Quote:
Originally Posted by Joborule
In a sense, yes. The captain is only one player, and it's not a sport like basketball or soccer where one player can be so good that they can carry the team on their backs to playoff runs primarily on their own. But the C is on that player for a reason since they are suppose to be the strongest leader and motivator on the team. If a team is having great sustain success, that can be a positive reflection on the captain.
Admittedly from a fan perspective, I think it's impossible for us to see just exactly how a captain inspires their team in the locker room and off the ice. The only real glimpse we get is theirs's, and the team's on ice performance.
This also makes me think. I would say majority of us think Iginla is a great captain. And I suppose that's the case since he also was assistant captain on the Olympic teams. So there's validation there. But his teams also didn't amount to much save being one goal away from winning the cup. That playoff run alone may be enough to justify him being a great captain. But it makes me ponder, is Connor McDavid a great captain?
He literally carries the team on his back, but it hasn't translated to any real playoff success. But year in, year out, he's at the top of the league leaders list in points. Due to lack of playoff runs, I don't believe there's much talk around the league about him being a good captain. But if the Oilers (heaven forbid) were to actually get some playoff runs, would that narrative start to unfold then?
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It’s apparent to me that a player can be a good captain but saddled with a crap team.
Is that Gio now? I think it’s pretty hard to say the guy we all thought was a great captain isn’t any more just because his body is failing him, or that the players around him are struggling. But what I do firmly believe is that stripping a player of a letter is almost always counterproductive. San Jose looked bush league when they did it.