The Toronto Maple Leafs announced that Auston Matthews would be the new team captain and replace John Tavares, similar to what the San Jose Sharks have done twice in the past.
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Although the Maple Leafs aren’t “stripping” Tavares of the C, this has sparked a conversation about why the switch is happening. The Leafs have made it past the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs once since Matthews entered the league in 2016.
Not sure Tavares was stripped, sounds like he was consulted and stepped aside. I can think of at least one precedent: After Edmonton lost to the NYI in the 1983 SCF, captain Lee Fogolin decided it was time to pass the torch to Wayne Gretzky. Edmonton won the Cup the next year. https://t.co/xS9XMnitIh
Gord Miller (@GMillerTSN) August 12, 2024
The Sharks have replaced the team captain twice. In 2009, San Jose announced that Rob Blake would be the captain instead of Patrick Marleau. Marleau had been the team captain since 2003. It was a bit of a shock move, considering Blake had not been with the franchise before that season.
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Once Blake left the Sharks, San Jose named Joe Thronton captain. He would remain in that role until 2014. Sharks fans remember the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs as one of the worst performances in history. The Sharks were up 3-0 in their first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings.
Not only did the Kings become the fourth team to win a series down 3-0, but they went on to defeat the New York Rangers to win the Stanley Cup.
Related: Sharks Fans Experiencing Deja Vu Watching Panthers Blow 3-0 Series Lead To Oilers
The Sharks stripped Thornton of the ‘C’ and played the 14-15 season without a captain. Thornton, Marleau, Joe Pavelski, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic were the four alternates.
The Sharks would miss the postseason for the first time in ten seasons. While San Jose hasn’t played in the playoffs in the last five, the Sharks were considered Stanley Cup contenders at the time.
For the 2015-16 season, the Sharks named Joe Pavelski the ninth captain in franchise history.
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The move to make Pavelski captain seemingly worked. The San Jose Sharks would make their first and only appearance in the Stanley Cup Final.
Pavelski remained captain until his departure in 2019 when San Jose named current captain Logan Couture the 10th ‘C’ in team history.
With Auston Matthews being the next captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, will they have a better playoff result like the Sharks in 2016, or could they miss the postseason altogether like the Sharks of 2015?
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