Grading The Captains And Predicting The Future
by Cory Lavalette on Sep 18, 2008 10:38 PM EDT
18 comments
Philadelphia's Mike Richards and Tampa Bay's Vincent Lecavalier — two players who were pegged to be captains from the second they were drafted.
For Lecavalier, he was first named the Lightning's captain in 2000-01 and at the time became the youngest in NHL history (beating out Detroit's Steve Yzerman). But was stripped of his "C" prior to the next season by head coach John Tortorella. Richards was an alternate captain for Philadelphia last season, but has been groomed for the orange and black's captaincy from the moment he slid on the Flyers jersey.
This week, Richards made good on his potential, while Lecavalier returned to the role he once vacated. In light of all this, what better time to look at the league's captains — and do some grading — and also peek into the future and predict who is letter-worthy down the road. We'll start with 10 teams today — in alphabetical order — and wrap it up with two more installments in the coming days.
Anaheim — Chris Pronger
Say what you want about Pronger, but he's one of only four active players to have worn the "C" on two different teams. The others — Jason Smith, Michael Peca and Chris Chelios — are no longer captains in the league, but still considered solid leaders on their respective teams. Pronger captained St. Louis from 1997 to 2003 — all successful seasons, but no Stanley Cups — and won a Cup as an alternate with Anaheim in 2006-07, but his first seasons last year as the Ducks' captain ended with an early playoff exit. Pronger's a good leader who stands up for his teammates, but his frequent suspensions and reckless play keep him from being among the league's upper echelon. Grade: B+
The Future: If I had to guess, I would say current alternate captain Chris Kunitz is next line for the Ducks' captaincy. Emerging superstar Ryan Getzlaf is a good guess, as well.
Atlanta — vacant
With Bobby Holik's departure, the Thrashers could end up with their third different captain in three seasons. The better bet, however, is Atlanta will go with numerous alternate captains or rotate the captaincy this season. Grade: N/A
The Future: My money's on 2008 third-overall pick Zach Bogosian one day wearing the "C" in Atlanta. His father, Ike, was co-captain of the Syracuse University football team for a season in the early 1980s. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree with Zach — all indications are he's a natural leader.
Boston — Zdeno Chara
When Chara was signed to a long-term deal by the Bruins in 2006, they immediately gave the captaincy to him, filling the vacancy left when Joe Thornton was traded to San Jose. Not ideal, in my opinion. But Chara immediately took to his new leadership role, and, if I remember correctly, one of the first things he did was contact Carolina captain Rod Brind'Amour about what it takes to wear the letter. Like Pronger, Chara is tough as nails, but not as careless and dirty. He also has accomplished nearly as much. Grade: B
The Future: It's easy to forget him because he missed most of last season, but Patrice Bergeron is probably the captain-in-waiting in Beantown.
Buffalo — rotating
The Sabres used a rotating captaincy last year, though it was spread between numerous players rather than the alternating pattern they used before Daniel Briere and Chris Drury left town. I'll go on the record as saying I'm not a fan of this method. Grade: N/A
The Future: Both Derek Roy and Justin Pominville served as captains for part of last season, and both are now signed long term. I would pick Pominville, but my gut says Lindy Ruff will eventually choose Roy for the permanent job.
Calgary — Jarome Iginla
Iginla has been the Flames' leader — and the first black player in NHL history to wear the "C" — since 2003, was an alternate on Team Canada's entry in the 2006 Winter Olympics, and wore the "C" for the Western Conference in the 2008 All-Star Game. He's been on two Memorial Cup winners and came within a game of winning the Stanley Cup in 2004. That's quite a resume. He's as gritty as they come, plus he's an elite player. They don't get much better than Iginla — but he needs a Cup to tie it all together. Grade: A-
The Future: Iginla's only 31, and I'd guess he'll be leading the Flames for the rest of his career. That makes it tough to predict who is next in line, but the best guess might be Dion Phaneuf.
Carolina — Rod Brind'Amour
Brind'Amour's always been a great leader. He wore the "A" in Philadelphia for a long time, even filling in as captain during Eric Lindros' many injury absences. He was an alternate to Ron Francis when he arrived in Carolina and took over the captaincy following the lockout when Francis retired. What did he do in his first full season as a captain? He led the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup. I want to give Brind'Amour top marks, but there were some grumbles last year — albeit from the message boards — that his time as captain may have past. I don't buy it. Grade: A
The Future: There are a few candidates here, but Eric Staal — locked up until 2015 — will one day wear the "C" in Carolina.
Chicago — Jonathan Toews
The Blackhawks remind me a lot of the Pittsburgh Penguins: have numerous terrible seasons, leading to the stockpiling of several top prospects; get antsy and overspend on the best defensemen on the free agent market; and finally, name your young superstar the team's captain. Toews, given the "C" this offseason, will likely one day be a great leader — we'll see how good he is in the present soon. Grade: Incomplete
The Future: Toews is 20 — he's going to lead Chicago for a long, long time.
Colorado — Joe Sakic
[caption id="attachment_1465" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Joe Sakic hands off the Cup to Ray Bourque."]
[/caption]
Two-time Cup-winning captain. Two-time All-Star team captain. Only captain in Colorado history. Longest-tenured captain in the NHL. Should I go on? Sakic often flies under the radar — see all the press Mats Sundin got when he considered retirement compared to what Burnaby Joe got — but in my book he's the league's best. Want the final proof? Instead of being the first to hoist the Cup in 1992, he handed it off to Ray Bourque. Skill, smarts and class. That's Joe Sakic. Grade: A+
The Future: It's hard to think of anyone other than Sakic wearing the "C" in the Mile High City, but I'm going to go with Paul Stastny, whose father, Peter, was once the franchise's captain in the Quebec days.
Columbus — Rick Nash
Nash assumed the captaincy when Adam Foote was traded to Colordao at the trade deadline last season. Nash has flourished under coach Ken Hitchcock, developing into a two-way player who is on the ice in every situation. But until Columbus makes the postseason, it's hard to know what kind of leader Nash is. Grade: Incomplete
The Future: It's Nash or bust in C-bus. It's hard to believe he's still just 24.
Dallas — Brendan Morrow
Morrow's ascent to the captaincy was controversial. Stars icon Mike Modano was stripped of the "C" in 2006 and it was given to Morrow, who had recently been signed to a long-term contract. It wasn't pretty, but it has paid off. Morrow — with the help of former playoff question mark Marty Turco — led Dallas to the Western Conference Finals in 2007-08, his defining moment coming when he clinched the second-round series vs. San Jose with a Game 6 overtime goal. Morrow is everything you look for in a captain: he's hard-working, tough and makes his teammates accountable. And he's only going to get better. Grade: B+
The Future: Morrow won't turn 30 until January, but it's never too soon to look ahead. Prospect James Neal has been compared to Morrow, and like the current captain he can play a power forward game, drop the gloves and make a difference every shift. He's as good a guess as anyone.
Look for teams 11 through 20 in the coming days ...
0 recs |
18 comments
|
Email
Print
Comments
Great work Cory! I Think Timmay Gleason is also Captain material, but he will prolly never wear the C with Staal locked up long term.
by Swenk on Sep 19, 2008 10:13 AM EDT reply actions
Agreed … Tim is going to be a great complement to Staal for years to come. He’s been pegged as captain material for a long time, and will surely one day wear an “A.”
by Cory on Sep 19, 2008 10:22 AM EDT reply actions
Yes, great work and very interesting stuff Cory. As much as I’d like to, I can’t disagree with much so far!
You don’t like Kovalchuk to wear the C in Atlanta? They need to do something to keep him from bolting when his contract is done. Maybe they throw him this bone.
by Bubba on Sep 19, 2008 10:27 AM EDT reply actions
Dallas taking Modano’s captaincy away was terribly disappointing to me and as a result, I had a bone to pick with Brendan Morrow because of it, even though it wasn’t his doing. That being said, he has really impressed me and as class a guy as Modano is, I’m sure he’s supported Morrow throughout and that is a big reason for their continued success.
by Nathan on Sep 19, 2008 11:15 AM EDT reply actions
Nathan,
Funny, I stopped liking Modano right after he started talking smack about PL after the Olympics. Pete was right to bench him. Plus, he is banging Willa Ford, so not fair!
by wylde4canes on Sep 19, 2008 11:25 AM EDT reply actions
You could give Kovalchuk the C …. but if he leaves or gets traded, that’ll be three years in a row that you’d be replacing a captain. Not continuity, that’s for sure. I imagine they’re going to let John Anderson get a feel for everyone and then make their decision.
by Cory on Sep 19, 2008 11:26 AM EDT reply actions
As much as I dislike the Thrashers…. I really feel for their fans…
by Mateo on Sep 19, 2008 1:19 PM EDT reply actions
1) Firstly nice/interesting list/discussion of the captains around the league. However as we wrote this past July never has an honor/assignment been so over rated!
2)Giving a player “The C” doesn’t make him a leader and a leader doesn’t need “The C” to be one. Its an absolutely overblown/over rated title.
3)The term Captain or ‘A’ (which by the way means Alternate NOT Assistant) is only important in terms of communicating with the officials during a game. Teams each have different/altering uses of their ‘captain’. Some act as a go between the team and the coach, some are the actual team leader, but we suggest they would be viewed as such with or without the title anyway.
by fauxrumors on Sep 19, 2008 1:55 PM EDT reply actions
PL is Peter Laviolette (Although I probably just murdered the spelling of his name)
by Mateo on Sep 19, 2008 2:12 PM EDT reply actions
Nope, that right Mateo (take it from a Lavalette).
I’d disagree on the captain thing, Faux. Yes, some players are leaders w/o the C, and some are the C and not great leaders — but there is a value in having someone who wears the C and takes the reins of the team. Many C’s set the tone for the locker room. I remember the players saying how diff. things were when Francis left and Brind’Amour took over the C. That’s not a knock on Francis, but there is something — in many locker rooms around the league — to having that letter on your chest.
by Cory on Sep 19, 2008 2:38 PM EDT reply actions
Well… I think more than anything… it’s having one player or (if you want to count the Alternates) a small group of players who have a mandate from the coaching staff and the organization to be the “go to” for other players…. wether it’s for advice, leadership, or whatever….
Or in some cases a captain or alternate might say something in the locker room that may hold a little more weight with the other players than it would if one of the coaching staff were to say it…
So there is something to it….
by Mateo on Sep 19, 2008 2:49 PM EDT reply actions
Faux,
I disagree with your statements. In most cases the C is worn by the best leader on and off the ice. Exceptions are guys like Jagr and Yashin. Some teams give the C as part of the contract with the player.
Remember, on the ice the guys with letters are supposed to be the only ones to talk to the Refs and linesmen.
Often times the C is not the best player on the ice, but the best character for the room. I agree that the C sets the tempo and mood on/off ice.
Modano was stripped of the C ‘cause he was going thru a nasty divorce and wasn’t able to be THE presence off the ice, or in the room.
Gretzky got the C for his leadership off the ice, not for his stats on the ice. Every now and again the great players are also the great leaders….Yzerman, Sakic, Lidstrom, Francis…..
Staal has been our best player for a few years now, but it wasn’t until last year that he became on of our best leaders. Remember the change in his eyes when he was on the ice/bench after Hot Rod went down?
by Swenk on Sep 19, 2008 2:58 PM EDT reply actions
Sorry for the shorthand repent!
So Bubba, are you gonna have credentials to get into the practice tomorrow, or are we gonna have to rely on Captain Obvious over at LSB?
I can already see the next entry, “Players Put on Skates Prior to Taking The Ice”
by wylde4canes on Sep 19, 2008 3:32 PM EDT reply actions
Swenk – I agree. Different teams give the C out for different reasons. Because they are the only ones who are allowed to talk to refs, it is given to the player who knows how to work them. Messier was given the C in NY for obvious reasons. Some are the “let my play speak for my leadership” type of guys, like Gretzky. Then there are locker room guys, like I could imagine Chelios being. Different teams need different types of leadership. Some teams / coaches give it away with too little thought.
by marc on Sep 19, 2008 4:20 PM EDT reply actions
This is an interesting discussion. Being a captain means different things to different people. I can see Faux’s point. In my opinion, making a youngster like Crosby a captain kind of takes away from the intended purpose of the position. I think they made him captain just so they could claim he was the youngest ever and pad his resume a bit, but that is just my opinion.
I also think it is hard to grade a captain. When a team wins the Cup, it’s a no brainer that they probably had a good captain, but how do you judge a good captain on a bad team? Is he a good leader? Does he keep out of trouble? There could be a lot to take into consideration.
Wylde- I was granted access to practice tomorrow, but as Murphy’s Law would have it, I have a family obligation and can’t attend. Figures doesn’t it?
I do have a related announcement that I will make in a posting as soon as I get a chance later today though. (looks at my watch and notices that the day is about over…)
by Bubba on Sep 19, 2008 4:40 PM EDT reply actions
Cory: why would it be taken from Lavalette? Laviolette means ‘the violet’ in french, it’s not uncommon.
by repenttokyo on Sep 20, 2008 1:00 PM EDT reply actions
Repent … I said “take it from a Lavalette.” That’s my last name. His is Laviolette. So it’s easy for me to remember the spelling.
by Cory on Sep 20, 2008 8:22 PM EDT reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Latest Puck Daddy - NHL from Yahoo! Sports
- In which former NHL coach Ken Hitchcock foils a shoplifter
- Montreal's Price talks new 2-year contract, expectations post-Halak
- Donald Fehr aware of Kovalchuk drama, mum on everything else
- Puck Headlines: Savard's agent rants on Bettman; Halak in Montreal
- Boudreau, Crawford placed on the coaching hot seat
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
