Many of Sundin's former colleagues have chosen to stay in the spotlight after their careers.
Peter "Foppa" Forsberg has been a TV expert for many years and has participated in several TV series. Henrik Lundqvist has long been the face of hair care products and has also worked as an expert. And Nicklas Lidström works for his old NHL club Detroit.
If Mats Sundin has been more quiet. After his career, he has instead chosen to focus on his family life, together with his wife and their three children.
I don't know if my absence from the media is something conscious, really. It's more because I've had three children since my career ended. So that takes up most of my time, says Sundin.
The importance of parents
In his new autobiography "Tur och Retur: My Story", written together with Amy Stuart, Sundin looks back on his life. He writes, among other things, about his childhood, particularly how his parents supported him.
You get an incredible respect for your parents when you have children of your own, seeing how much they put in and drove around. I often think about what it gave me and my brothers to grow up with such supportive parents. As a parent, you try to live up to that.
In recent years, the circle has been closed. "Sudden" has taken over the role of hockey parent.
It's damn fun, but it's a lot of work. I'm often at the kids' hockey practices. So life in the ice rinks has continued, but in a different role.
Is it hard not to interfere too much and become a coach?
No, it's been easy, actually. I think it's fun to just watch. Seeing the teams, despite being so young, having so much passion for ice hockey is fun to see.
"Feels good to give back"
But it's not just hockey practices and family dinners that fill up his daily life. Sundin also devotes his time to a research project.
I work a lot with a foundation, which I have together with the University of Toronto and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Since I played most of my career in Toronto and grew up in Stockholm, it feels good to give back to those places.
Do you ever get tired of hockey, after a whole career?
I didn't play hockey for a very long time, I was a bit tired of it. But now I actually play one day a week, we're a few former NHL, SHL, and HockeyAllsvenskan players who play. It's just as much fun today as when I was active. So now the days when you get to let loose a bit are sacred, says Sundin and laughs.
Born: February 13, 1971, in Bromma.
Lives: in Djursholm with his family.
Family: Wife Josephine and children Bonnie, Natanael, and Julian.
Main merits: First European to be drafted as number one in the NHL (1989), World Championship gold in Finland 1991, World Championship gold in Czechoslovakia 1992, World Championship gold in Switzerland 1998, Olympic gold in Italy 2006, only Swede to score over 500 goals in the NHL, most points of all time in Toronto, inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012.
Current: With the new autobiography "Tur och Retur: My Story", written together with Amy Stuart.
