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Thursday, April 9, 2009 06:36 PM

Shoalts: Sundin draws the line

David Shoalts

The Toronto media horde descended on Los Angeles on Sunday in advance of the Maple Leafs' game with the Kings on Monday night, but a lot of them had an eye out for Mats Sundin.

The former Leafs captain has been lounging around Southern California for the last several weeks, allegedly working out and meeting with a succession of NHL general managers, who beat a path to his door. But Sundin drew the line at the media when it came to more meetings on Sunday.

While there was speculation Sundin would put on his skates for the first time since last April, he sent word there would be no interviews. Not that it should matter to Leaf fans – your agent would wager a substantial amount of money, probably enough to cover the bar tab for half a dozen NHL GMs – that new boss Brian Burke will find a way to encourage Mats to find employment elsewhere should he ever make up his mind about playing.

A confession: Given the long, drawn-out agony of covering dithering Mats, the news he wasn't talking was the most welcome of the day. Recording Burke's first days on the job this week on the Leafs' road swing through LA, San Jose and Phoenix is quite enough to keep us all busy.

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Globe On Hockey Contributors

Tim Wharnsby

Tim Wharnsby

Tim Wharnsby was born and raised in Waterloo, Ont. in 1964, grew up following his favourite players Marc Thiel and Mike Yosurack on the Waterloo Jr. B Siskins.

Before joining The Globe and Mail on January 1, 2001, he spent 13 years at the Toronto Sun and 11 months as media relations director for the National Hockey League Players’ Association. He attended the University of Waterloo, studied journalism at Ryerson in Toronto and spent the occasional weekend of his youth caddying for the legendary Canadian golfer Moe Norman.

He has spent most of his time following the Maple Leafs, the NHL and junior hockey, including six Stanley Cup finals, 15 world junior championships, 12 Memorial Cups and the 2002 Olympics. He also has covered golf, auto racing and Canadian university sports.

 
Eric Duhatschek

Eric Duhatschek

Eric Duhatschek was the winner of the Hockey Hall Of Fame's Elmer Ferguson award for "distinguished contributions to hockey writing" in 2001. A graduate of the University of Western Ontario's grad school of journalism, he began covering hockey in 1978 and after spending 20 years covering the NHL and the Calgary Flames, joined globeandmail.com in September, 2000, where he writes a five-time-a-week NHL column.

A frequent contributor to Hockey Night in Canada's Satellite Hot Stove segment, he has covered four Winter Olympics, 19 Stanley Cup finals, every Canada Cup and World Cup since 1981, plus two world championships. Most recently, he was appointed as the newest member of the Hockey Hall Of Fame's annual Selection Committee.

 
Allan Maki

Allan Maki

Allan Maki joined the Globe in 1997, after spending 19 years as a reporter and columnist at the Calgary Herald. Born in Thunder Bay, Ont., Maki graduated from the Ryerson School of Journalism in 1977.

A past president of the Football Writers of Canada, Maki has covered every Grey Cup since 1980. He's been to seven Olympic Games and covered everything from rodeos to the World Series to the Super Bowl.

A regular commentator on radio and television, Maki hosted a sports program for two years on CBC Newsworld. He has won several awards for his writing and was nominated for a National Newspaper Award in 1995.

 

David Shoalts

David Shoalts, a native of Wainfleet, Ont., joined The Globe in 1984 as a layout and copy editor in the sports section. He attended the University of Waterloo and Conestoga College. After graduating from Conestoga with a journalism diploma in 1978, Shoalts worked at the Calgary Herald and the Calgary Sun, and later the Toronto Sun.

In 1986, Shoalts went back to the writing side of the business. He was the CFL reporter for The Globe for four years and then switched to hockey. He has covered the Toronto Maple Leafs and the NHL ever since and became a hockey columnist in 2003. Among the most memorable events Shoalts has covered are the final hockey game at the old Chicago Stadium (between the Maple Leafs and Blackhawks) and the men's and women's gold-medal hockey games at the 2002 Winter Olympics. He is also the author of a book of humour, Tales From The Toronto Maple Leafs, and co-author with retired Globe columnist William Houston of Greed and Glory, The Fall of Hockey Czar Alan Eagleson.