Motivation Quote by Mats Sundin

There’s a quiet honesty in Sundin’s line that cuts against the myth of the bulletproof star. “At this level” is doing the heavy lifting: it marks the NHL not as a glamorous stage but as a pressure cooker where expectations aren’t occasional spikes, they’re the baseline. He doesn’t blame coaches, media, or fans; he points inward. That choice matters. It frames elite performance as a self-imposed contract, signed daily, renewed in every shift.

The phrasing is plain, almost stubbornly unpoetic, which is exactly why it lands. “Put a lot of pressure on yourself” isn’t therapy-speak here; it’s an athlete admitting that the real opponent often lives between games, in the hours where you replay mistakes, feel time tightening, hear the standings in your head. Sundin’s era especially rewarded stoicism. As a captain in a hockey market that treated outcomes like civic weather, acknowledging internal pressure is a subtle act of vulnerability, delivered in the sport’s preferred register: restrained, controlled, no melodrama.

The subtext is also about professionalism. He’s not talking about “wanting it” or “heart.” He’s talking about the grind of consistency, the grind of being evaluated constantly, of knowing a slump isn’t just a personal dip but a public storyline. It’s a reminder that greatness is less a highlight reel than a sustained negotiation with your own standards - and the fear of falling short of them.