Mats Sundin’s memoir HOME AND AWAY to be published by Simon & Schuster Canada in October 2024
May 9, 2024 – Simon & Schuster Canada is proud to announce the publication of Home and Away by hockey legend and inspiring leader Mats Sundin, written with bestselling Canadian author Amy Stuart. Home and Away will be published in hardcover, ebook and audio formats on October 22, 2024, and is available for preorder now.
Though he played eighteen-seasons in the National Hockey League, including ten as captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Mats Sundin’s story is bigger than hockey. Born and raised in the suburbs of Stockholm, he made history when he became the first European player to be selected #1 overall in the 1989 NHL draft. After four seasons playing with the Quebec Nordiques, he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He stands as the all-time Toronto Maple Leafs leader in goals and points, and the longest serving NHL captain not born in North America. Mats played internationally for Sweden at several World Championships and three Winter Olympic Games, capturing the Gold Medal as the captain of the 2006 team in Turin, Italy. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012.
In Home and Away, Sundin tells all with equal amounts of class and humour. He shares for the first-time stories about his childhood in Sweden – skating on the lake near his house in Sollentuna, chasing his older brother on the ice and the soccer field, and witnessing, as a teenager, the impact the assassination of Prime Minister Olof Palme had on his family and all of Sweden. Sundin tells of playing on the Swedish hockey team Djurgårdens, a contentious departure to play in the NHL with the Nordiques, and the big trade to the Maple Leafs. His interactions with many hockey greats including Pat Quinn, a main character in his life, from the time he gave him a Vancouver Canucks pin as a teenager to becoming a coach 10 years later and inducting him into the Hockey Hall of Fame; Joe Sakic who was a mentor, captain and teammate when he arrived in Quebec; Börje Salming who was a hero to Mats, turned mentor, and then dear friend; and Tie Domi who was his teammate for over a decade and remains his close friend. In Home and Away, Mats talks about the many pieces of advice he’s received over the years including the same advice from Guy Lafleur, and his grandfather– “stop it with all the passing. You need to shoot the puck.” And of course #13 – lucky or unlucky? Depends who is telling the story.
"When I set out to write a memoir, I knew I wanted it to be about more than just hockey,” says Mats Sundin. “I spent eighteen seasons in the NHL, so hockey is the undisputed backbone, but mine is a story about a kid who grew up in Sweden to working class parents, never dreaming one day I’d find a home far away in Toronto. During my career, the media interviewed me and wrote about me often, and that might have given people the sense that they knew me as a person. I’m not sure they did. Home and Away is my true life story and experiences for all readers, hockey fans or not. I’m thrilled to be working with Amy Stuart, Jim Gifford, Nicole Winstanley and the incredible team at Simon & Schuster Canada to bring Home and Away to life.”
Mats Sundin’s journey of life, love and friendship transcends the rink and demonstrates what it means to be a quiet and unpretentious kid who dared to dream and went on to become not only one of the most accomplished players in the history of the game, but an inspiring leader and family man.
“Mats Sundin, in his humble and genuine way, led by example during an exciting time in hockey,” says Executive Editor Jim Gifford. “His legion of fans will be tremendously excited to read about the life and career of one of the greatest players of all time.”
President and Publisher Nicole Winstanley adds “We’re excited to be working with Mats on his inspiring, intimate, and revealing memoir. I know readers everywhere will be moved by the stories he shares about his life on and off the ice.”
Sundin is writing the book with bestselling author Amy Stuart. Along with being the #1 bestselling author of four novels, Amy is also one of only a handful of female coaches in the Greater Toronto Hockey League, the world’s largest youth competitive hockey league.
Home and Away will be simultaneously published by Bookmark in Sweden.
“We are very proud to take part in publishing the life story of one of the world’s greatest hockey players,” says Bookmark CEO Claes Ericson. “Having been chosen to be Mats Sundin’s Swedish publisher is an honour.”
Mats Sundin will be embarking on a multi-city tour upon publication of the book. For more information, contact:
Rita Silva, Director of Publicity
Rita.silva@simonandschuster.ca
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