Could Mats Sundin's return to Toronto Saturday night seemed any more perfectly scripted? Third shooter in the shootout, scores to win the game. Damnit. Not that it really matters. It was kind of ridiculous though, all the hype and build up leading up to the game, and during it too. Would Leafs fans boo Mats or cheer? There were editorials written pre-emptively chastising anyone who would dare to boo. We were told over and over again how much he did for the Leafs, how he fulfilled his contract, etc.

But at the end of the day, who the hell cares what kind of welcome he got? If some people want to cheer, while others want to boo, it was their perogative. What makes either reaction right or wrong? Its undeniable that statistically he's one of the best Leafs of all time, but for whatever reason, alot of Leafs fans never took to him like they did Gilmour or Clark or even lesser talents like Domi or Tucker. And now he's gone, no cups, no awards, nothing really to speak of. Yeah he holds alot of Leaf records, but its not like the post-expansion Leafs have ever had a real scoring dynamo outside of maybe Rick Vaive. So basically, he spent a lot of time in Toronto that amounted to not much of anything for the team besides a few playoff rounds won.

But we were told that he contributed so much to the organization and the city and that the whole debacle surrounding him last year shouldn't tarnish his image, he was just doing the job he was paid to do and living up to the contract he signed. We were told repeatedly, he didn't owe us anything. However we Leafs fans apparently owed him a hero's welcome, standing ovations, lavish praise, etc. Why?

Whatever. I'm just glad its finally over. Hopefully we don't need to hear about him anymore, and can go back to focusing on how the Leafs stink and whether or not they'll get a spot in the Tavares lottery or not.