Had the ill-fated Titanic been owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd., one gets the impression that captain Mats Sundin would have gone down with the ship.
With his team having reached the low point of the season with a 5-1 loss in Phoenix Saturday, Sundin said after the game that he still had high hopes for his Leafs.
Such loyalty has many observers scratching their heads.
Some close to Sundin actually wonder why he would not want to be moved to a contender in the event the Leafs ask him to waive the no trade clause on his one-year deal. He could, after all, re-sign with the Leafs in the summer.
Asked why he would not consider joining a Stanley Cup favourite should the Leafs fall out of the playoff hunt down the road, Sundin chuckled.
"I'll answer that question if we ever get to that point," Sundin said yesterday. "But you have to understand that Toronto is my home.
"All my time here, I never considered playing anywhere else. Never.
"I can't explain it. All I know is, that's how I feel. The Toronto Maple Leafs are my home, my family.
"I still think we can make the playoffs. Hopefully by the trade deadline, we're in a position where this topic doesn't even come up. "I'm not just saying this for the sake of saying this. I really mean it."
