Oakville’s Tavares passes on Maple Leafs captaincy to Matthews

John Tavares “cherished” being captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, but the Oakville native felt it was the right time to pass on the honour to teammate and young star Austin Matthews.

On Wednesday, the Oakville native along with general manager Brad Treliving and Maple Leafs president and alternate governor Brendan Shanahan announced Matthews as the 26 captain in Leafs history.

Matthews becomes the first U.S. born player to sport the ‘C’ in franchise history, replacing Tavares who was named captain in his second year with club in 2019.

“I’ve cherished every second of it,” said Tavares, who is entering the final year of a seven-year contract he signed on July 1 of 2018. “I have never taken it for granted and I’ve given the captaincy everything I’ve had every single day. It has meant the world to my family and I.

“Over the last few months, through deep discussions and thoughts with Brad, Brendan and myself, we’ve come to the decision that now is the time to pass on the captaincy to Austin.”

Tavares said his decision to originally come to Toronto after spending the first nine years of his NHL career with the New York Islanders was about the opportunity to win.

He saw a strong, young developing core and believed he could play a “significant role” in helping the Leafs compete for a Stanley Cup.

Tavares says his decision to relinquish the captaincy has nothing to do with him taking a step back, but believing Matthews is ready to take the leadership reigns.

“My feelings and belief in that haven’t changed, but I do recognize the development of our young core and where they are today, specifically Austin,” he said. “This decision is not about whether I succeeded or failed, whether I’m capable or that my time has passed. I feel stronger than ever in my ability to compete, play at a high level, and make significant contributions to my leadership.

“This decision is in recognition of the maturation of a person who has shown a skill set that is special, unique, and who has a relentless drive to win. In that, I believe Austin an become more and that he is ready for the honour and responsibility.”

Toronto’s No. 1 pick overall in the 2016 NHL Draft, Matthews has won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the NHL’s leading goal scorer three times (2020-21, 2021-22, 2023-24).

He is the first U.S. born player to score 60 goals, doing it in 2021-22 when he was named the winner of the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player and the Ted Lindsay Award given to the most outstanding player as voted by members of the NHL Players’ Association.

“I got the chills, honestly,” said 26-year-old Matthews. “I’m so honored 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 do that.

“To have the support from Johnny, my teammates, our staff, ownership, my family, it just means the world to me. I look forward to continuing our journey to obviously get to the top of the mountain and win the Stanley Cup and bring it back to Toronto.”

Tavares believes passing the captaincy will allow Matthews to fully embrace his own leadership qualities and have an even bigger impact on the team.

“I’ll be able to continue to lead the way I do and give Austin my full support,” said Tavares.

“I want to thank everyone who has been part of my captaincy and Leafs nation for the trust and belief in me in my time as captain,” he continued. “I cannot wait to get started until next month and continue our work toward bringing the Stanley Cup back to Toronto.

“I’m truly honoured to be here to announce and passing the ‘C’ to the 26 captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Austin Matthews.”