TORONTO -- Auston Matthews was stunned.
On the other end of the line in late July was Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares. Matthews figured he was calling about the upcoming season and what the team should, could expect.
What he didn’t expect was what Tavares was about to tell him.
“I’m transferring the captaincy to you," Tavares said. “It’s your time.”
“After he let me know and everything, I told him I was shaking,” Matthews said Wednesday about his reaction to the news. “I had chills.”
It was an overwhelming moment for the 26-year-old center, who’s had no shortage of them in his young career, not the least of which was winning the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player in 2021-22 and the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the League’s top goal-scorer three times (2020-21, 2021-22, 2023-24).
This was different. This was all about the rich 107-year legacy of the franchise and joining greats like Dave Keon, Darryl Sitter, Mats Sundin, Doug Gilmour and Wendel Clark with the honor of wearing the “C” on the storied Maple Leafs jersey.
Here he was, a kid who grew up in the sunbelt market of Scottsdale, Arizona, now becoming the 26th captain in Maple Leafs history and the second non-Canadian to hold that role, the Sweden-born Sundin being the other (1997-2008). It all seemed surreal to him.
All these thoughts raced through his mind as he was on the phone trying to digest Tavares’ generous gesture.
“For him to call me and kind of let me know that he wanted to pass on the captaincy to me was very emotional,” Matthews said. “I felt a lot of things, but it's truly an honor."