Auston Matthews was named the 26th captain in Maple Leafs franchise history on Wednesday, but there was one detail about the event that truly warmed his heart more than anything else.
When TSN’s Darren Dreger casually dropped the news on Monday evening that Matthews would be handed the captaincy in Toronto by John Tavares on Wednesday, it brought forth some excitement for the season that maybe hadn’t been there for most of the summer.
Matthews has received not only Tavares’ full support for the change, but his belief that Matthews is truly ready to be an NHL captain. Tavares came in when Matthews was still very young and has seen the tremendous growth over the years first-hand. Matthews has also experienced watching his captain enter a new stage in his life as well — parenthood.
One of the most special parts of Wednesday’s event was that Tavares’ kids were present, and they weren’t wearing their typical #91 jerseys for the event. They were wearing #34 jerseys with little C’s stitched on the chest.
Following the event, Matthews beamed with pride and appreciation when speaking with the media, making sure to mention how important it was for him to have that type of support from the Tavares clan. He was elated to see JT’s boys wearing his jersey.
Matthews now has a tremendous responsibility on his shoulders, wearing the C and ushering in a new era in Toronto — hopefully a very successful one — and you know what? It looks good on him.
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