Welcome, Mats: Sundin a Canuck

MATS SUNDINRejects Rangers

Mats Sundin finally made up his mind. It was time to start playing again, and the Vancouver Canucks provided the perfect landing spot.

The former Toronto Maple Leafs captain announced his long-awaited decision yesterday and ended months of speculation about where he would end up - or if he would even return to play in North America - by signing with the Canucks.

Sundin had considered retirement following last season, but a number of teams expressed interest in his services. He narrowed his choices to the Canucks and New York Rangers, who didn't have nearly enough cap space to compete with Vancouver's lucrative offer.

Sundin met with the Rangers last weekend and attended a game at Madison Square Garden as part of a promotion for a website. Despite wooing from fellow Swedes on the Rangers such as Henrik Lundqvist, Markus Naslund - the longtime Canucks captain who signed with New York in the summer - and Fredrik Sjostrom, Sundin picked Vancouver over New York.

"I am truly excited to be joining the Canucks," the 37-year-old Sundin said. "Once I made the decision to return to play a few weeks ago, the Vancouver opportunity was simply the best overall fit."

The 6-foot-5-inch, 230-pound forward has 555 goals and 766 assists in 17 seasons with the Quebec Nordiques and the Maple Leafs. Sundin became an unrestricted free agent at the end of last season and was courted by a half-dozen teams. According to Canadian media reports, Sundin agreed to a one-year deal that when prorated will be worth about $5 million.

Sundin, a nine-time All-Star, had 32 goals last season.

Sundin is expected to join the Canucks right after Christmas, when he returns from Sweden. His agent, J.P. Barry, said Sundin should be ready to play in January.

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Canadiens winger Andrei Kostitsyn (lower body injury) missed a couple of shifts in the second period and did not come out for the third.

Red Wings 6, Sharks 0 - Ty Conklin made 24 saves for his sixth NHL shutout and Pavel Datsyuk had two goals and two assists as host Detroit sent San Jose to its second loss in as many nights.

Hurricanes 2, Panthers 1 - Justin Williams scored his first goal in nearly 13 months, and Joe Corvo scored with 43.3 seconds left in overtime to lift host Carolina past Florida. Williams missed 43 games late last season after knee surgery, and a torn Achilles' tendon cost him the first two months of this season.

Penguins 6, Thrashers 3 - Evgeni Malkin, the NHL leader with 53 points, had two goals and two assists, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 28 saves in his first start since he suffered a groin injury Nov. 15, helping Pittsburgh win in Atlanta.

Capitals 4, Blues 2 - Viktor Kozlov had two goals and an assist, and host Washington extended its winning streak to five games with a victory over St. Louis.

Avalanche 2, Lightning 1 - In a shootout, Milan Hejduk scored when Tampa Bay goalie Mike Smith was penalized for throwing his stick, and Andrew Raycroft (37 saves) denied Jussi Jokinen, Vincent Lecavalier, and Martin St. Louis as visiting Colorado won.

Stars 6, Blue Jackets 5 - Loui Eriksson's hat trick and shootout goals by Brad Richards and Mike Ribeiro lifted host Dallas.

Coyotes 2, Predators 1 - Kyle Turris recorded his first two-goal game, including the go-ahead score with 9:58 left, as host Phoenix beat Nashville.