Superstar centre will be the 26th captain in franchise history, taking over from John Tavares, and the first American.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are set to introduce Auston Matthews as their newest captain at a news conference this morning.
He’ll become just the 26th player to wear the letter C in the century-plus history of the once-storied franchise. He’ll be the first American to do so. After Mats Sundin, he’ll be just the second non-Canadian.
John Tavares, who had been captain since October 2019, supports the change even though he’s still with the team, according to TSN.
Matthews set the Leafs record for most goals in a season with 69 earlier this spring. But another season ended in heartbreak for Leafs fans as Toronto were eliminated by the Boston Bruins in the first round. It was the eighth straight year the Leafs made the post-season but only once has the team made it as far as the second round.
The news conference is set to take place at 11 a.m. at Real Sports Bar and Grill in downtown Toronto.
