The thing abut Lanny is that, at no time during his tenure with the Flames, was he ever the sole captain of the team. He always had Pepper and Riser there as co-captains.
Lanny is also a good example of how "leadership" doesn't require "captain". His biggest influence on this team was in his acquisition. The trade for Lanny was the moment where the Atlanta identity was replaced with the Calgary identity. McDonald brought an attitude and influence from Colorado that this franchise needed to move forward toward contention. He was only a bit player for the team in 1989, but everything that led up to it came through Lanny.
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