Letter swap distracts from numbers

Team that has only proven itself as a bankable playoff loser is getting pricier — that's a problem

- DAVE FESCHUK

Some might point out that hallowed C might as well stand for capitalism, forever a Toronto superpower, Dave Feschuk writes.

It is hockey’s sacred letter. And no other North American sport devotes as much attention and ceremony to handing out what amounts to a symbol.

The C now stitched on Auston Matthews’ chest stands for captain, sure. Given his long-established status as the Maple Leafs’ best player and driving force — and given the many testaments to Matthews’ character delivered at Wednesday’s handing over of the letter by its former possessor, John Tavares — in many ways it’s an honour long overdue.

“It’s not something he has worked on. It’s something he was born with,” Brendan Shanahan, the Leafs president, said this week. “People want to follow him and are drawn to him.”

That Matthews is a freakishly talented goal scorer has long been established; that he’s a natural-born leader less of a given. But a franchise can hope.