TORONTO — The cumulative effect of a decade defined and embroiled in playoff failure, the hypersensitive nature of a massive fan base with institutional support built through a century-old groundswell and the current sports media climate often renders any major developments surrounding the Toronto Maple Leafs into a paranoia-fuelled Rorschach test. At the cavernous Real Sports, Auston Matthews was announced as the 26th captain in franchise history Wednesday morning and it was a celebration of his prodigious career to date, while reinforcing the familial bonds that the Core Four and management have forged in a pressure cooker.
Matthews has been the best player on the Maple Leafs since the first game of his career and it’s clear that his personal and professional maturation allowed him to naturally grow into this role. And it’s clear that the entire Maple Leafs organization is ready to push forward with their core. It was a light affair Wednesday with breakfast, refreshments, a DJ transitioning Whitney Houston remixes into Tyla bangers. Whether you view the captaincy transfer as a cosmetic change or a tangible development that will help a hypertalented, underperforming Maple Leafs get to the Cup, Wednesday’s event suggested a lighter, convivial aura from the previous iteration.
“I’ve got chills, honestly,” Matthews said glowingly on the podium. “I’m so honoured and humbled. Since being drafted here eight years ago, you realize how special it is to play for the City of Toronto. To wear the Maple Leaf on your chest every single night, it just means the world. To have support from Johnny (Tavares) my teammates, our staff, ownership, my family, it just means the world to me.”
And it truly was a family affair — not in the way your toxic boss will offer you a pizza party in lieu of a raise, but a true rally of support from his comrades. John Tavares spoke several times about Matthews’ evolution as a player and a person and his wife, Aryne, arrived with his sons, decked out in Matthews’ jerseys with the ‘C’ affixed.
“That was my one request today was to have a couple of jerseys for Auston to sign, add to their collection,” Tavares told reporters after the formal presentation ended. “It’s meant the world to me and my family and the way my boys have got to know Auston like the other guys on the team, it’s been amazing. Great to show my support and my family as well.”
Morgan Rielly and Mitch Marner sat next to each other, and Marner spoke at length with Matthews and Tavares’ parents. In a roped off area an hour prior to the formal presentation, former Maple Leafs captain and franchise icon Doug Gilmour chatted happily with Matthews’ parents, Brian and Ema. Craig Berube, Brendan Shanahan and MLSE CEO Keith Pelley all hugged Matthews and Tavares’ families before taking their designated seats. Marner, who has been subject to so much criticism — some of it warranted, a lot of it venturing into the cruel and unfair territory — demurred about his extension, quickly reiterated his desire to remain with the franchise and came out to support his brothers in a potentially defining moment for the franchise.
If this was a coordinated show of affection, rather than a confirmation of the bonds built through agony and consternation, it could’ve certainly fooled the scores of media members in attendance.
“It just means the world to me” pic.twitter.com/YbvtXV0zT2
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) August 14, 2024
Matthews is firmly entrenched as the face of the Maple Leafs and will play the next four years on a $13.25 million cap hit commensurate to his value as the best goal-scorer alive. He’s on pace to become the greatest player in franchise history and his calm, cool and collected demeanour bodes well for this current era, where post-game answers are often scrutinized with the focus usually reserved for presidential candidates. Matthews was rocking a custom suit and Nike’s and wore a Black pinstripe suit, some modernized drip if you will, a new spin on the role.
And he’s now the face of the city’s sporting culture too, as Toronto PWHL looks to build off an excellent first season which also culminated in playoff heartbreak — perhaps the city’s hockey teams are endemic to playoff failure, but that’s neither here nor there! The Raptors are in a rebuild, Toronto FC is fighting for a playoff spot, the Blue Jays are dead last in the American League East while the Argonauts may have been swallowed whole by the NFL’s cosmopolitan grip.
“I think that’s been the goal, to win here, for my teammates, for the city,” Matthews said. “Those are always things you keep in the back of your mind. But those are things that are in the future as well. I’ve loved every minute of being a Toronto Maple Leaf. It’s a tremendous honour. You take it one day at a time, but I hope that’s the case.”
This was promised as a summer of change and the Maple Leafs promptly brought in a new head coach in Berube, a new shutdown defender in Chris Tanev, a goaltender that has excelled in small samples to work with Joseph Woll in tandem as Stanley Cup champion Anthony Stolarz enters the fray and now, a new captain. Short of a seismic, franchise-altering trade, the Maple Leafs have made changes, while reiterating their desire to keep the Core Four intact. And in turn, the Core Four’s bonds on and off transcend the permutations of professional failure.
John Tavares officially hands off the captaincy to Auston Matthews. pic.twitter.com/P8VGLe9p64
— Arun Srinivasan (@Arunthings) August 14, 2024
There are factions of the fan base that won’t be satisfied until the team wins the Stanley Cup or makes a seismic trade, but Matthews becoming the captain appeared to be an inevitable development that finally came to fruition. And it’s a pleasant reminder that Matthews, alongside Marner and William Nylander are firmly entering their primes, that the window for Cup contention remains open, juxtaposed against the stark refrain that the team’s ‘young core’ are no longer young, they have to win now. Easton Cowan, Toronto’s top prospect, viewed Marner as a role model growing up and Matthews is no longer one of the NHL’s young bright talents, he’s the face of the league and has the commensurate responsibility attached to the role too.
Matthews will now shoulder further responsibility for the Maple Leafs’ ensuing playoff results but he’s aware of the territory he’s in. The entire organization has his back as Matthews not only is the team’s best player but the unquestioned face of the franchise and he’ll need all the support he can get as the Maple Leafs navigate through the vaunted Atlantic Division and the mountainous weight of glaringly bright expectations.
