Now, the 28-year-old will have the chance to pull even with Sundin as soon as Saturday, when the Maple Leafs visit the New York Islanders at UBS Arena in what will be a nationally televised broadcast in both the United States and Canada (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, MSGSN, CBC, SNP, SNO, SNE).
“I mean, it’s special just to be in the same sentence as him,” said Matthews, whose recent hot streak has seen him explode for eight points (four goals, four assists) in his past three games. “Obviously, guys like him and a number of others that have come before us and paved the way and worn the jersey, I think we all take pride in wearing the jersey and how special it is.
“So, it definitely means a lot.”
Just like Sundin’s support of him does.
Indeed, since being selected by the Maple Leafs with the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, the kid who grew up in Arizona quickly learned about the rich legacy of the Original Six team he was joining, one that included Toronto's famed No. 13.
Through the ensuing years, he had the opportunity to befriend Sundin, whether it was during the Swede’s occasional visits to Toronto or the Maple Leafs’ participation in the NHL Global Series Sweden, when they played games against the Minnesota Wild and Detroit Red Wings in Stockholm in November 2023. It was during a pregame ceremony prior to that Wild game that Matthews, who was on Toronto's bench, was smiling from ear to ear and banging his stick on the boards as Sundin, with his family at his side, dropped the puck for the ceremonial face-off that was accompanied by an electrifying standing ovation from the crowd at Avicii Arena.
Now, as he finds himself on the cusp of breaking Sundin’s illustrious mark, Matthews says he is “humbled” after being informed that the former Maple Leafs captain wants to see him break the record.
“He’s awesome,” Matthews told NHL.com. “I mean, I think just getting to know him, there’s a reason why people talk so highly about him, just the kind of leader that he was and the kind of person that he was and is. And I think that’s great.
“I think you kind of look at what happened with Wayne Gretzky and Alex Ovechkin last year, Ovechkin breaking his all-time goals record and the classy way Gretzky reacted. I think records are meant to be broken, and I think it’s cool to witness that. You’re supposed to leave the game better than it was when you got there, and guys are supposed to be better and the game’s supposed to grow. So, I think that’s just a part of the game in general.
“It’s just so cool to have his support and that of a lot of alumni in general. But he’s obviously a guy I have a tremendous amount of respect for, and it’s been amazing to get to know him.”
Matthews, in a rare admission, said he has thought about the record, albeit not at the expense of his main goal: team success.
“I think that stuff definitely crosses your mind,” he said. “It’s kind of hard not to. I mean, for me, all that stuff is great, it’s kind of just icing on the cake. But the ultimate goal is to obviously win and to do that as a team and to accomplish that goal and climb that mountain.
“It’s really nice to be mentioned with a guy like Mats Sundin. But again, the ultimate goal is to win, and that’s much more difficult to do. At the same time, it’s truly satisfying to accomplish.”
In the end, they certainly took different paths en route to becoming Toronto’s all-time leader in goals.
Matthews is much more the pure goal-scorer of the two, having reached 419 goals in just 663 games. By comparison, Sundin scored his 420 goals in 981 games for the Maple Leafs.
On the other hand, Sundin was a much smoother playmaker and is Toronto’s all-time leader in points with 987. That's 229 more than Matthews, who has 758.
Despite those differences, there's still that common bond: their admiration for each other.
“There’s a lot of pressure, being the first overall draft pick and coming to Toronto, which I’ve always said is the center of the hockey universe,” Sundin said. “He’s handled it with class. They are the best fans in the world, and he’s given them so many reasons to cheer, all while wearing that jersey with pride.
“I couldn’t be prouder to see him break my record.”
A historic moment that could happen as early as Saturday.
