After a half-decade as the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, John Tavares officially passed the honor along to Auston Matthews on Wednesday at Scotiabank Arena.
“I'm incredibly humbled to be named captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs,” Matthews said shortly after being named the franchise's 26th on-ice leader, per NHL.com. “I'm honored to follow in John's footsteps and continue our work in leading this team along with so many other leaders within our dressing room. This team, this city, and our fans mean everything to me. We all embrace the history of this franchise, and we are determined to get the job done.”
Under Tavares' leadership, the Leafs made five consecutive Stanley Cup Playoff appearances, but only managed one series win — against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Round 1 of 2023.
Matthews will look to rectify that postseason futility as the first American-born captain in the Leafs' 107-year history.
“Over these past eight seasons, we've witnessed first-hand Auston's trajectory and evolution as a player and a person,” said Toronto president and alternate governor Brendan Shanahan, per NHL.com. “He's grown year over year and has shown, through his dedication to the Leafs and unwavering commitment, that he is ready to lead this Club.”
John Tavares passes the torch to Auston Matthews
Tavares graciously passed on the captaincy to Matthews after five seasons at the helm.
“When [GM] Brad Treliving and I met at the end of this past season and discussed ways for our team to take the next step, we both agreed that Auston is ready and it's his time to lead,” Tavares said on Wednesday, per NHL.com. “It's been an incredible honor to serve as captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs these past five seasons. Looking forward, I will do everything to support Auston as we continue our pursuit of the Stanley Cup.”
“This was part of a conversation that grew as the summer went along that John was very much a part of from beginning to end,” echoed Treliving. “We believe Auston's unique qualities as a hockey player and ability to inspire his teammates will drive our team's success moving forward.”
Matthews is undoubtedly the best player on Toronto's roster; the 26-year-old is fresh off a ridiculous 69-goal, 107-point campaign. He won the Hart Trophy as the league MVP in 2021-22 after posting 60 goals and 106 points.
He ranks third in goals in Leafs history behind former captains Mats Sundin (420) and Darryl Sittler (389), per NHL.com. “Matthews is sixth all-time in points in Toronto history behind Sundin (987), Sittler (916), Dave Keon (858), Borje Salming (768) and George Armstrong (713).”
The former No. 1 overall selection in the 2016 NHL Draft will now look to help the Maple Leafs achieve that ever-elusive postseason success. The team has won just one round in over two decades.
The hope is that No. 34, while wearing the coveted ‘C', will be able to bring a Stanley Cup back to Toronto for the first time since 1967.
Follow Us
Subscribe