Sept. 30: Sundin named Maple Leafs captain

THIS DATE IN HISTORY: Sept. 30
1997:
Mats Sundin
becomes the first non-Canadian captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Seven months after the trade of
Doug Gilmour
leaves the captaincy vacant, the Swedish center receives it. He serves as Toronto's captain for the next 11 seasons, during which he becomes the Maple Leafs' all-time leading scorer with 987 points (420 goals, 567 assists).
Ironically, Sundin announces his retirement exactly 12 years later, on Sept. 30, 2009. He is inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012. Five years later,
Sundin
is named to the
100 Greatest NHL Players
.

MORE MOMENTS
1923:The Montreal Canadiens sign free agent forward
Howie Morenz
. The "Stratford Streak" is coveted by several teams, but opts to join the Canadiens and becomes one of the NHL's early stars. He helps the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup as a rookie in
1923-24
, scores 28 goals in 30 games in 1924-25 and scores 40 in 44 games in 1929-30.
Montreal wins
three championships
in Morenz's 11 seasons with the Canadiens. He plays 1 1/2 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks and a half season with the New York Rangers before returning to the Canadiens in 1936-37, but sustains a career-ending leg injury on Jan. 28, 1937, and dies less than six weeks later. Morenz is inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1945 in named to the
100 Greatest NHL Players
in 2017.

2007:The Anaheim Ducks earn a split in the two-game NHL Premiere Series by
defeating the Los Angeles Kings 4-1
at O2 Arena in London. Corey Perry scores two goals and assists on another for the Ducks one day after they
lose 4-1 to the Kings
in the first regular-season NHL game played in England.