Leafs add 4 Hall of Famers to NHL Alumni squad

The Toronto Maple Leafs have called on several former players with Hall of Fame pedigree to suit up for them when they take on the Detroit Red Wings at next season's NHL Alumni Game at Comerica Park in Detroit.

On Tuesday, the Leafs announced the additions of forwards Mats Sundin, Joe Nieuwendyk, Frank Mahovlich and defenceman Borje Salming to their roster while the Red Wings brought in some players of their own.

Detroit added Petr Klima, Dallas Drake, Garry Unger and Paul Ysebaert to its mix.

The Dec. 31 game is part of the NHL Winter Classic festivities, but could be in jeopardy — along with the Jan. 1 Winter Classic itself — if the league and its players can't find common ground in current collective bargaining talks.

Sundin is not only the highest-scoring player in Swedish history, but owns the Maple Leafs scoring record with 987 points in 981 career contests. He also spent the first four years of his career with the now-defunct Quebec Nordiques franchise and finished with the Vancouver Canucks. In 1,346 games overall, he's totalled 1,349 points.

Nieuwendyk is a three-time Stanley Cup champion and played in the NHL for 20 seasons with the Leafs, Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils and Florida Panthers. The 45-year-old amassed 1,126 points in 1,257 career games, including 564 goals.

The Oshawa, Ont. native joined the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011.

Mahovlich helped lead Toronto to four Stanley Cup titles between 1962 and 1967 and was a member of Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series when it defeated the Soviet Union.

Salming is Toronto's all-time leading scorer among defencemen with 148 goals and 620 assists in 1,099 games. He played 17 seasons for the Leafs and was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1996.