Toronto Maple Leafs John Tavares Not the Only Player to Relinquish Captaincy

The Toronto Maple Leafs held a press conference on Wednesday, August 14th, 2024, introducing Auston Matthews as the 26th Captain in team history. Former captain John Tavares decided to relinquish the captaincy after meeting with Leafs general manager Brad Treliving shortly after the Leafs first-round playoff exit.

The Toronto Maple Leafs GM said he spent his first season watching the team closely and observed how the players gravitated towards Matthews. Once the Leafs were eliminated from the playoffs, Treliving met with Tavares and they began discussing the relinquishing of the captaincy to Matthews. Treliving says that Tavares was on board with the idea right from the start.

Tavares is entering the final year of his contract, but even if he re-signs, he must have known that this day was coming. Although relinquishing the captaincy couldn't have been easy, Tavares appears to be handling the whole situation quite well. During Wednesday's press conference, the Leafs, in front of former captains Wendel Clark and Doug Gilmour, thanked Tavares for everything he has done for the Leafs during his time as captain.

Current teammates Morgan Rielly and Mitch Marner joined Clark, Gilmour, new head coach Craig Berube, Treliving, team president Brendan Shanahan, as well as MLSE brass members Larry Tanenbaum and Keith Pelley take part in the passing of the torch. Both of Tavares' sons were also in attendance wearing Matthews jerseys with the captain's C on them. A gesture that Matthews was really touched by. So now, a new era begins in Leafs Nation with Matthews leading the Leafs.

Tavares Joins List of Captains Who Have Relinquished Their Captaincy

Sometimes a captain is asked to relinquish their captaincy for many different reasons. The captain could be on an expiring contract (like Tavares), or the team acquires a player better suited for the roll of captain. Sometimes a coach or GM just thinks a change is needed. Here is a list of players who at one point in their career (sometimes twice) had to relinquish their captaincy.

Dave Taylor

Los Angeles Kings forward Dave Taylor had his captaincy reassigned after the 1988-89 season. The Captaincy was given to Wayne Gretzky at the start of the 1989-90 season.
(All stats and information from hockey-reference.com and wikipedia.com)

Ron Francis

Hartford Whalers captain Ron Francis relinquished his captaincy during the 1990-91 season. He was succeeded by Randy Ladouceur. Francis ended up being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991, and won two Stanley Cups with them.

Joe Sakic

While with the Quebec Nordiques, Joe Sakic relinquished his captaincy to Mike Hough prior to the 1991-92 season. However during that season he was considered a co-captain. He regained his captaincy in 1992.

Shayne Corson

Shayne Corson has relinquished his captaincy twice. The first time it happened, he was the captain of the Edmonton Oilers. He relinquished his captaincy of the Oilers after the 1994-95 season, and it was given to Kelly Buchberger. Then, after one season as captain of the St. Louis Blues, Corson relinquished his Blues captaincy to Wayne Gretzky after the 1995-96 season.

Brett Hull

After the 1994-95 season, St. Louis Blues captain Brett Hull unwillingly relinquished his captaincy to Shayne Corson after being the Blues captain for three seasons.

Trevor Linden

Trevor Linden relinquished his captaincy of the Vancouver Canucks in 1997 after seven seasons as team captain. He was succeeded by Mark Messier to start the 1997-98 season.

Alexei Yashin

Alexei Yashin relinquished his captaincy of the Ottawa Senators after serving as captain for one season (1998-99). He was succeeded by Daniel Alfredsson before the 1999-2000 season. Alfredsson remained as captain for 13 seasons.

Eric Lindros

During the 1999-2000 season, Philadelphia Flyers captain Eric Lindros was forced to relinquish the captaincy to Eric Desjardins after five seasons as captain. Lindros joined the New York Rangers in 2001.

Vincent Lecavalier

Vincent Lecavalier relinquished his captaincy with the Tampa Bay Lightning to Dave Andreychuk after the 2000-01 season. He would regain the captaincy of the Lightning in 2008 and hold on to it until 2013.

Adam Oates

Adam Oates relinquished his captaincy of the Washington Capitals during the 2001-02 season before getting traded to the Boston Bruins. He was succeeded by co-captains Steve Konowalchuk and Brendan Witt.

Mike Mondano

Mike Modano relinquished his captaincy of the Dallas Stars after the 2005-06 season. He served as the Stars captain for three seasons before relinquishing the honor to Brenden Morrow. Modano remained with the Stars until 2010.

Patrik Elias

Patrik Elias relinquished his captaincy of the New Jersey Devils after the 2006-07 season. He was succeeded by Jamie Langenbrunner in the 2007-08 season. Elias remained with the Devils until the 2015-16 season.

Patrick Marleau

After four seasons as captain of the San Jose Sharks, Patrick Marleau relinquished his captaincy to defenceman Rob Blake after the 2008-09 season. Marleau remained with the Sharks until the end of the 2016-17 season.

Roberto Luongo

Roberto Luongo served as captain of the Vancouver Canucks for two seasons, but relinquished the captaincy after the 2009-10 season. He was succeeded by Henrik Sedin.

Joe Thornton

Joe Thornton relinquished his captaincy of the San Jose Sharks after serving as their captain for four seasons. His captaincy was relinquished after the 2013-14 season and he was succeeded by Joe Pavelski in 2015-16. San Jose had no captain during the 2014-15 season.

Dustin Brown

After eight seasons as the captain of the Los Angeles Kings, Dustin Brown relinquished his captaincy after the 2015-16 season. He was succeeded by Anze Kopitar in 2016-17. Brown remained with the Kings until 2022.

Jack Eichel

Jack Eichel served as the Buffalo Sabres captain for three seasons, but relinquished his captaincy after the 2020-21 season. He was succeeded by Kyle Okposo in 2022-23.

Blake Wheeler

After six seasons as captain of the Winnipeg Jets, Blake Wheeler relinquished his captaincy after the 2021-22 season. He was succeeded by Adam Lowry in 2023-24. Wheeler remained with the Jets during the 2022-23 season (no team captain) until signing with the New York Rangers in 2023-24.