" Best" Team Captain

[Shake]

A conversation piece here..

Who is the NHL Today do you feel is the best team captain for his team? I don't mean just in the wins /losses or just the stars of the teams and the accolades , but the actual team captain and what he brings / represents to his team and does for his team to keep things running smooth, confidence, team poise, locker room issues, working with a little and getting the most,etc...etc.

[VintageVibe]

I'd say that Toews, Richards, and Ovechkin are in a league of their own- no one else in the league leads by example quite like these 3. They are elite talents with game breaking ability and neither of them have any huge faults as leaders.

Crosby would be there but he still complains a little too much which would annoy me, and thus not "lift me" as much, if I were on his team.

Iggy would be there too but he's slipped, along with the rest of his team, over the past couple of years.

[Dean Youngblood]

This might help

A list of Team Captains (as of 2009-10)

ANA - C vacant (Getz, Koivu - As)
ATL - C vacant (Hainsey, Kozlov -As)
BOS - C Chara (Bergeron, Recchi - As)
BUF - C Rivet (Gaustad, Roy, Hecht, Pominville - Rotating As)
CAL - C Iginla (JBO, Regehr - As)
CAR - C Staal (vacant As)
CHI - C Toews (Keith, Sharp-As)
COL - C Foote (Stastny, Hejduk - As)
CLB - C Nash (Klesa Umberger Vermette Commodore - Rotating As)
DAL - C Morrow (Ott Richards Robidas - As)
DET - C Lidstrom (Zett Datsyuk Draper - As)
EDM - C vacant (Hemsky Souray Horcoff - As)
FLA - C McCabe (weiss stillman - As)
LAK - C Brown (Greene Kopitar - As)
MIN - C M. Koivu (Havlat, Brunnette, Nolan, Shultz, Zanon - Rotating As)
MON - C vacant (Gill Gionta Markov - As)
NSH - C Weber (Sullivan A)
NJD - C Langenbrunner (Elias Parise -As)
NYI - C Weight (Park, Okposo, Streit -As)
NYR - C Drury (Callahan, Prospal -As)
OTT - C Afredsson (Fisher, Phillips -As)
PHI - C Richards (Gagne, Carter, Pronger, Timonen -As)
PHX - C Doan (Jovo -A)
PIT - C Crosby (Malkin -A)
SJ - C vacant (Thornton, Boyle -As)
STL - C Brewer (Jackman Backes -As)
TB - C Lecavalier (St Louis Ohlund -As)
TOR - C Phaneuf (Beachemin, Kaberle, Komisarek -As)
VAN - C Luongo (Kesler, Mitchell, H.Sedin -As)
WSH - C Ovechkin (Knuble, Poti - As)


Lots of vacant Captain positions as well as some Assistant Captains

[Big Ev]

Alfredsson, Iggy, Lidstrom are my Top 3, in no particular order.

These guys have been captains for a while, so obviously they're doing something right. They've all been to the SCF (with only Lidstrom winning) and they're all a little different in terms of captains.

Ovechkin has been captain for not even a whole season, so I don't think he should even be considered the best captain at the moment.

[Dean Youngblood]

My personal favourites would be Richards Toews Lidstrom Crosby

These three display leadership by example. I know Richards is very vocal but it's hard to say the same about most captains as we don't see them interact with their team behind closed doors

I have heard some great things on the following leaders (some captains and some As)

Gaustad is supposedly awesome in BUF.
Weight is a vocal leader and good for the Islanders transition period.

My guess is that Alfy is a great leader - good on the ice, accountable and very good with the press.

I think Sharp would make a great captain and he might get his opportunity soon hahaa. I hear good things about his personality on and off the ice.

Brewer has been known as a good captain too.

I think for a player to be a good captain he has to be:
- leader on the ice
- accountable
- personal
- good with the media
- on the same page with the coach

Guys who fit that mold for me are: Koivu Toews Crosby Alfy Iginla

There is one easy decision on this matter tho. Best NHL captain Niklas Lidstrom (but it doesn't hurt with the veteran leadership he has supporting him too)

All Time Greatest Leaders (of my era) - Joe Sakic and Stevie Y

[Big Ev]

Shakedown, you didn't give an answer to your question, but we all know who it's gonna be .

[Dean Youngblood]

Ovechkin appears to be only a leader on the ice at this point in his career. He looks like he's trying to befriend his teammates. I really think for a captain to be successful, he must appeal to his team as an equal or put forth the effort to make his teammates feel comfortable around him (if he's that much better)

Ovie is sooooo talented that I think some teammates might have a hard time being comfortable around him. It is good that ovie has a likeable personality though so maybe his practical jokes loosens up the dressing room and builds a good team atmosphere.

These things are hard to judge from a fans perspective.

[big_dl]

Up until this past year I would have said Iginla. He was one of the few players in the league who did it all. For 2 years - 02/03 & 03/04 - you could have legitimately argued he was the best player in the league. Iggy took a big step back last year, but even when Cammalleri out scored him Iggy shifted his game to become Cammy's set-up man.

Now extrapolating from my supposition that Iggy was the best captain in the league, you can figure out what my criterion are. A player who leads by example, steps up when it matters most, plays every facet of the game - basically we're looking for Mark Messier, altho the elite offensive skills are not a necessity, although it does help to bring that level of skill to the table. For me that leaves 2 options right now (it pains me that I cant place Iggy in that category after last season).

Those 2 players are Toews and Richards. They're both players who do everything, although I'd give a bit of an edge to Richards, he can go that extra step and drop the gloves. I would argue that Toews has a higher capacity to step up offensively when his team needs it. THey both clearly lead by example very well.

Ovechkin is a step below, he doesnt always bring it, he occasionally disappears, and he's a little too out of control at times to really lead. Crosby's too much of a bitch, whiner and complainer. Lidstrom needs to be in this discussion, but he cant elevate his game like he used to. And is there more of a leader by example than Nik the Stick?

If Ryan Kesler was a captain he'd be in this discussion as well by the 2012/13 at the latest. He brings all the same qualities that the aforementioned players bring to the table, and his offensive game isnt significantly below that of Toews or Richards (70 point player vs. 80 point player). Ryan Getzlaf also has the capability to be in this discussion, he doesnt do everything yet, and I havent watched enough to comment on leading by example but he has the ability to step up, and has done so (cup run), as well as much of the skill set to do everything.

Honourable Mention: Brendan Morrow (ability to step it up is some what questionable), Shea Weber (unproven - but the qualities and intangibles are there)

[NYR9394]

Chris Drury. His intagibles are INVALUABLE! They simply cannot be valued in dollars!


Seriously though, Lidstrom gets my vote. What a leader! So respected all over hockey, especially in his own locker room.

[NYR9394]

Philly has 4 assistant captains?

[TML]

In my mind the best captains of the game: Lidstrom, Crosby, Toews, Iginla, Doan, Alffy.

[Shake]

My votes go to Nik Lidstrom and Jonathan Toews


Why Nik? Oh man, 100 reasons why, but lets just say he had Stevie Y as his captain for years, who better to be around for all that time? Nik is hands down the best in the game


Why Jonathan Toews, he's a kid, big market, poise, maturity, passion, tenacity, student of the game, grit, determination ( I guess all these captains have different levels of this) I just think Toews knows how to handle it all, express it to the teamates and lead by example....Steve Yzerman Jr

[NYR9394]

In my mind the best captains of the game: Lidstrom, Crosby, Toews, Iginla, Doan, Alffy.

I dont dispute anyone on that list, but I think that given the longevity of leadership that Doan, Alfie and Iggy displayed, you have to put them ahead of Crosby & Toews.

And I forgot who said it, but I agree: For someone as pouty as Crosby is, I think that disqualifies him as the best, or even top 3. I dont think captains should be pouty and whiney like that. And yes I AM putting my Crosby biases aside while I write this, whether you believe it or not.

[TML]

I dont dispute anyone on that list, but I think that given the longevity of leadership that Doan, Alfie and Iggy displayed, you have to put them ahead of Crosby & Toews.

And I forgot who said it, but I agree: For someone as pouty as Crosby is, I think that disqualifies him as the best, or even top 3. I dont think captains should be pouty and whiney like that. And yes I AM putting my Crosby biases aside while I write this, whether you believe it or not.

Yeah, sorry, I wasn't really putting them in order. I was just lookint at the list, and picking them.

[WildHendy]

Morrow and Iggy...i like captains who'll stick up for themselves and drop the gloves when needed...hated seeing T.Linden treated like a bitch so many times as Canucks captain.