Toronto Maple Leafs: All I Want for Christmas Is a Real Captain

Saturday night's pregame ceremony honouring Wendel Clark seemed to put a bit of jump into the Leafs.

They certainly outplayed the Blackhawks through the first 20 minutes, but ultimately fell short again.

This certainly shouldn't come as a surprise. In fact, we've grown used to watching leads disintegrate into losses over the last few years. 

Like Toronto, the Blackhawks are a young, thrilling team—but they still have a few things we do not. Most notably, leadership.

In years before, we would turn to Mats. His leadership has been noticeably absent through the first 20 games this year. Though there have been gallant efforts on the Leafs' part, including comeback wins in Boston and against New York, Toronto still does not have a leader to assume responsibility and lead the Leafs to consistency.

With several alternate captains on the Leafs bench—Kaberle, Kubina, Antropov, Moore, and occcassionally others—it seems that the revolving door of replacement leaders has yet to be effective. This may simply be a gesture to Mats, displaying that he is recognized as the Captain, even if he's unsure of his future in the NHL.

However, I think it is time to appoint a new captain. Regardless of whether Mats returns or not, Toronto needs to move forward.

Forward from falling short. Forward from lacking performances. Forward into a day where they compete, lead by a captain, who epitomizes heart, grit, and work ethic.

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