What ties the great captains of Maple Leafs lore together, according to author Mike Ulmer, is a do-it-together attitude.
Mats Sundin had it. When he captained the Leafs for a decade between 1997 and 2008, he turned questions about him into answers about the team. It’s “we,” Sundin would convey subtly in his answers, not “me.”
John Tavares had it, too, according to Ulmer, author of the 1995 book “Captains,” profiling nine of the Leafs’ leaders from Hap Day to Doug Gilmour.
And now, Tavares will step aside. The Leafs are reportedly naming Auston Matthews as captain, ending Tavares’s five-year run and signalling a new era led by the 26-year-old who led the NHL in goals three times over the last four seasons.
With the transfer comes a boatload of history, and perhaps an equal amount of pressure.
“When you become captain of the Maple Leafs, it’s the club’s way of increasing the stakes for you,” Ulmer said. “You’re saying, ‘You have to talk to more people now, so you better give them something good to talk about.’ ”
That means you have to play well, and the team has to well. And if that doesn’t happen, you’ll have to answer to the media.
But there’s also a more personal kick in the butt, Ulmer believes. It comes from above. Every time Matthews looks up at Scotiabank Arena, it will be looming there.
There’s a banner for captain Ted Kennedy and his No. 9. The five Stanley Cup banners he helped win are there, too. His Hart Trophy, his place in the Hall of Fame and his spot on the NHL’s 100 greatest players list are there in spirit.
There’s a banner for captain Dave Keon and his No. 14. And for captain Syl Apps. And captain Darryl Sittler. And captain Wendel Clark. And Sundin.
No one doubts the individual skill of the Leafs’ Core Four of Matthews, Marner, Nylander and Tavares. As a group? It’s been a historic playoff
“Every time you look up, you see those guys looking down at you. Almost all of them have a ‘C’ on their chest,” Ulmer said. “It’s pretty hard to miss the implications of that little piece of felt.”
Now, Tavares will pass it along. He’ll be 34 next month and his performance isn’t at the level it was five years ago when he was named captain.
“It’s a very honourable thing for John (to give up the captaincy),” Ulmer said. “To do so now was a really courageous and really fair-minded thing.”
That’s another part of what it means to be captain. They tend to be good men, not just good players. They still cast tall shadows for the way they played and the way they lived, Ulmer believes.
But perhaps what will matter most in Matthews’ legacy as captain will be what happens on the ice.
“The definition, hopefully, for Auston Matthews,” Ulmer said, “is he’s the first guy to get the Cup.”
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