INSTANT #1 BESTSELLER

In one of the last great remaining untold stories in all of sports, the Hall of Fame Toronto Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin shares for the first time an unfiltered look at playing hockey in Sweden and across North America as part of the sport’s most fabled franchises.

Growing up in Sollentuna, Sweden, on the outskirts of Stockholm, Mats Sundin skated on the lake downhill from his house, a house his father had built with his own hands, on land his mother insisted on buying for their future. In the darkness of the Scandinavian winter Sundin would chase after his older brother on that lake for countless hours. Summers spent in nature with his grandparents instilled a lifelong love for the outdoors. Playing hockey in their driveway, the three Sundin brothers imagined scenes of suiting up for Sweden’s national team and scoring a game winning goal against their favoured rival, the Soviet Union. It wasn’t until his late teens that he caught the eyes of scouts and coaches from the other side of the Atlantic. At the 1989 NHL draft, eighteen-year-old Sundin was as surprised as anyone when he was selected first overall by the Quebec Nordiques.

After a few years as a Nordique, Sundin was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for the highly popular Leaf captain, Wendel Clark. In his early years in Toronto, he felt both at home and from away, working extra hard to gain acceptance in the world’s toughest hockey market. Even once he was named captain, Sundin didn’t deviate from his quiet nature but instead lead by example, never asking anyone to work harder than he did. Over thirteen seasons with the team, he would learn just how fiery the cauldron of Leafs Nation could be.

In Home and Away, Mats Sundin writes openly for the first time about what it was like for him to uproot his life in Sweden to embark on a long hockey career an ocean away. Home and Away is an elegiac, heartfelt, and honest story of a man who followed his passions, cherished his family, faced heavy scrutiny, and ultimately earned his way into both the hearts of fans and the hockey record books. His journey transcends the rink and shows what it means to be a quiet and unpretentious Swedish kid who went on to become one of the most accomplished players in the history of the game.

Mats Sundin is the longest-serving captain not born in North America in NHL history. He enjoyed a prolific eighteen-season NHL career as well as a superb international career playing for Sweden, his homeland. When he was selected by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, he became the first European-born player ever drafted first overall. The Nordiques traded him to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the rest is hockey history. At the time of his retirement, Sundin stood as the Toronto Maple Leafs’ all-time franchise leader in goals and points. A quiet leader, the durable Sundin is regarded as one of the finest Swedes to have played in the National Hockey League, and one of the greatest Toronto Maple Leafs of all time. He lives in Sweden and visits Toronto often.

Mats Sundin's profile page

Amy Stuart’s fourth novel, A Death at the Party, emerged as a longstanding #1 bestseller. She is the author of three other bestselling novels—Still Mine, Still Water, and Still Here—which have been optioned for television by Lark/NBC Universal. Amy’s other love is hockey. She is one of only four women head coaches in the GTHL, the world’s largest youth competitive hockey league. She was born in Toronto, where she still lives with her husband and their three sons. They also spend much of their time on Prince Edward Island, where Amy’s family is originally from. Find her on X @AmyFStuart.

Amy Stuart's profile page

“Mats Sundin was a great leader and captain that led the way on the ice and brought the team together. Mats would play his best hockey in important and deciding games. He was an incredibly skilled player who could win games by himself.”
— NICKLAS LIDSTRÖM, Stanley Cup Champion, Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame

“Mats and I were close friends from day one and still are. Everyone knew I had his back on the ice. What people didn’t know was that Mats had my back off the ice, during a very difficult personal time. Mats is one of our giants of our game, like Mario Lemieux. Like Mario, Mats is also a man of few words, so it’s a treat to hear Mats tell his story after all these years.”
— TIE DOMI

“Mats is one of the best, most respected players and Captains to have ever played for the Toronto Maple Leafs. From the time I was fortunate enough to be drafted by the Leafs, he was talked about a lot and, given his Hall of Fame career and all he accomplished, is someone I admire.”
— AUSTON MATTHEWS

“Mats is a Leafs legend, a hall of famer, and someone I look up to to this day.”
— CONNOR MCDAVID

“Mats was a big, skilled center who was one of the best players of his era, a true Hall of Famer, but I’ll remember him as much for his class as for his talent on the ice. He was a consummate captain and leader. I’ll always remember lining up against him for the opening faceoff of my comeback game in Pittsburgh in 2000 – a special moment for me. It’s great that he’s chosen to tell his story.”
— MARIO LEMIEUX