TORONTO — Mats Sundin feels like he’s seen this movie before.
A weeklong visit to the city he considers a second home ended up being a little like a trip back in time, especially when the big Swede watched the present day Toronto Maple Leafs play.
It was a little more than a year ago when Sundin had his banner raised to the rafters at Air Canada Centre and he urged the fans to get behind a young team during a stirring speech. Now the longtime captain believes the Leafs are ready to take the next step.
“I think they’ve already managed (the expectations) well,” Sundin said Wednesday during a sitdown with sportsnet.ca. “This team reminds me a lot of the team we had in 1999 — a young, enthusiastic team (where) all four lines could skate, all four lines could make a good pass and could contribute offensively and defensively. I think that’s the sign of a great team, when you have that kind of a group mentality.
“I think that’s why they’re in a playoff spot right now.”
The 1999 Leafs made a surprising trip to the Eastern Conference final after missing out on the post-season the previous two years. While Sundin wasn’t necessarily predicting that kind of long playoff run, he is among those who believe the franchise’s post-season drought is about to end.
And that’s a welcome sign for the Hockey Hall of Famer, to say the least.
“For everybody involved, for ex-players that look on, everybody’s waiting for the team to be in the playoffs,” said Sundin. “It’s such a great time of year to play hockey and to watch hockey. It’s a great opportunity for the team and for the city to get the team back in the playoffs.
“Really the Toronto Maple Leafs should be in the playoffs every year, with the support the team has in the city.”
An 18-12-4 start to the shortened season has put Toronto in good position to achieve that goal.
Sundin was honoured before Saturday’s Leafs-Bruins game and managed to catch up with a few former teammates during his time in the city. He also had a chat with current Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf, who succeeded him in the role.
The Leafs are now among the youngest teams in the entire league. At age 32, defenceman John-Michael Liles is the oldest player on the roster.
The Sundin-led squad in 1998-99 had a few more veterans than that, but the core was similarly composed of players in their mid-20s.
“We went from missing the playoffs to going to the conference finals the next year,” said Sundin. “That’s rare I think. When you get that kind of momentum in a group — the way the Leafs are doing right now — you really feel like nothing is going to stop you.
“That’s a great feeling.”
Most importantly, that 1999 team laid the foundation for a six-year run in which Toronto was considered a contender every season.
The playoff drought started following the end of the 2004-05 lockout and saw Sundin come under great pressure in the leadup to the 2008 trade deadline.
Many in Toronto wanted him to accept a deal that could help speed up the franchise’s rebuild — something Calgary now hopes it has done by dealing Jarome Iginla — but Sundin refused to waive his no-trade clause.
“I think I followed my heart,” he said. “At the time, during my last year with the Leafs coming up to the deadline I felt that I probably had one of my best years of my career playing for the Leafs, we were a few points out of the playoffs. To leave the ship at that time as the captain just wasn’t right.
“The way I’m made up in my mind, it felt like I was giving up in a way. I wanted to continue the rest of the season out and try to get us into the playoffs — I felt that was my role.”
It obviously wasn’t to be.
Sundin is now four years into his retirement and enjoying life as a father to baby Bonnie, who was born last June. He’s also busy overseeing the building of his new house outside Stockholm and recently took a job as an advisor to the Swedish national team.
As part of that role, he’ll help choose the players who represent the host country at the IIHF World Hockey Championship in May.
However, it won’t keep him from making another trans-Atlantic flight if the Leafs manage to hold on to their current position in the standings. When playoff hockey returns to the Air Canada Centre, Sundin vows to be there.
“There’s no doubt about it that I’ll be back,” he said. “If the Leafs are playing in the playoffs, I’ll be back watching them.”