Phaneuf Named 18th Captain in Leafs History
At an afternoon press conference at Real Sports Bar & Grill, the Toronto Maple Leafs made official the worst kept secret in the NHL by naming Dion Phaneuf the 18th captain in the club’s long and storied history (22nd if you count the St.Pats and the Arenas).
The Maple Leafs also unveiled the team’s new jersey design. The new jerseys return the horizontal white stripes to the bottom of the sweater, in homage to past tradition. For more on the new designs, please see Alec’s earlier post regarding the jerseys.
See the full list of TML captains after the jump.
Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke, on the decision to give the captaincy to Phaneuf:
“Today is a very important day for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs have had many great players fulfill this role in the long history of the franchise, and we wouldn’t be taking this direction if we didn’t think it was absolutely the right step. We liked the impact Dion made with players, coaches and fans alike since his arrival and we consider him a building block toward future team success.â€
Phaneuf joins a list of several of the most honored players in Toronto Maple Leafs, each sharing the distinction of wearing the “C” for one of the sport’s most-hallowed teams.
- Bert Corbeau, 1927
- Hap Day, 1927–37
- Charlie Conacher, 1937–38
- Red Horner, 1938–40
- Syl Apps, 1940–43, also 1945-48
- Bob Davidson, 1943–45
- Ted Kennedy, 1948–55, also 1957
- Sid Smith, 1955–56
- Jimmy Thomson, 1956–57
- George Armstrong, 1957–69
- Dave Keon, 1969–75
- Darryl Sittler, 1975–79, also 1980-82
- Rick Vaive, 1982–86
- Rob Ramage, 1989–91
- Wendel Clark, 1991–94
- Doug Gilmour, 1994–97
- Mats Sundin, 1997–2008
- Dion Phaneuf, 2010– present
** No captain in the years spanning 1979-1980, 1986-1989, and 2008-2010.
