At the time, the Canucks were one of the bigger threats in the Northwest Division, and former GM Mike Gillis had brought Sundin in as an additional offensive punch to take the load off of key players, such as Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin. He was also hoping that Sundin’s previous leadership and playoff experience would be a decisive factor in the Western Conference.
Unfortunately, Sundin wasn’t able to deliver.
He performed well below his previous point-per-game pace, only notching 28 points in 41 games, and was unable to find consistent chemistry with teammates Ryan Kesler and Pavol Demitra on the second line.
His most notable game as a Canuck was on February 21st, 2009 when he returned to Air Canada Centre to face the Maple Leafs for the first time since leaving Toronto. The game was decided in a shootout, with Sundin playing the hero and notching the game-winning goal against his former team.
That year, the Canucks finished atop the Northwest Division and qualified for the playoffs. They made it to the second round but were defeated by the Chicago Blackhawks in six games. Sundin, who was sidelined for two games with a hip injury, scored eight points in eight playoff games.
Sundin announced his official retirement from the NHL on September 30th, 2009, exactly 12 years after he received the “C” in Toronto.
To this day, Sundin still holds many Maple Leaf records, including power-play goals, game-winning goals, overall goals, and overall points. Although these feats will eventually be passed by other players, his legacy will forever live on in Toronto. His no. 13 was officially retired by the club on October 15th, 2016, alongside other Maple Leaf legends.
He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012, as well as the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2013. He also captained Team Sweden to a gold medal in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.
Despite his short-lived career in Vancouver, Canucks’ fans will always smile knowing that they had one of the best European-born centres in NHL history in their line-up.