Saturday, October 30, 2010

The Captain

In an effort to make some hay with the writing on this rag of a blog, beginning Monday, this blog will be devoted to the most important person on the hockey team: the captain.  Despite what you think, the captain doesn't always have to be the superstar.  In fact, you can look down the list of captains on very team (except the Minnesota Wild, and that will be explained when it's their time) and you will see that not all team captains are the leading scorers on the team.  You will also see that the team captain in hockey is one of the most coveted things to be called on a hockey team, as the responsibilities are substantial, both on and off the ice, as they are often the ones who communicate with the referees on the ice and are usually the ones the other players gravitate towards in the locker room.

What happens when a team is without a captain?  Well, that is what the Alternate captains are for:

The alternate captains don't have as much to do, and the responsibilities are usually split amongst two or three players, depending on how many wear the "A" on their jerseys.  Sometimes, a team will have only alternate captains, which will either be because the team hasn't appointed a captain or the captain is out due to injury or any other reason.  It is during those times that the alternate captains hold as much importance as the captain.  One such exception in the last 60 years?  Anytime Roberto Luongo was on the active roster.  You see, Luongo was the Vancouver Canucks captain from 2008-2010, and he was the goaltender.  Because goaltenders are not allowed to wear the captain's "C," the alternate captains on the Canucks had to be the liaison for the referees during games.  Much more will be duscussed when it comes time for the Canucks and their history of Captains.  And though it isn't hockey related, it is captain related, so it has to be here: it wouldn't be a Captain-themed month without including a "Captain My Captain" doughnut (featured with the Catpain Voodoo doughnut):

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