Mats Sundin revealed the precise moment he learned that he had been traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Wendel Clark. The former Leafs captain acquired through a draft-day trade with the Quebec Nordiques.
At the time, Quebec had the luxury of having several elite centers on its roster, including Sundin, Joe Sakic, and Mike Ricci. Peter Forsberg, who had been acquired in the Eric Lindros trade two years earlier, was set to join the team.
Meanwhile, the Leafs were looking to retool their roster after back-to-back Conference Final exits. Sundin fit exactly what they were looking for. He was coming off strong statistical seasons in Quebec and was someone the Leafs could build around for the next decade.
The multi-player trade centered around Sundin and Clark was eventually made official. However, Sundin didn’t first learn about the trade from either the Leafs or Nordiques.
“I was fly fishing in a stream about 20-30 kilometers outside Kiruna, the hometown of Borje Salming cause I was up there for Borje’s hockey school,” Sundin told The Sheet with Jeff Marek. “We’re standing there fly fishing and there’s a helicopter coming in. And I’m there with my brothers and we’re like, ‘What’s going on here?'”
He added the journalists were actually the ones who broke the news to him.
“There’s a TV team, guy jumps out of the helicopter in a white t-shirt and jeans, a reporter. And the poor camera guy, same outfit, and there was mosquitoes and black flies, and they got eaten alive,” Sundin said. “They did the interview in about 27 seconds, they jump back in the helicopter, and they left. So, I’ll never forget the moment I got traded.”
Wendel Clark Reveals How He Found He Was Traded for Mats Sundin
Wendel Clark also revealed the precise moment he learned the Maple Leafs had traded him to Quebec.
Like Mats Sundin, Clark did not out from his either the Leafs or Nordiques. Instead, he happened to be listening to the radio when the news broke. He tuned in to find out who Toronto drafted and instead found out he was traded.
“I was shooting a Cheerios commercial in Mississauga. So, I drove back to the city, I’m at the Esso station. Not that it’s a big deal that I remember I was at Front and Bathurst when I got traded,” Clark said during an appearance on The Sheet with Jeff Marek. “I turned the radio station to see who we drafted. The draft was on, so I was [like], ‘I wonder who we drafted.'”
He added:
“The turned the radio station on and that’s when I heard I got traded to Quebec.”
Clark later returned for two more stints with the Leafs before retiring in 2000.
Sundin Performed Well in His 1st Season with Maple Leafs
Sundin proved to be well worth the price, performing well in his 1st NHL season with the Maple Leafs.
The 1994-95 NHL season was shortened due to a lockout. That year, Sundin, then 23, led the Leafs in scoring. He scored 23 goals and added 24 assists for a total of 47 points in 47 games.
Toronto fell short in the playoffs, as the Chicago Blackhawks eliminated them in the 1st round in seven games.
Sundin would later set several franchise records, including the all-time goals mark, which captain Auston Matthews recently broke.
Mats Sundin Reveals the Moment He Learned He Was Traded for Wendel Clark