SUDBURY -- Greater Sudbury is honouring George Armstrong, the former captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs who grew up in the Sudbury area.

Armstrong's death was announced Sunday. He was 90. Born in Bowland's Bay, Ont., to an Irish father and an Iroquois mother, Armstrong honed his hockey skills in Falconbridge near the Sudbury nickel mines where his father worked.

Armstrong played a record 1,187 games with 296 goals and 417 assists over 21 seasons for the Leafs, including 13 seasons as team captain. The right-winger added another 26 goals and 34 assists in 110 playoff games.

Known as the Chief, Armstrong was one of the first players of Indigenous descent to play professional hockey. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1975. Some 41 years later, Armstrong was voted No. 12 on the franchise's list of 100 greatest Maple Leafs in its centennial season.

"On behalf of city council and the residents of Greater Sudbury, I want to express our condolences to the family and friends of George Armstrong on his passing," Mayor Brian Bigger said in a statement.

"Hockey Hall of Famer, Stanley Cup champion, captain, coach, executive, and leader, are just some of the many ways to describe George's incredible hockey legacy and why the banner of the local legend is proudly on display in the Garson Arena."

Flags will fly at half-mast at Tom Davies Square, and a book of condolences will be available to the public "in the coming days," Bigger said.