Being a leader on the Toronto Maple Leafs comes with a lot of pressure — just ask Dion Phaneuf. It takes immense skill but also an unparalleled work ethic, respect for the game and an ability to take a serious amount of heat from fans, media and, in Darryl Sittler’s day, the ’70s and ’80s, even management.

“It’s nice when you’re surrounded with other players with strong leadership qualities like I had with Lanny McDonald and Tiger [Williams] and others. A good support group, to me, is what a captain needs,” says Sittler, whose new memoir, Captain, was released Oct. 25.

“The circumstances in Toronto were a high-profile owner, Harold [Ballard], who liked to stir the pot and get his name in the papers. That was just a layer of unnecessary stuff I had to deal with.”

Sittler is impressed by the current crop of young players, the veteran coach and the management, who all seem to be rowing in the same direction, so the need to fill the captain’s role on the team is not quite as glaring as it could be.

“It’s important, but I think they can get by without it. It has to be the right guy,” he says. “They have three or four assistant captains that will keep it together for sure.”

At the young age of 25, Sittler himself inherited wearing the C on his uniform from the great Dave Keon after he jumped ship for the fledgling World Hockey Association. The players easily rank as two of the top Maple Leafs captains of all time. Others of note include George Armstrong, who captained the Buds for 12 seasons and guided the team to their last Stanley Cup back in the mid-20th century.

Doug Gilmour was only captain for three seasons, he quickly cemented his status as legend and embodied many of the qualities Leafs fans have come to expect from a captain: a rare combination of grit, work ethic and skill. Others of note include Mats Sundin, Syl Apps and seven-time Stanley Cup champion Hap Day.

Needless to say, whoever assumes the role will have some serious history with which to deal. Go Leafs!