The Toronto Maple Leafs Have a Captain on Every Line
By Jeff Borsuk
Joe Thornton
Over the offseason, Dubas signed a hockey legend to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He recruited the long-time NHL captain, Joe Thornton. Jumbo was handed the captaincy of the Boston Bruins prior to the 2002-03 season. That reign lasted until 2006 when he was traded to the San Jose Sharks for three players.
Thornton’s next opportunity to wear a ‘C’ in the NHL came in 2009 as the captain of the Western Conference All-Star Team. Then, ahead of the 2010-11 season, he became the captain of a second team, the San Jose Sharks. Thornton was trusted with the leadership position for the Sharks until it was stripped away by his head coach, Todd McLellan, in August of 2014.
Jason Spezza
There were very high expectations of Jason Spezza when he became the second overall selection (Ilya Kovalchuk went first-overall to the Atlanta Thrashers) of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He did not disappoint. Spezza has had an incredible career, which all started with the team that plucked him out of that draft, the Ottawa Senators.
When Daniel Alfredsson left the Senators to join the Detroit Red Wings via free agency, Spezza was chosen as the perfect choice to replace him as team captain. On Sep. 14, 2013, the Sens made it official and named Spezza the eighth captain in franchise history. At the end of that season, it was revealed that he had requested a trade out of Ottawa. That offseason, Spezza got his wish and was shipped to the Dallas Stars. Jamie Benn was the captain in Dallas throughout Spezza’s time there.