It was the kind of magic - the wonderfully unscripted kind - that made Mats Sundin such a force in this city during his 13 seasons and, apparently, kept the fans on his side even during controversy.
The ending Sundin delivered last night seemed so perfect, so deep in drama, it's hard to believe it wasn't scripted somewhere.
On the night the former captain returned to the Air Canada Centre, making his first appearance here in that iconic hockey stick Canucks logo, the game came down to the shootout.
And who else but Sundin had the puck on his stick to end it?
Sundin, Vancouver's third shooter, broke in on Toronto goaltender Vesa Toskala and, to the surprise of none of the 19,500 onlookers, went to his backhand.
As he'd done so often in a Leaf jersey, the 38-year-old lifted in the game-winner as Vancouver won its eighth in the last nine - this one by a score of 3-2.
"You dream about getting chances like that, being a deciding shooter, having a breakaway at the end of the game," he said. "When you grow up playing, you dream about chances like that. I'll take it."
It was probably what Sundin didn't dream about, the defining emotional moment of the former captain's association with the Leafs, that most fans on hand will remember long after the score is forgotten.
A touching first-period tribute had Ol' Mats choking back tears and made a mockery of the pre-game debate about whether Sundin would be jeered or cheered.
At the first TV timeout, a photo tribute to Sundin began on the big screens over centre ice. That brought the crowd to its feet to begin what was a thunderous two-minute ovation.
Sundin, at first, tried to get away with a wave of thanks from the bench but Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault sent him over the boards.
"I had to tell Mats to stand up. I don't think he was quite sure how to react there," said Vigneault. "It was a good moment to be part of."
Sundin, clearly choked up, drifted around the ice awkwardly until he finally settled over the faceoff dot to the left of Toronto goaltender Vesa Toskala.
Everyone else on the ice backed away, including Toronto centre Matt Stajan, on tap to take the draw against Sundin.
For about another full minute the appreciation was thunderous and Sundin, tears welling in his eyes, listened to how much he meant to the fans here.
"I was probably crying a little bit," he conceded. "Thirteen years in the city, a lot of ups and downs and emotions, a lot of great teammates, a lot of great fans. It was a very emotional ride."
Pretty much was for anyone in the building.
"There were a few guys on our team who have only known him for a month who were pretty emotional on our bench," said Canuck Kyle Wellwood, another ex-Leaf.
It was one of the most heartfelt acknowledgments in recent memory involving the Leafs and certainly one of the most touching at the Air Canada Centre, celebrating its 10th anniversary this weekend.
There were questions coming in about whether Sundin - accused in some quarters of being selfish for not allowing himself to be traded at last year's trade deadline - might be the subject of booing. Was there a chance the franchise's all-time leading scorer, both in goals and assists, would be ridiculed for, in his mind, remaining loyal?
"It's a special feeling, despite what happened last season at the trade deadline, they really showed me respect. It was amazing," said Sundin.
Jason Blake and Stajan scored for Toronto but the night was Sundin's.
"The ovation from the fans was very special," he said. "I'll remember that the rest of my life."
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