There are great sagas in hockey just as there are in every other sport out there. Much like the saga of whether or not Brett Favre would be back in the game this year - and ultimately, even though Favre eventually did retire, he came back into the game and things heated up even more before the NFL season was underway - fans of the National Hockey League in general and the Toronto Maple Leafs in particular are wondering whether or not Mats Sundin will retire.

As of the first week of September, Mats Sundin has not made a formal decision about whether or not he will retire. Despite the fact that free agent Mats Sundin and his agents are talking with the Toronto Maple Leafs general manager, the centre is apparently no closer to answering the question of whether or not he is going to retire.

Interviews with Mats Sundin have not been able to get any closer to an answer to the retirement question: Mats Sundin has said that he loves the game and while he was in Toronto to play in a charity hockey game he acknowledged that the arena felt like home. For those who are Maple Leafs fans, this sounds good - particularly since the NHL centre who is Toronto's franchise leader in both goals and points has received offers from other teams as well (the Montreal Canadians, the New York Rangers and the Vancouver Canucks).

Despite the fact that fans and team managers alike are interested in Mats Sundin, however, he has not made a strong commitment to the sport for the coming year; in part, it seems as those Mats Sundin's desire to retire is the result of a losing season and a failure for his team to make the NHL playoffs.

While Sundin was committed to the team and to the sport, it appears that - at least to some extent - thoughts about whether or not he will retire are coming up because he wants to be sure that the team is able to benefit from having the right members; in other words, it would appear Mats Sundin has some doubts about whether or not he has the commitment to get back out on the ice for another season.

Of course, just because Mats Sundin is thinking about whether or not to retire from the NHL hasn't kept others from speculating. While some players in the NHL acknowledge that the decision is Sundlin's alone, there's a recognition that the teams and the fans want to know what his choice will be. Others who are talking with the press are commenting on the probability of Mats Sundin retiring by stating that it does not appear that he is preparing for another season.

Whether or not Mats Sundin retires remains to be seen; either way, hockey season is approaching and there are going to be many NHL fans that are simply anxious for it to begin. The season will start; it remains to be seen whether Mats Sundin plays.