To be entrusted with being captain of an NHL team is to be entrusted with a role that, at most, 30 other human beings have at the same time.
It carries with it unique responsibilities and expectations, in part born from the day-to-day needs of a hockey organization, and in part from the legacy of captains-past.
That immense history behind wearing a “C” isn’t lost on John Tavares, who was announced as the 25th captain all-time for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night during the team’s season opener.
“There’s a lot of history to it, that’s what makes the game of hockey really special, its ability to connect generation after generation,” Tavares said during an appearance on Prime Time Sports.
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The nature of a captain’s responsibilities have evolved, of course, as the game itself has — a change that Tavares readily acknowledges. But the purpose of the letter isn’t to re-write that history, rather, in his view, but to build on it.
“(The role of a captain is) To follow up on what a lot of great captains, leaders and players have done over a century now in really building a great tradition, a lot of success and a certain type of standard.”
Assuming those history-laden weights that come with being a captain is not new territory for Tavares. In 2013 he was introduced as the 14th captain in New York Islanders history, and remained in the role until his departure for the Maple Leafs in the 2018 off-season.
That experience, he believes, will be invaluable as he fills those captain shoes in a hockey market that amplifies all the good and all the bad that happens to its team.
“With the Islanders the circumstance was a little bit different there,” Tavares said. “I think what I learned from there was just really how important the people are around you — the leadership group you have around you — your teammates, coaching staff, management … you figure out you don’t have all the answers and you can’t bear all the burden to feel like you have everything on your shoulders.
“There’s an importance to how you handle yourself and how you do certain things and having a pulse of the group. But I always felt the captain was as good of a captain as he was because of the other leaders around him. I really learned to lean on a lot of people and I know that I’ve got a tremendous group here that will be very influential.”
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There’s a familiarity to that leadership mantra, one that borders on an echo in this city. After all, it was just last summer that the city of Toronto watched as Kawhi Leonard and his presentism, his advocacy for never getting too up or too down, his steadfastness in going out there and just enjoying it, helped guide the Toronto Raptors to their first-ever NBA Championship.
“It’s a long journey, it’s a long process, there’s a lot of ups and downs and challenges that you face. I think the most important thing is that we don’t take this opportunity for granted, and to really try to maximize this group and enjoy it,” Tavares said.
“It’s so much fun coming to the rink every day, going on the ice with this group and pushing each other to get better. So let’s maximize it and really enjoy what we have here.”
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