Immediately after receiving word from Sweden that he had won a Nobel Prize, McDonald hugged and thanked his wife. Shortly thereafter he spoke with his friend, Lars Bergstrom, a Swedish physicist, according to a Queen's University spokesman.
The talk quickly turned from the award to hockey, with McDonald telling Bergstrom he wished Sundin still played for the Leafs. The Swedish embassy caught word of the story and invited Sundin and Salming to a reception with Canada's ambassador to Sweden, Kenneth Macartney, and McDonald.
On Tuesday, Sundin presented McDonald with a signed Maple Leafs jersey with the physicist's name on the back and the number 1.
