One of the biggest honours of a hockey player is wearing the ‘C’ on your chest. However, captaining the Maple Leafs heightens that honour. In a total of 25 captains, some legendary players have led Toronto to destiny. There are over 70 days until the 2024-25 season is underway. So, as we wait for the NHL to return from this off-season, here’s a ranking of the last five captains of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
What Does it Take to be a Captain?
While being the captain of any team, no matter the sport is a great honour, it still requires great responsibility. Not everyone has what it takes to be the face of a franchise or to lead their teammates into battle. However, some were born for it, and a few will appear on this list.
The criteria for this ranking are as followed, in no particular order:
- Leadership
- Work ethic
- Passion
- Accomplishments and career success
- On-ice abilities
- Emotional control (dealing with Toronto media)
- Relationship with fans
Ranking the Last Five Leafs Captains
No. 5 – Dion Phaneuf (2010-2016)
Last on this list, is Dion Phaneuf. He was a solid defender in his career, however, he was nothing to write home about and does not compare to the rest of the names on this list. In January 2010, Toronto’s general manager at the time, Brian Burke, made a big trade with the Calgary Flames. Phaneuf was the centrepiece of that trade, as well as Fredrik Sjostrom and Keith Aulie. Coming the other way from Toronto were Matt Stajan, Jamal Mayers, and Ian White.
The defenceman went on to play seven seasons with the Maple Leafs and was captain for his last six. In those seven seasons, he played 423 games and scored 196 points. However, he was not the same player he was in Calgary. On the Flames, Phaneuf was a force on the back end. In his rookie season, he scored 20 goals and finished eighth in Norris Trophy votes. The Alberta native never finished with less than 47 points in every full season he played in Calgary. In the 2007-08 season, he was a Norris finalist, losing the award to the legendary Nicklas Lidstrom, who was 37 years old at the time.
There was a lot of media attention surrounding Dion Phaneuf. The fans in Toronto didn’t have a great relationship with the captain because he wasn’t near the same player he was in Calgary. On top of all this, this era of the Toronto Maple Leafs wasn’t a very good one. Phaneuf only saw the playoffs once during his stint with Toronto. That was when they were eliminated by the Boston Bruins in seven games to the famous 4-1 blown lead where they ended up losing in overtime. Later on, he was traded to the Ottawa Senators and finally, retired as a Los Angeles King.
N0. 4 – John Tavares (2019-present)
John Tavares is one of the biggest free-agent signings in Leafs history. After playing for the New York Islanders for nine years, and captaining them for five, Tavares became a free agent. Despite leaving money on the table with other teams, including the San Jose Sharks, ‘Johnny Toronto’ came home. He made it clear that it was his dream to play for the Maple Leafs and wasn’t going to let that opportunity pass. He signed a a seven-year deal worth $77M The decision to sign with Toronto didn’t sit well with Islanders fans, as he was a key piece to their team and was their first overall pick in 2009.
Thus far, Tavares has had a solid tenure for the Maple Leafs. His best season was his very first one in Toronto, he scored 47 goals and 88 points. However, given the current contract he possesses, it takes a lot to impress the fans. Regardless of the player, there will always be some sort of attention around as long as you play for the Maple Leafs. Nonetheless, Tavares handles the spotlight with professionalism like no other. His ability to stay calm in front of the press is one of the big reasons he is a leader and captain of this team.
Over the years, the Leafs captain has had multiple memorable moments in the Blue and White uniform. There are two that many Leafs fans will remember for a long time. One amazing moment for Toronto and Leafs Nation was when Tavares scored the series-clinching goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2023. This was the first time that the Maple Leafs advanced to the second round of the playoffs since 2004. Another defining moment for Tavares was when he scored his 1,000th point against the Islanders. It was a feel-good moment for himself and his teammates as he dealt with a lot of abuse from Islanders fans when he parted ways with them.
Despite rumours of the Leafs changing their captaincy, Tavares has led Toronto to some great moments.
No. 3 – Wendel Clark (1991-1994)
It was a real toss-up for the next-best captain of the Maple Leafs. Even though it could’ve been decided either way, Leafs legend Wendel Clark ranks in the third position.
Clark is someone who you would love to go to war with because, in his heyday, he did it all. In the 15 seasons he’s played in his career, his home was Toronto for 13 of them. He was a decent scorer, with over 500 points in under 800 games. However, he was known for punishing opponents and sticking up for teammates. According to Hockey Fights, Clark finished his career with 126 fights. In addition to that, he had a total of 30 hits in the 1986-87 regular season. That means Clark was dropping the mitts every 2.6 games. The tough-guy status doesn’t end there. He has a total of 1,690 penalty minutes in his career, that’s equivalent to over 24 hours in the penalty box. There’s no question that ‘Captain Crunch’ has what it takes to lead his men into a battle.
The Maple Leafs were so close to reaching the Stanley Cup final in 1993 under the leadership of Clark. They advanced to the Western Conference finals and faced off with Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings. They were ultimately defeated in seven games, but it was Game Six that provided some controversy. Off the follow-through of a Gretzky shot, his stick catches Doug Gilmour in the chin and draws blood. Under the 1993 NHL rules, ’99’ was supposed to receive a five-minute major.
Nonetheless, that was the last Maple Leafs team to ever reach a conference finals and Clark can say he was the captain of that team.
No. 2 – Doug Gilmour (1994-1997)
The reason that Doug Gilmour is put ahead of Wendel Clark, comes down to how successful of a career Gilmour had. To this day, ‘Dougie’ is arguably the best player in franchise history. In seven seasons and 392 games as a Maple Leaf, he scored 452 points. Not to mention he’s ranked 21st on the all-time leaders with 1,414 points in 1,474 career games. Among all these milestones, he has many more individual accomplishments. In that famous 1993 season for Toronto, he set the franchise points record with 127 that year. In that season he was also awarded the Frank J. Selke Trophy and finished second to Sergei Fedorov for Hart Trophy votes. A year later, he scored 111 points, third best in franchise history. In fact, Gilmour accounts for two of the six 100-point seasons set by a Maple Leaf.
It’s needless to say the Hall of Famer left it all on the ice for the Maple Leafs. He was a dominant player who led by example with his exceptional skill. His play even inspired others, current Leafs star, Mitch Marner makes it clear that he idolized Gilmour growing up and he tries to replicate his game. Gilmour even offered his retired ’93 jersey number to Marner. Despite being retired for decades, the former Leafs captain still showed signs of leadership.
No. 1 – Mats Sundin (1997-2008)
Ranked in at number one, is Mats Sundin. The longest-tenured captain on this list and the second longest in franchise history at 10 seasons. In addition to that, he is the first captain in Leafs history to not be Canadian. Every other captain up to this point has been Canadian, that could change if Auston Matthews ever gets the ‘C’.
Sundin was beloved by Leafs Nation as he played nearly 1,000 games for the Buds. Like Gilmour, Sundin has had an impressive career. With the Maple Leafs, the Swede, never reached 100 points or had a standout year that earned him NHL awards. However, the Hall of Famer was extremely consistent in Toronto as he averaged just over a point per game. Even in his final season with Toronto, as a 36-year-0ld he scored 78 points in 74 games. The former Leafs captain also led them to a first-series victory over the Ottawa Senators in 2004. It was a long time before they accomplished that again.
In that final season with the Maple Leafs (2007-08), he was awarded the Mark Messier Leadership Award, which is given to the player who exhibits the best leadership. Debating the best captains seems like a subjective topic, but winning an award like that almost makes it a fact.
Main Photo Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
