Dear John,



Congratulations.



Becoming the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs was one of the most meaningful honours of my NHL career.



Being named captain of any NHL team is great. But there is something special about wearing the “C” in Toronto.



I still can remember the day Cliff Fletcher and Pat Burns called me into the office and told me that I was going to be the Leafs’ leader.



It was my responsibility to take on the role that guys like George Armstrong, Dave Keon and Darryl Sittler had carried before me.



It was a bittersweet honour, too. I was given the captaincy after my good friend Wendel Clark had been traded in the summer of 1994. Wendel was a first overall pick for the Leafs. He was the heart and soul of the team. He’d been there through good times and bad times. He laid his body on the line every game he played. We’d just lost a guy that I’d battled beside for two and a half years. He was...