The Experts Series is a multi-part project which delves into the mindset of athletes who've reached the pinnacle of their profession, offering insight on the philosophy and fundamentals that led to their most memorable moments.​

The Moment

On a November night in 2008, each Toronto Maple Leafs player took the ice with the same number on his back.

The team was set to play the Chicago Blackhawks in an Original Six matchup, but the game was secondary to the ceremony that preceded it, as Wendel Clark's No. 17 jersey was raised to the rafters of the Air Canada Centre.

At the midway point of the 1984-85 season, the Maple Leafs were 6-29-5. They'd finish the season having set new franchise marks for futility in wins (20), losses (52), and points (48).

Their reward: Wendel Clark, the No. 1 overall selection in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft.

The payoff was immediate, as Clark led all rookies with 34 goals en route to a second-place finish in voting for the Calder Trophy.

An instant crowd favorite at Maple Leaf Gardens, he was named team captain in 1991. By the 1992-93 season, the Leafs were setting franchise records in wins (44) and points (99). Their matchup against Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings in the Campbell Conference finals that year marked what may have been the highest point the franchise has reached since last winning the Stanley Cup in 1967.

To Clark, his success as captain had a lot to do with the players around him.

"When you have a great team around you, that definitely helps," Clark told theScore. "Being a captain, you still need other leaders with you to help, and come along. You need the team to do well, because if the team does well, then it looks like you're doing a better job. If the team doesn't do well, then sometimes you get more blame, because the team's not doing well. It all plays together as one, the whole team thing."

The Philosophy

Clark captained the Maple Leafs for three seasons from 1991-94. He knows as well as anyone what comes with wearing the "C" in Canada's biggest hockey market.

"As the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, you're front and center. You're the focal piece, being a Canadian city, which any Canadian captain would face," Clark said. "A lot of times, when a captain is taking heat in Toronto, a lot of times he's not taking it personally, even though it may come across as being personal. It's just something that's part of the situation that you're going through.

"The captain may cut up the whole team. If the team's doing poorly, you're hard on the whole team, but you're going to do it through your spokesperson, who is the captain. So you have to make sure as the captain you're not taking everything that comes through you - wearing the 'C' - personally. Because a lot of the negative stuff can be meant to be towards the team. The team's not doing well, but being that you're the face, it's easy to blame the one person."

Clark's best piece of advice for captains is to continue doing what earned them that designation in the first place.

"Everybody's got a different personality. Everybody's got a different way of handling themselves," Clark said. "My thing is, if the organization honored you by making you the captain - and that's how I felt, very honored - you had those qualities before you had the 'C' on your jersey.

"The big thing is you can't change who you are just because there's another letter on your jersey. You keep being yourself. You keep doing the things you've done that made them think you're acceptable to have that letter on your jersey. My big thing is: Don't change who you are."

Previous editions of The Experts Series

Mike Weir on putting under pressure
Mike Weir on winning on golf's biggest stage
Kelly Gruber on what it takes to hit for the cycle
Tyler Bozak on the art of the faceoff

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

CALGARY, Alberta - Connor McDavid came through with another big night and the Edmonton Oilers got another big win.

McDavid had a goal and two assists for his second straight three-point game to lead the Oilers to a 5-3 win over the Calgary Flames on Friday night.

''We will be talking about him all year and for many years to come,'' Edmonton coach Todd McLellan said of his 19-year-old captain. ''You can have a game plan but he has all the skills and tools, a tool box that is second to none.''

Leon Draisaitl had two goals and Jordan Eberle and Mark Letestu also scored to help the Oilers complete a sweep of the teams' season-opening home-and-home series. Cam Talbot finished with 32 saves.

McDavid showcased his speed in the first period by getting behind the Flames' defenders for a breakaway and beating goalie Brian Elliott with a lightning-quick shot.

''He's deadly off the rush,'' Flames defenseman Mark Giordano said. ''Again tonight, he capitalizes on his chances. He got a few breakaways. Power play, he made some nice plays. That's another big night for him.''

McDavid helped set up Eberle's tying goal in the second period and Draisaitl's go-ahead score early in the third.

On Draisaitl's tiebreaking power-play goal, McDavid patiently hung onto the puck in the high slot and started a tic-tac-toe sequence with a quick pass down low to Milan Lucic, who zipped the puck across the crease to Draisaitl for a tap-in.

''I don't really know what to say. He's just phenomenal. He's just that good,'' Draisaitl said. ''He just makes something happen every single shift out of nothing where you think there's nothing going on and he just creates absolute top, Grade-A chances. He's very special.''

Sean Monahan and Michael Frolik scored for the Flames, who fell to 0-5-1 in their last six home openers. Elliott stopped 24 shots.

Calgary coach Glen Gulutzan said his team needs to tighten up defensively.

''We're not giving up a ton of chances, we're just giving up real high quality chances and there's a big difference,'' said the first-year coach, who took over in the offseason after Bob Hartley was fired.

About five minutes later, Dennis Wideman's turnover led to a short-handed breakaway for Letestu, who beat Elliott to make it 4-2.

Jokipakka scored into top corner off a feed from Kris Versteeg to get Calgary back within one with 7:44 to go. However, the Flames couldn't complete the comeback as Draisaitl added an empty-netter with 1:20 left.

Elliott, who has given up 10 goals on 55 shots through two games, said he wasn't sure how many odd-man rushes he faced throughout the game.

''There were a lot,'' he said. ''I don't know if there was a count going, but we can't give those up. We have to keep the play in front of us a little bit, especially against a team where we know they're jumping at any opportunity.''

Trailing 2-1 after a first period where they were outshot 24-12, Edmonton tied it 5:25 on the man advantage when Eberle knocked in a loose puck.

Calgary got on the scoreboard 1:22 in with Monahan putting in a second rebound after Deryk Engelland hit a goal post and Johnny Gaudreau was stopped.

McDavid tied it on his second breakaway of the period when he tore away from Mark Giordano and zipped a shot over Elliott's shoulder at 7:45.

Frolik restored the lead with about 8 1/2 minutes left in the first when his shot from the sideboards slipped past Talbot, who didn't appear to see it.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It didn't take long for Nashville Predators fans to catch a promising glimpse of their prized offseason acquisition.

P.K. Subban wasted no time making himself at home during the season opener, rifling a slapshot past Corey Crawford for the Predators' first goal of the year.

The 27-year-old blue-liner had a strong impact in the 3-2 win Friday night, which he believes is a positive step in moving beyond the storylines that engulfed his summer.

"I just look forward to being able to put all the crap that's happening in the media, off the ice, around us just away because we've got a good group of guys," Subban said postgame, according to Adam Vignan of The Tennessean. "I think if we're focused and the focus is on our team and not just on crap off the ice, I think we're going to have a lot of success. That's part of what I said in my speech after the game. Let's just focus on playing hockey and keep moving forward."

Nashville has aspirations of a deep playoff run this season with Subban in the fold, and the team's off to a good start.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Chicago Blackhawks forward Ryan Hartman will "miss some time" with a lower-body injury, according to coach Joel Quenneville.

Hartman was in the lineup Friday versus the Nashville Predators but did not return after the first period. Early on, he drew an assist on Marcus Kruger's goal to open the scoring.

Hartman, 22, is expected to miss "more than a couple of games," according to Quenneville.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Jonathan Toews, aka "Captain Serious," had enough Friday night, as the Chicago Blackhawks captain threw down with Nashville Predators agitator James Neal.

The two exchanged some solid blows before being broken up by officials.

The tilt marked just the sixth fight of Toews' career. He made his NHL debut in 2007.

Earlier in the night, Nashville's new addition, P.K. Subban, scored his first goal in Predators colors.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Calgary Flames must be dying to play someone, anyone, other than Connor McDavid.

After torching his provincial rival for three points in the season opener on Wednesday, the Edmonton Oilers captain picked up right where he left off, converting on yet another breakaway.

Speed kills.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

After walking the red carpet in style, P.K. Subban did much of the same in his first period as a Nashville Predator.

Subban earned his first goal in his new home Friday, blasting a patented slapshot through a crowd and past Chicago Blackhawks netminder Corey Crawford.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

After walking the red carpet in style, P.K. Subban did much of the same in his first period as a Nashville Predator.

Subban earned his first goal in his new home Friday, blasting a patented slapshot through a crowd and past Chicago Blackhawks netminder Corey Crawford.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Columbus Blue Jackets will be without defenseman Ryan Murray when the team faces the San Jose Sharks on Saturday, Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch reports.

Murray, 23, is sidelined after blocking a shot in the Blue Jackets' season opener Thursday against the Boston Bruins.

Blue-liner Dalton Prout will draw into the lineup in place of Murray.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.