Oh captain my captain

I have noticed a disturbing change in sports. I have seen it in both professional leagues, and in the amateur leagues that I have played in: selling the captaincy by giving it to young players with a lot of skill but no experience and the maturity that goes with it. It’s almost as if pro teams are counting down the days until they can make their young star the franchise poster by handing him the “C”.

This trend is more prevalent in hockey, which places great importance on its captains. A modern example is Sidney Crosby of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins. At age 18, Crosby played half a season before Pittsburgh coach Michel Therrien put an “A” (assistant captain) on his jersey. By this time, Crosby was already known in his dressing room for his cry baby antics with umpires. He had been pampered as a hockey prodigy since the age of ten, had experienced no adversity or failure, and was a poor choice for the assistant captaincy at the time. Fortunately for the Pittsburgh Penguins and their fans, Coach Therrien resisted the temptation to make Crosby captain before the 2006-07 season. Instead, he went with three alternate captains.

Another modern example of this change is the Tampa Bay Lightning and Vincent Lecavalier. In 1999-2000, the Lightning was a horrible piece of equipment. So, with his team, head coach Steve Ludziko made the 19-year-old Lecavalier the captain. At the time Lecavalier was a player in the middle of his sophomore year and whose teammates were still playing junior hockey. Not only was Lecavalier not ready to be captain at the NHL level, being captain made him a crybaby who had to be benched for entire periods of a few games. Later, in October 2001, head coach John Tortorella wisely removed the “C” from Lecavalier’s jersey. “A player is not named captain based on his talent,” Totorella said, explaining the move. “That’s not what [being the] the captain is about. [The “C”] They took it away so Vinny could see what leadership is all about. There are a lot of guys around to show you. ”One of those guys was Dave Andrechuk, who replaced Lecavalier as captain and led the team to their Stanley Cup victory over the Calgary Flames in 2004.

While captains are often the most talented players on their teams, that shouldn’t be the reason they get the job. The captain of a hockey team is supposed to be a shining example of character, experience, and leadership. Suitable captains are types who symbolize the character and heart of a hockey team. Players who have been present, have seen it all and have lived to tell about it. The ones who can stand in the locker room and say what to say and believe because they have been there. Guys who lead by example, whether it’s what they’re doing on or off the ice. Most importantly, they are players who bring a team-first attitude to the court every day. (Unlike the attitude of some immature players, my stats first.) Classic examples of good captains are players like Jean Beliveau and Gordie Howe.