Captain Darryl Sittler

 Captain Definition: "Captain is the only player designated by the team to speak with game officials regarding rule interpretations".

That may be the rulebook definition of NHL team captain, but, as fans, we may have a more personal description and "a guy who best represents our team and our city". We all have our favourite captain, past or present.

After he retired from the game, I asked Hab superstar, Guy Lafleur, why he was never the captain of the team. He said, "I didn't want the pressure that comes with that job, especially in a hockey crazy city like Montreal."

The Toronto Maple Leafs' first captain was "Hap" Day in 1927, and the team's most recent appointee is Auston Matthews.

In Leafs' history, we've had some outstanding choices as well as some embarrassments. No need to use this space to dwell on the poor choices when I can acknowledge one of the game's finest ambassadors and a team captain beyond compare, Darryl Sittler

Sittler became the team's 11th captain, following 

David Keon and before Rick Vaive.

It's not necessary here to discuss his point totals to highlight the quality of his game. That was acknowledged when he was selected to the list of the NHL's Top 100 Players -- behind Mike Bossy and ahead of Joe Sakic. In his career, he scored more than a point a game for 1096 games, and that gave him entry to the Hockey Hall of Fame as an honoured member in 1989.

He was an outstanding player whose playmaking creativity got fans out of their seats. He didn't chase the puck -- it seemed to follow him -- he was worth the price of admission. To further acknowledge his value, a bronze statue of him was created and is on display at Legends Row.

And, on a very special night in February 1976, he did something nobody else had done ... he scored 10 points in a game -- 6 goals and 4 assists on Bruin goalie, Dave Reece.

!0 Point Night Reunion
"Tiger" Williams * "Red" Kelly * Dave Reece* Darryl * Jim Gregory

You may find the attachment below interesting. 

It led me to think about Sittler. Not the 10-point night Sittler, but the Team Leader Sittler and the reason why he would and should be considered the best Maple Leaf captain of all time.

In addition to his outstanding on-ice career, he found time to volunteer, raising money and awareness for Canada's 30,000 Special Olympics athletes and helping with the Colon Cancer Canada charity. He was very involved, so much so that the Governor General selected him to receive the Sovereign Medal for Volunteers.

5 Decades of Leaf Captains
Darryl * "Teeder" Kennedy * David Keon

The Captains posed and signed 50 copies of this portrait
for the benefit of Special Olympics Canada
The average selling price at the charity auction was $500.
Their kindness resulted in a $25,000 donation.

Although he was born in St. Jacob's, Ontario, he's always been thought of as just one of us. His never-say-no and devotion to helping others have brought immeasurable goodwill to the Maple Leaf Hockey Club as well as the City of Toronto.

And, during his Leaf captaincy, he created a slow-pitch baseball team. The ProStars weekly toured Ontario towns in the off-season. Sittler's idea raised thousands of dollars for each town's charities. I was the team's official photographer, so I had an up-close view of how a first-class leader operates, and for him, it was never about self-promotion. 

FUN FACT: Following his Leaf career, he played on another NHL team, alongside Brad Park and Dave "Tiger" Williams. Can you name the team?

I've always wanted my Leaf captain to be a team-first guy who plays every game at a high level with a little "sandpaper". He should be able to put the team on his back when extra effort is required and earn the respect of teammates for the manner in which he represents them to management, fans and the hockey media. 

Past captains, "Teeder" Kennedy, Wendel Clark and Doug Gilmour deserve honourable mention for their captaincies and the pride with which they wore the blue and white. But, in my opinion, #27 stands alone. This second youngest captain in Leaf history (Kennedy was the youngest) from a small Ontario town brought honour to the franchise, his mates, our city and himself. 

Did your mother throw your baseball collector cards away? We all know that may have been a huge mistake. Some sports collectibles have become very valuable.

To see what I mean, click on the link below to see what the Darryl Sittler 10-point night jersey sold for yesterday at an online auction.

https://bid.greyflannelauctions.com/bids/bidplace?itemid=56180