Mats Sundin donates $300K to U of T, Swedish institute for fellowships

Former Toronto Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin has donated more than $300,000 to create medical fellowships at the University of Toronto and Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm.

The U of T and KI researchers chosen for the Mats Sundin Award in Medicine will travel to their partner institution in September for a year of study in the field of developmental health.

“We all want our children to grow up healthy, with the best opportunities to learn and live free of disease, but how do we make that possible? What can we do to give our kids the best shot at reaching their full potential?” Sundin said at a news conference at U of T on Friday.

“By establishing this program … we’re creating an Olympic training camp for our brightest young minds to work with global leaders and answer these challenging questions.”

Labs at both schools are already looking at how maternal health and a child’s environment — from breastfeeding to stress to nutrition — can affect sickness, health, learning ability and overall well-being later in life.

Sundin is also in town to see his No. 13 jersey raised to the rafters at the Air Canada Centre, joining those of Toronto greats Darryl Sittler and Wendel Clark.

He will also be honoured for getting the most points in franchise history.

The Swedish native played for the Leafs from 1994-2008, earning 987 points, including 420 goals in 981 games.

The ceremony will take place before the team’s game with the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.

With files from 680News staff