbell & Pound. Visit them on the internet at campbell-pound.com. Today. We are coming to you at campbell-pound.com. Today. We are coming to you live from the Kintec studio. Kintec, Canada's favorite orthotics provider, powered by thousands of five-star Google reviews. So, Rafi, what are you waiting for?

Kintec. To the phone lines we go. Canucks analyst Landon Ferraro joins us now on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. Morning, Landon. How are you? I'm doing pretty good. How are you guys doing?

We're well. We're excited for tonight. All signs point to the NHL debut for Jonathan Leckermackie. What are you expecting from one of the Canucks' brightest young prospects tonight? Should he and when he takes the ice against the flames? I'm expecting at least a few shots on goal. We've got to watch him in preseason, and then I've done a couple of the Abbotsford games while he was playing.

We all know he has the shot, but the way that he can find space to use it and get it off quickly, I'm just excited to see how he handles it all. We set the over-under on his shot totals at 3.5. Are you going to take the over or the under? Oh, the 3.5, the tough one. I'm going to take the over because, like, I just don't see a way that he's not in the offensive zone,

you know, at least a little bit. And, again, like, he gets that shot off from areas that you don't think that he's going to be able to get it off with a defender in his face, sticks around. Like, he's just so elite at finding that lane. Again, I'm just so curious to see how it translates in his first game. We were talking to your dad earlier about what the messaging was when he made the jump up to the NHL in his first game as a goal scorer.

And he said there was no message. No one talked to him about anything, and there wasn't any talk about systems play. Yeah, I was hazed before the game. You kind of spoke about the time more than anything else. I know you've mentioned on our show a couple times that when you made the jump up, because of the team you were going to, there was that sense that you kind of had to defer, right?

Because you were surrounded by a bunch of veteran players, and they knew what they were doing. I guess the question is, how do you balance between being deferential but also still trying to make an impact on the game and showing that you belong and you can do something at that level? Well, I think it all goes to the mentality of the player. Like, you know, I wish, you know, it's always easy when you're looking back and you're older. You know, I wish I would have gone

in with a bit more confidence and that mentality of, I'm not just happy to be here like I deserve to be here and I feel like that's the mentality Lekker Mackie's going to have you know he again like you know the first game I saw on Abbotsford that I did I want to see he had six shots on net he ended up getting uh like a kind of backdoor tap and was the goal that he scored but like four of those shots you don't even think there's a chance for him to get it off and then he does like he's so confident with the puck but then I was also really surprised and happy with his play in his own zone like he cut off a couple really good passes that were going to go through the seam and he was that backside winger to pick

those off like he's in the right positions and he was playing hard like i think for him it's just going to be you know that going in with that mentality of you know i i do deserve to be here and i know i can help not just get by what is the main difference between how young players like lecker mackie or conor Bedard or Austin Matthews shoot today versus how players shot 20 years ago? Well, I mean, like I remember when I was shooting, like, or learning to shoot, it was like a full wrist shot as you're younger and you're like, you know, from heel to toe and like you have this whole motion, like it took a long time to get the shot off and you know over the past you know 10-15 years these guys have really started to develop their shots in different ways like they can get

it off so much quicker now like the puck seems to be in their feet more like when they're releasing and it comes off on different angles so it's hard to read it's coming off quicker um you know it took me a long time to kind of realize that i needed to get my release quicker and the guy i always watched was milan hayduke he shot it off the toe and i remember asking him one time when i was lucky enough to go to a morning skate and he said you know if it goes off the toe i have a decent idea where it's going but the goalie's got no clue and i thought that was the coolest thing as a young teenager at that time. So, I mean, for the new age, like, they're pushing the envelope

on where you can release the puck from, from different angles, from different areas on the ice. Like, no one was shooting from close to the goal line 10 years ago unless it was just, you know, kind of get it to the front of the net play. Were you a big equipment guy? Did you know where the kick point on your stick is and all the stuff that kids love to talk about today? When I was a kid, I was just like, here's a hockey stick.

All right, that's good. I'll try and shoot with it. But, you know, the technical advancements with the sticks have to be related to how quickly the players are getting their shots off. A hundred percent. And you'll notice, too, the guys are going to lesser and lesser flex. Like when I was playing, especially going through junior, like I was almost embarrassed to still have an 85 flex. Everyone was using 100. Right. And now guys are dropping into the 70s.

It's so whippy, but they know how to use it. I never knew anything about my sticks other than because I shot off the toe, I needed the blade to be as stiff as possible so it wouldn't flip out when I was trying to shoot. So as long as my blade was, you know, they used an old double prong system, it was. So it would go from the hosel, like where the stick was connected, all the way down to the toe, these two big prongs. And it would just hold it like a brick.

And, you know, as soon as that would, you know, kind of whip out a little bit, the stick was useless again. So like, other than that, I was one of those guys, I'd show up to a new team and the trainer would ask, you know, what do you like your skate sharpened at? You know, the ice better than I do. I'm like, you do it. And if I needed less or more, I'll let you know. We'll figure it out together it out together um yeah there's some people that just love that stuff though who can you is there anyone that comes to mind that knows exactly how they want their skate sharpened and knows everything about their stick and is really fussy about that you know it's the same in golf some guys and even on the pga tour some guys are like yeah just give me the clubs and then

other ones are very precise with how they're fit you know their their lofts their um you know everything about them well i mean like datsuk was a guy that you know whenever i because obviously if i was in the room with him i was you know trying not to stare but make sure that i you know i was paying attention to what he was doing. I was always just so interested. And he was always looking and tinkering with his stick. He had that big paddle of a blade like Leon Dreisaitl had. I remember asking him one time, like, why do you have such a big paddle? And he just kind of had a little smile on his face and he made a little motion with his hand like a bouncing he's like no one can pass flat you need all the help you can

get so like just little things like that but honestly the coolest one for me was skating in the summers as i got towards the end of my career and you're sitting in the room as the old guy with a bunch of guys that are just starting their either junior pro career. And like Matt Barzell and Conor Bedard are in there. And they're chatting about their sticks. And like they're talking about parts and things with their sticks that I've never even really put two seconds of thought in. It might be a difference of where they're at. And I'm talking to you guys now but uh no like it's just it's very interesting

to see guys take an interest and try and find that little bit of help anywhere in their game because all those little pieces add up to their overall what have you thought of JT Miller's game lately he's going to be playing with Lekker Mackey. I think tonight will be a good situation for him. He has been off a little bit, and I think it's just because through the early parts of the season, he's had to carry basically all the weight up front, and you know he puts all that on his shoulders. He wants to win.

He wants to do the best that he possibly can. And I think he just got worn out a little bit last game. The turnovers kind of started to spark up a little bit. And I think that's just being a little mentally tired. I think having a young kid in today will always make you be a little more dialed in because you're talking to him. You want to make sure that Lekker-Mackie's comfortable and ready to play,

but you want to make sure that he's assertive as well and talking. And if he doesn't like something that's happening on the line, be able to speak up and they can work together to help each other out. I think that'll dial JT right back in. I mean, he's such a good player. He's clearly working through some stuff health-wise that he just doesn't look quite right that it's been

hanging around for the season. But at the same time, he finds ways to produce. He finds ways to be that emotional leader up front, really. Are you with me that Saturday against Edmonton, even though it did not go well for the Canucks, was in fact Elias Pedersen's best game of the season? It was the only bright spot really to come out of that game. We were talking about it yesterday a little bit. It's one thing if the pucks just started coming to him and he played a better game and got some points, but, like, he looked closer to his old self of, you know, there was a loose puck, like, I'm not going 50-50 into it. Like, I'm putting my body into it.

I'm getting body position. Now I have the puck and I can make a play. You know, the other play that I really liked for him had nothing to do with his points, but they make it 3-2. He gets that puck on the top of the right point, and there's no hesitation. Before, I felt like he'd get that puck, he'd stand there, try and see the next play, then make it.

It's just too slow. He got that puck the other night, takes a couple hard strides in, and throws it in and hits the post. It was close to being right there for him. I just like that there's more determination and it just looks like he's thinking less and just going off his instincts. We've all seen what his instincts and skill can provide when it's there. So maybe I'm overthinking this, but we often throw around the phrase, you got to keep your feet moving during games. You got to keep your feet moving. What does that really mean to you? To me, that means things aren't going well

and now you're going to try and be smarter than the game like you're going to try and think of okay the puck's over here it's going to go here next like you're always trying to plot your next move instead of just moving your feet and let the game come to you and now you're creating your own opportunities like i always found when i was in a slump especially like if i got a two-on-one i'll'll use that as an example of, you know, I have it on the right side, I'm a righty, like usually I'm moving my feet the whole way and shooting in stride or making that pass. When things aren't going your way, you stop moving your feet

because now you want to be so precise. Like if I have to make a saucer pass, I want it to be perfect. Or when I shoot, it's now going into like a two-by-two little corner of the net instead of just picking your side and just really shooting it hard and just beating the goalie in that sense. Everything slows down because you want to make the right play, but it's easier to just move your feet, and the plays open up for you. We're speaking to Landon Farrell here on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650.

Landon, I did want to carve out a couple minutes here to talk about someone you already mentioned in this hit, but who also went to the Hockey Hall of Fame last night, and that's Pavel Datsyuk. You played with him for a handful of years in Detroit. Datsyuk was on that list for me of guys that I loved watching. It was like him, Bure, and Forsberg. Because it kind of felt at times that they were ahead of their time. And they were either playing the game at a different level, be it with speed or skill. In Forsberg's case, also the physicality was almost at a different level.

And with Datsouk, when you watch the highlights and the things that he was able to do, the Magic Man stuff. I can only imagine that, you know, for me watching it on television, it was one thing to be able to watch it on a regular basis. Like you were, it must've been, dare I say,

breathtaking at times because of the things he could do at the puck that guys weren't doing at that time. Yeah. Like you'd find yourself in practice. If at least I found myself in practice and, and working after, was you'd have to remind yourself that you've got to do the drill yourself. Like, you can't just watch Datsu grip around the ice in awe

because it really was kind of mind-blowing that he has the skill that he had. And not only that, but I'm standing 35 feet from watching him do it like you had to remind yourself that you gotta play but i think you know we all seen the highlights we've you know we've all seen all those amazing moves that he's pulled off and end-to-end rushes and things but the part of his game that always blew me away was how he could stand there with the puck but use his stick to start hitting the defender's sticks away and start to position himself to where he's moving around the puck. It's not moving, but he waits for the right push,

and he'd spin off, and before you knew it, he's three steps away from the guy. He was so smart with it, and he just used his skills in ways that you hadn't really seen before. When I first got drafted to Detroit and you're at your first development camp, you're watching video because they're starting to show you the Red Wing systems. It was always Datsouk and Marian Hossa who were in the highlights for back-checking because they would strip players all the time,

and they're trying to really get it through our heads of, these are some of the best players in the world, and this is how hard they come back through the middle. And because of it, they get rushes back the other way. Just because you're good doesn't mean you don't have to work. And that was the biggest message I always got from him. Where's Datsouk on that pantheon of the best players you've ever played with? Oh, I mean, he's got to be one.

Like, for pure skill and how he could take over a game, like, he has to be one. You know, like, in Boston, there's Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, guys like that. Like, they are unbelievable. They're going to be Hall of Famers too. They played a different style. They were very steady, nothing overly flashy.

They just continually night after night got the job done. But Pav was doing it in a way where you're sitting on the bench and your jaw's just dropping watching it happen. It's unbelievable. So I don't want this to seem unfair to Daniel Sprung, because I don't think anyone really should be compared with Datsuk or anything, but I think the tantalizing thing about Daniel Sprung was just how talented he was. And you can see that when he plays, And you can see that when he plays and you can see that when he practices.

Were you a little bit surprised at how quickly the Canucks cut bait with Daniel Sprung? I was a little bit. And I think a lot of it's to do with have, like Joshua wasn't coming right back in. Like there wasn't a clear move instantly after that happened, but it's also part of the reason why I really like and think that the management team here in Vancouver do a very good job is they're not afraid to take a chance on something, but they're also not afraid to you know kind of admit to themselves that it's just not working for what we're trying

to do here where you know other teams might hold on to that player and you know try and force the matter just to show that they weren't wrong and i also i i really like the fact that it wasn't working they knew he wasn't going to be in the plans like let's move him on give him a chance somewhere else instead of just having him in and out of the lineup here like it's not really good for us and it's not good for for Sprong either what part of Talkett's system when because Patrick Alvina explained it, he wasn't really a fit in Talkett's system. Would that have been defensive or would that have been offensive and specifically the forecheck? We all know how much the Canucks talk about the forecheck, how important it is.

A guy like Kuzmenko, I think that was one of the reasons he's no longer with the Canucks. Could that have been an issue with Sprong as well? Yeah, I think it's a bit of everything, to be honest. And, you know, you sign a player that has offensive upside, but at the same time, for him to be able to do that, like, he's going to have to be able to turn some pucks over. He's going to have to be able to, you knowucks over he's going to have to be able to you know if he's in the d zone like the mitch koff goal last night um you know they're in defensive zone coverage but he reads like reads that there's going to be a turnover and instead of staying a bit lower like he just takes off up the gut if that doesn't go the right way you just have a player blowing the zone like that's okay

in some places but in rick pocket's system like those are all non-negotiables you have to be dialed in in all three zones not just part in one and all in the other so when it comes to a guy like sprung i guess the question is why hasn't he been able to figure this out? I mean, that's a tough question. I'm sure he's asked himself over the years, too, because, you know, again, like, he has the offensive ability. He's shown that he can score at a higher pace, and he has all of that,

but yet he keeps having to move teams consistently, right? So, like, everyone thinks they're the ones that can get it through his head that this is what needs to happen but you know i and watching him like i feel like he really really tried to make it work here like there wasn't any real shifts where i thought that his effort wasn't there but in saying that like it ended up being so much thinking trying to be in the right spot that he wasn't even able to really use the offensive ability that was the reason why he was brought here. You know, some guys are just made up different ways. Like, you know, for me personally, again, like I always sided on the defensive side

and that hurt me. Like I needed to take more chances and let my offense go. But in my head, I had to be good defensively. For him, it's the other way. So it's hard to change someone, especially as they get later in their 20s. Landon, this was great, man. As always, thanks for taking the time to do this. Enjoy the game tonight. We will do this again, not next Tuesday, but the Tuesday following. Sounds good.

I'll be listening to this next half hour, too. Matt Sundin was my guy growing up. Oh, nice. Yeah, we're looking forward to this one. It should be good. Thanks for this, bud. Yep, have a good one. You too, thanks.

That's Landon Ferraro, big Matt Sundin fan here on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet. 6.50. So Matt Sundin is going to be joining us on the program next. He's been doing the media tour for the last three or four weeks uh in conjunction with his new book that was released he came back and did a lot of stuff with the toronto maple leafs he recreated that sort of famous picture with him and vince carter from way back in the day it's funny in doing all the research for this there's obviously the vancouver chapter which we will talk about there's so many interesting wrinkles to his career i forgot that when he

broke in with the quebec nordiques you know who he was teammates of? Guy Lafleur. Yeah. Yeah, it's crazy. Yeah, he had that stint in Quebec. Yeah, it's like you just, you realize like he's such an iconic player, played for so long,

and his career spanned from, you kind of forget the Quebec Nordiques era because so many people remember him as a Toronto Maple Leaf. So very excited. So you play with Guy Lafleur, and then I was just looking up clips that play for an intro, and he was shooting a Toronto Maple Leafs. So very excited. So he played with Gielifler, and then I was just looking up clips that play for an intro, and he was shooting a puck against Jonathan Quick, who is still currently playing in the NHL.

Oh, yeah. So he's been there for a long time. So coming up on the other side, not what we learned as normal for the final half hour of the Halford & Brough Show, but Hockey Hall of Famer Matt Sundin. He will join us next on the Halford & Brough Show. But Hockey Hall of Famer Matt Sundin, he will join us next on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650.

It's Canucks Central with Dan Riccio and Satyar Shah, your destination for everything Canucks. Exclusive interviews, inside info, and even the postgame show. Listen 4 to 6 p.m. weekdays and on demand through your favorite podcast app. He gets it back. Sundin, the Riddler, into the middle.

He shoots. Happy fool in the save. Big rebound. Sundin scores. Matt Sundin on the rebound just as the penalty was about to expire, and Vancouver has the lead 4-3. 8.33 on a Tuesday. Happy Tuesday

everybody. Halford Brough, Sportsnet 650. Halford and Brough in the morning is brought to you by Vancouver Honda. Vancouver's premier destination for Honda customers. They have a friendly, knowledgeable staff that can help with anything you're looking for. Sales, financing, service, or parts. We are in Hour 3 of the program. Matt Sundin, you heard him on the call there coming back from break.

He's going to join us in just a moment here. Hour three of this program is brought to you by Campbell & Pound Real Estate Appraisers. Trust the expertise of Campbell & Pound. Visit them on the internet at campbell-pound.com today. Normally what we learn time on the show, but we are going to be speaking with Matt Sundin. This portion of the show is brought to you by AJ's Pizza on East Broadway. Reminder, go check them out today. Happy hour starts at 2.30. We're going to be speaking with Matt Sundin. This portion of the show is brought to you by AJ's Pizza on East Broadway. Reminder, go check them out today. Happy Hour starts at 2.30. We're going to be there tonight

before we head off to the Canucks game tonight. You can also visit them online at ajs.pizza. Hopefully we'll be better luck than we were last time. That's true. The last time we went to a game, the Canucks lost 6-0. I'm just looking forward to another Detroit Ronnie. It's been a while. There's only one way to go and that's up

on this one. Speaking of your Vancouver Canucks, our next guest is a former member of the team. He is a Hockey Hall of Famer. He is the author of the new book Home and Away. Matt Sundin joins us now on the Halford & Brough show on Sportsnet 650. Morning, Matt. How are you? I'm very good. How are you guys doing?

We're great. We wanted to first thank you for taking the time to do this today we really appreciate it and uh to start just wanted to know what it's been like for the last few weeks you've been doing the media tour with the book a lot of reminiscing a lot of trip down memory trips down memory lane i'm sure you've told the same story over and over and over again so we'll try that but how's it been the last few weeks? It's been great, actually. You know, I haven't been not as much back in Canada. I obviously lived there for almost 20 years and visiting back in mostly Ontario this time. But it's been great. And just it's always great to see the Canadian hockey fans, right, and visiting them. So I had a lot of fun going down little memory lanes

and watching some games at the time, same time. You know, obviously we're here in Vancouver, and you've played in Quebec, you've played a long time in Toronto, but what sort of place does that short time, but a memorable time in Vancouver, hold for you when you look back over your playing career? Well, I'm very happy about it. I wish that I could play the full season.

Obviously, when you're 37, it's not easy to come into the season starting in January when everybody has already got 40 games into their legs almost and going into the second half of the season. But in terms of the city, the fans of the Vancouver Canucks, I really enjoyed it. Me and my wife loved being in Vancouver. I thought the team, you know,

obviously went to the cup finals a couple of years after I was there, but already when I was there, it was a very strong team with two great forward lines, great defense. Obviously, Roberto and Matt, we had all the ingredients actually

to go far in the playoffs, and obviously they did a couple years later. Was that why you chose the Canucks? What was the main reason? I mean, was it all the Swedes there? I mean, there were tons there. Like, Olin was there, and the Sedins, and Edler.

The whole thing we looked at, me and JP, we're like, what team has the most Swedes? Oh, it's the Canucks. Let's go there. Let's join them. No, but yeah, I think JP and my agent at the time, we really liked the way the Canucks,

obviously they were a top team in the Western Conference at the time, and it was a good opportunity to play another year. How hard was it to leave Toronto? Well, it was tough in the circumstances, and obviously I talk about that in the book. I think it doesn't matter. We all NHL players understand the business part of the game, and when you sign an NHL contract, you're really, you know,

you're up to the judgment of the management or whatever. If you're going to coach us, how long are you going to be in the city? So I understand that part. But saying that, you know, when you play 13 years, 11 years as the captain for the Toronto Maple Leafs, it's impossible not to take it personal when when you know cliff at the time he run the road in in in carolina i think and he said mass can i can i see you for a bit i knew right away this is not this is not great and he said you know what you want to wave your no trade cloth and go somewhere and and so that it's it's impossible

not take it personally, even though the Toronto Maple Leafs try to do what's best for the organization and the future, and I just want to try to be part of the team and stay there. Why did you refuse to waive your no trade clause, and what was the blowback like that you experienced? Yeah, I think the biggest reason was when cliff asked me i think we're in carolina and i said i think we're three or four points out of a playoff spot uh i was having i remember i had a really strong year that year too individually and uh being the captain. And just like I said, I think it was so hard to picture myself.

Like I want to stay for those last 20 games and try to make it into the playoffs and also being the captain. I think more than anything, when you invest so much time and effort, 13 years with an organization, you want to have the opportunity and obviously also no trade costs, which gives me the right to choose as well. So I think the hardest part when it became public and the next two or three months just to have to deal with all the questions down to the deadline,

obviously that was hard, but no regrets other than that. Did it hurt knowing that fans wanted you traded because they moved on? I mean, fans are always going to stick with their team, right? But it's sometimes hard to hear that. No, I think all players go through, you know, at some point in your career, and like I said, NHL is a business you know we all know that right but still you know you invest time and effort

and you will take it you know it's always harder and the more years you've been in the organization and spend time with the fans and the organization I think it gets harder saying that though you know my 13 years with Toronto,

I think we had a lot of ups and downs twice to the conference finals. You know, there's, you know, you look at the players today, they go through a lot of scrutiny, whether it's the Canucks players or the Leafs, you know. I didn't have once over my years with the Toronto Maple Leafs where a fan came up to me and was disrespectful or something. I think the hockey fans are great. They cheer for the team.

They want the players to do well. But the business side is what it is. What was it like to actually write the book and come up with all the material? Were there any parts of your life that you looked back on and went oh yeah that happened what is a little bit of a therapy looking back at your childhood and and you know a couple reasons why i wrote the book i think you know uh it was now or never i got asked a few years to do my biography,

and finally I said, our kids are old enough. I think if I don't do it now, it's never going to happen. And, you know, reflect back on the childhood, and you realize when you get old, and I certainly do, that I was fortunate to have great support from my parents throughout my childhood, me and my brothers. At the same time, look behind the scenes, what happens in a dressing room when you're the captain for an organization like the Canucks, I mean, like the Maple Leafs, and

the relationship with coaches and pressure that comes from being an NHL player, whether you're a Canuck or a Maple Leafs. And also maybe the most important thing, I get zero respect right now for my kids, for my hockey. They don't care that I play. I hope my kids one day are going to pick up this book and say, hey, hey, look at it. Hey, our dad was a pretty good hockey player.

I'll tell you what, if they don't read the book, get them to watch the video of February 21st, 2009. You return to Toronto as a member of the Vancouver Canucks. And I went and watched the clip the other day, and it is remarkable how the storyline plays out. So they play the tribute video for you coming back, and you're very emotional. And then the game goes to the shootout where you're the deciding shooter. Like, how much

can one guy take in a night? You're already emotional for your return and the fans were, as you said, they were very gracious and huge applause. But then the on-ice product, you've got to go finish a game for your team. What do you remember about that night in particular? Well, it was, you know, I compare

it to, you know, playing in the olympic finals 2006 my generation with with lidstrom and forsberg and alfredson and the sadeen twins we had a chance to win the gold first time the swedish team to win a best on best tournament like a world cup or the olympics we have never done that before haven't done it since. But I tell you, that game coming back with the Canucks to Toronto was as nerve-wracking. But you know all players, I think everybody can agree on that, the NHL players, once that puck drops or you're on the ice,

it is like hitting a mute button. You're doing things that you've done a million times. But I was very glad. I remember just before I took the puck, going down to take the penalty shot, I was very happy to get a chance to score the winning goal for the Canucks against the Maple Leafs in that game.

What are your memories of playing with the Sedins? You'd obviously played with them on that 2006 gold medal team and then you joined them in Vancouver. What do you remember about where they were at in their careers and maybe what advice you could give them?

Well, I was really glad to get there. I think maybe one of the reasons too why management wanted me with the Canucks was I think I one of the reasons too why management wanted me with the Canucks was I think I've been around long enough and it was really great to

watch Daniel and Henrik closer than just playing against them. See how great they were, not only on the ice, you know, as we all know, but as teammates off the ice and just the whole work ethic of the Canucks team. Then when I compare coming from a team missing the playoffs three years in a row and you come into a team

that is actually challenging for a cup and President's trophy, it was such a different atmosphere. And I think Henrik and Daniel really led the way for that generation of teams they were in and cup finals and president's trophy scoring leaders they they did a lot of great things and i know they still do a lot of great things for for not only the connection but the city of vancouver matt this is a question i actually hate to ask but i want to ask it anyway. What was it like to retire without winning a cup?

It's a very common question I get. And I try to actually portray that in the book. I think where I come from and growing up in Sweden in the 70s and the 80s, my dad worked for the local, I mean, for the phone company. My mom was a nurse. They were paycheck to paycheck. I really lived my dream, right? And to represent Sweden in the Olympics, to wear an NHL sweater, I'll never forget my first NHL game.

To come in the dressing room, Guy Lafleur and the Joe Sackicks and playing the Gretzky's and Lemieux's. Like I lived my dream for all those years playing in the National Hockey League and were able to make a living off something that was my passion, right? So there's no regrets there. And, you know, the only thing that i do regret a little bit is to for the fans in toronto they deserve to win the stanley cup they haven't done it since the 67 so i wish we could have pushed through for them uh but i mean hawk is giving me everything really in terms of meeting people, travel, playing the sport I love.

But for the fans, and the Canucks fans as well, like a Stanley Cup, for everybody that supports the teams and the players, that's what you want to see. Is it harder to win a cup in Canada than it is in the United States? Or is this all just a coincidence that there hasn't been a Stanley Cup winner since 1993? Listen, guys, I think you know that. There's no doubt that there's a difference between playing in a market like Vancouver or Toronto or Montreal than playing for Tampa or Florida or Las Vegas where you have a few journalists and you can lose five or ten games and it just disappears in the flow of the season,

where you can actually lose in two or three games. Everybody wants heads to rolls. Same in Toronto, same in Canada. So it gives a little extra pressure on players. They have to deal with being under the microscope and scrutiny, and they have to understand and learn how to deal with that part of being watched a lot more in Canada than they are in some markets in the U.S. So it is different.

How do you do it? Is there advice to it? Because, I mean, the thing is, like, it's not going away. So I imagine you can get yourself into, you know, it should be like this or it shouldn't be like this, you know, should, should, should, but it is, right? Like, that's the way it is. But, listen, I played 13 years in, I mean, all my careers,

I mean, all my years in Canada. And I think you learn and you have to learn to, when you leave the ring from a practice or a game, win or lose, you have to have a mental off button. Like you got to go home and do something completely different. I mean, you rest, you sleep, you travel, and you play.

So those few hours when you're not at the rink, like, don't read everything that's going on in the media or listen to every radio show. And I'm talking about the players because they need to be able, they know themselves

both as a team and players when they have a good or bad game. And they need to stay level-headed, win or lose. So I think the players, that's my biggest advice. If you want to have a long career and play for many years in Canada and Canadian markets, you need to be able to block all that stuff out and do other things in between your practice and games. You know, you talk about that toll and the physical toll that it takes.

And it's funny, Shea Weber went to the Hockey Hall of Fame last night and he did an interview recently where he was talking about that Stanley Cup run that they went on with Montreal. I think he said he was basically, he looked like a mummy by the end of it. He was taped up so much and he was going through so much. Your last kick at it with the Canucks was that run that ended prematurely. You guys lost to Chicago in the second round. But I remember you getting hurt against St. Louis

and then gutting it out and coming back, and you finished the playoffs with your point-of-game guy. How difficult was it that final year? You mentioned already just getting back into playing shape halfway through the year, and then playing through injury, knowing that it might be your last chance at it, but you still wanted to give it a go, even though you were physically limited.

Yeah. Well, you know what i i loved it and i think even i look at at the playoffs especially when i thought i had my game back to where it was supposed to be i really loved it and i think once you get to the end of your career uh whether you're going to play another year or not you're obviously not the the guy they're carrying you know another year or not, you're obviously not the guy that are caring, you know, you might not be the franchise player, the top guy on the team. But I remember those last games in the Chicago series, how I really enjoyed coming to the rink at home in Vancouver and even in Chicago, you know, the building, the atmosphere, because the only thing I really miss from the game is, you know, once you take your first stride in a Stanley Cup playoffs or an NHL game

and there's a sold-out arena, there's millions watching on TV, it's such a, you know, you live in the moment. There's no time to think about what's going to happen the next week or next minute or what's happened in the moment. There's no time to think about what's going to happen the next week or next minute or what's happened in the past. So you live in the presence and that's something you miss after your career. Well, Matt, on behalf of Jason and our producers and everyone here, all the listeners that are texting in, I want to thank you very much for taking the time to do this today. This was great getting caught up with you. Congrats on the book, belated congrats on a terrific career and happy trails to the rest.

Thanks again for doing all this. Thanks for having me, guys. And good luck for the Canucks. Rest of the way. Appreciate that. Thanks, Matt. Matt Sendeen, Hockey Hall of Famer here on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650.

You know, all I can keep thinking about is the moment. And of course, it's like a personal anecdote. But I remember we had kind of just started out like doing this gig around the time that Gillis came on board. And things were different with the Canucks with him because he was kind of a unique thinker. Yeah. And then I remember when the reports are coming, they were going to sign Matt Sundin. And I was like, here in Vancouver.

And then the money remembers this gargantuan contract. It's going to be like a two-year 20 million dollar deal or something like that he actually did the Canucks a favor by not taking a two-year deal because it was pretty obvious that it was at the end of his career with the one year but anyway I remember Brough and I we invite this is dating us but it was we invited like a slew of like hockey bloggers at the time and we live blogged matt sundin's first ever game as a vancouver cannot we did it better memory than i had your time they're live blogging way back totally like this is a very specific niche reference from a time where that was a

thing it was 2009 they won 4-2 against edmonton and it was it was such a big deal sundin signing here was such a big deal because it just wasn't something that the Canucks had tried. It was Messier. And then it went so badly. And then for like two decades, it was like, never speak to that again. And I remember the ghosts of Messier were hanging over this thing. And I remember looking at Gillis and being like,

you know, they've tried this before. They've tried to bring in like this really larger than life superstar at the end of his career. And it follicly challenged in the whole bit. And it was like, I just remember it being a big deal. And I remember specifically in our careers and sitting there on our laptops, it was at your apartment and we're blogging away.

It was interesting. Yeah. Two things struck me from that interview with Matt Cindy. Number one, when I asked him what was it like to retire without a cup? And he immediately went to gratitude. Yeah. Not the things he didn't accomplish.

It was the things that he did accomplish. And the fact that he was able to live out his dream and he didn't mention this, but also make a lot of money doing it. So it's the gratitude for the things that you do have. The second thing that struck me, his advice for playing in a

Canadian market, once you leave the rink, also turn your mind off of hockey. Yeah. Who knows it better than him? Three Canadian markets. And do you know who I was thinking about? Nope. That's right. Vincent

Desharnais. Drop your phone, Vince. He knows Canadian markets better than anybody. Okay, we got to get out of here for today. We will be back tomorrow to talk about a whole bunch of things, including the Canucks and the Flames tonight, 7 o'clock at Rogers Arena. A reminder, keep it here on Sportsnet 650 all day. Pre-game starts pretty much now.

Signing off for today, I have been Mike Halford, he's been Jason Braff, he's been A-Dog, and he's been Laddie. This has been the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650.