Maple Leafs captain John Tavares receives the honour of a lifetime

After missing the 2nd round for the 5th time in his 6 years as a Maple Leaf, Tavares was thrilled to be invited by Team Canada to take part in the IIHF World Championship tournament.

Tavares has won on the world stage before, taking home gold with Team Canada at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, 2014 Olympics, 2008 World Juniors and 2009 World Juniors, but he has never won World Championship gold.

Not only was Tavares invited to participate in the tournament for a change to add some international hardware to his trophy case, but he also had the incredible honour of being named captain of Team Canada on Saturday.

In addition to naming Tavares as captain of the team, Hockey Canada also identified Andrew Mangiapane, Colton Parayko and Damon Severson as alternates.

Say what you will about Tavares' performance for the Maple Leafs this season, but he's still a world-class talent, and a tremendous add for Team Canada and increases their odds of winning gold.