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Dion Phaneuf had just completed his first official act as captain of the Maple Leafs, reading from his own prepared text, when he walked off the stage and located Pat Park, the club's media-relations director.
"How was that?" Phaneuf asked, in need of an answer.
"Did I read it pretty good?"
Park assured him he had done just fine.
The newest captain of the Leafs, in his first moment wearing the C, needed to hear that.
Maybe the rest of us needed to hear it, also.
You see, this isn't one of those obvious progressions.
Phaneuf is not a born-to-be, that-guy-is-going-to-my-captain kind of player. He wasn't a captain in his four years with Red Deer of the Western League.
He wasn't a captain for Team Canada at the world juniors.
He couldn't have been captain in Calgary -- the Flames already had Jarome Iginla.
He was a captain once before.
He thinks it was in peewee, although he can't completely recall which team it was, what level it was.
But here, he was basically the only player Brian Burke and Ron Wilson considered for the captain's role.
They thought for a moment about Francois Beauchemin.
They considered Mike Komisarek, but his personality is more captain than the rest of his game happens to be.
But mostly, this was a slam dunk for Burke and Wilson:
They got their man.
Whether he is the right man will be answered over time.
Being captain isn't easy at any time and in Toronto it can be more than taxing.
It took time, a long time, for Mats Sundin, not a natural leader, to grow into the job.
Doug Gilmour played his best hockey in Toronto before he wore the C.
Wendel Clark, the record books show, was only captain for three seasons but he was on-ice leader for more than that: He didn't say much, didn't have much to say, but led when he was healthy enough to make an impact.
This is an imperfect choice for an imperfect team.
And clearly, this was Wilson's push. There is something of a built-in problem with that thinking.
How much longer is Wilson going to be coaching the Leafs? One season? Half a season if he starts like last year? Two more seasons?
"It has to be somebody you believe is going to be here for a long time," Wilson said.
He was talking about the captain, not his own situation.
But Burke has little patience for losing.
That much has been apparent in his methodology in attempting to rebuild a shattered club.
In time, he may have to say goodbye to his longtime friend as coach, and that leaves Phaneuf where?
Which wasn't exactly Topic 1 at Monday's grand announcement at the opulent newest arm of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd., the Real Sports Bar and Grill.
This was one of those larger than Leafs days, where the place seemed more impressive than the announcement.
When asked why the necessity in naming Phaneuf captain, after just 26 games with the team and on a club that finished 29th in the standings, Wilson was quite clear: "For two years I've been asked why we don't have a captain. And then when we name a captain, I should be waiting longer to name a captain?
"To be honest with you, we've identified the perfect guy to lead the Leafs on the ice."
And what Burke seems to like about Phaneuf is he brings some noise to the job.
"He barks at everybody," said Burke.
"He has barked at me a few times. I don't have too many players who have barked at me in my career. I like that.
"I think our room was way too quiet before.
"Our practices was like going to a church service before he got here. There was a whole practice, no one yelling at anyone, no one yelling for the puck.
"You wonder -- this is the most passive group I've ever seen. From where I sit in the press box, I can never hear our team on the ice -- yelling for the puck, yelling instructions.
"In Anaheim, I could hear that every minute. We have such a quiet group. The first day Dion got here, you saw a dramatic difference. I think it made a huge difference how we played and how we practiced."
Phaneuf will be a loud captain: Other than that, we just don't know.
STEVE.SIMMONS@SUNMEDIA.CA