Maple Leafs legend George Armstrong dies at 90

Former Toronto Maple Leafs captain George Armstrong died at 90 years old, the team announced Sunday.

Armstrong, who played all 21 of his NHL seasons with the Maple Leafs, was the team's captain for 12 years and led the club to four Stanley Cups, including the team's most recent championship in 1967.

"George is part of the very fabric of the Toronto Maple Leaf organization and will be deeply missed," said team president Brendan Shanahan. "A proud yet humble man, he loved being a Maple Leaf but never sought the spotlight even though no player played more games for Toronto or captained the team longer.

"Always one to celebrate his teammates rather than himself, George couldn't even bring himself to deliver his speech the day he was immortalized on Legends Row."

Armstrong is one of 14 Maple Leafs players to have a bronze life-sized statue outside of Scotiabank Arena, known as Legends Row. The organization retired his No. 10, and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1975.

The Skead, Ontario, native ranks first in franchise history with 1,188 games played and fifth in points with 713. Armstrong was one of the first players of Indigenous descent to play professional hockey.

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