TORONTO

Like most of us, Mats Sundin has spent much of the past decade wondering.

When would his beloved Maple Leafs find the next showstopper, the next franchise player, the next dominant centre?

Our translation: The next Mats Sundin?

Then he went to the Air Canada Centre to watch his Swedes take on Team North America at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey on Wednesday.

And within two minutes of the opening faceoff, he had his potential answer.

Down on the ice, there was Auston Matthews, first overall pick of the 2016 draft, squatting on his knees, making the type of play very few on the planet could pull off as he deked past Victor Hedman, one of the top blueliners in the sport.

Did we mention he was on his knees when he pulled that off?

The fans certainly noticed, immediately breaking into chants of “Matthews, Matthews ...”

“That was great,” Sundin said Saturday in a one-on-one interview with Postmedia.

It is early afternoon, and we are sitting in the gold seats at the ACC watching Team Sweden practice. This is the same building where Sundin cobbled together the majority of his Hall of Fame career. And now, in his mind, it is the same arena where Auston Matthews will have the opportunity to thrill Leafs Nation for years to come.

“I would say to Auston coming into Toronto is to just be yourself and develop as a person and as a kid,” Sundin said. “I think that’s the best advice I can give knowing that there is going to be a lot of pressure and a lot of focus on the Maple Leafs. Keep doing what has brought him to this position and made him the first overall pick and he’ll be fine.

“I think Auston Matthews is coming to the greatest hockey franchise in the world. This is the New York Yankees of baseball. This is the Barcelona of soccer. To represent the Toronto Maple Leafs and to wear the blue and white, it’s an experience you have to live through in order to understand the importance to the fans or Toronto and to the people of Toronto.

“So saying that, and understanding that a rebuild is a rebuild, fans have to be patient and realize it takes a while for players to develop. But the Leafs are doing it the right way.”

Matthews isn’t the only Leafs prospect that has Sundin predicting better times in the future for the organization.

“I think Toronto Maple Leafs management is doing a great job trying to build from the ground up in their efforts to rebuild the team and the organization,” Sundin said. “I think it’s the only way to do it in the National Hockey League nowadays. Fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs are showing great patience. But they also see with the Auston Matthews, the William Nylanders, the Mitch Marners, there is bright hope for the organization for a long time.

“I’m very excited with what is going on with the Toronto Maple Leafs with their players.”

Sundin last pulled on a Leafs jersey in 2008. In the subsequent eight years, the franchise has hosted just three home playoff games. That’s right, three.

“It’s been tough on the fans,” he said. “But I think the Maple Leafs are doing it the right way with Auston and with Mitch Marner and with four or five other upcoming guys — a couple were on that North American team (including Morgan Rielly). He’s not going to be alone as the only guy with such pure young talent. Let them grow and develop as a Maple Leafs.”

These days, Sundin is living back in Sweden and spends most of his time being a dad. He has two kids, ages four and one, and another on the way. He really hasn’t been involved in hockey — “no time,” he says.

That is, until the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation came calling asking if he and fellow Swedish hockey icons Nicklas Lidstrom and Daniel Alfredsson would serve as advisors for the Tre Kroners entry in the World Cup.

“It’s fun,” he said. “For Swedish hockey, a tournament like this first of all is very important. Soccer in Sweden is very big and hockey often is on the later pages of the sports section. But when you have tournament like this where all the best players in the world are participation, Swedish hockey gets on to the front pages of the newspapers. You know it helps with recruiting too to get more young players, young people interested in the great sport of hockey.

“Hopefully it will help a little bit in Sweden.”

Sundin knows this much: If all goes as expected, Auston Matthews will help the Maple Leafs franchise moving forward. Significantly.

MOCKING MATS

Wouldn’t you love to be a fly on the wall when the Team Sweden advisory board is haggling over hockey tactics?

After all, whose side would you be on? Mats Sundin? Nick Lidstrom? Daniel Alfredsson? Their combined hockey IQs are off the charts.

“It’s a great debate between us Swedes but for me and Alfie, the rivalry we had with the Senators and the Maple Leafs in the playoffs, we had a lot of fun,” Sundin said, laughing. “Sometimes he still gives me the fake stick toss to mock me.”

Sundin was referring to a 2004 incident in which then-Senator Alfredsson raised the ire of Leafs fans by mocking Sundin — who was suspended for throwing a broken stick into the stands in the previous game — by pretending to throw his own broken stick into the crowd. Obviously the mocking has continued to this day.

On a more serious note, Sundin’s Swedes face Team Europe in a World Cup of Hockey semifinal on Sunday. According to the former Leaf, one player gives Sweden an edge.

“Henrik Lundqvist,” Sundin said, referring to the New York Rangers goalie. “He’s been great in this tournament.”

mzeisberger@postmedia.com

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