vince_10304's blog
Young Captains
Saturday July 19, 2008 @ 12:04 PM EDT
This is a subject that is often overlooked as important for a team. Captaincy is both a big privalage and a big responsibility. Recently there have been some young captains named: Lecavalier at age 19, Crosby at age 19, and now Toews at age 19. While all three of these players are good players, none of them are ready to be NHL captains at that young of an age. Captaincy is supposed to be a sign of seniority and leadership. It is supposed to show experience in the league. There is no 19-year-old on the planet that is experienced enough at such a high level or mature enough to captain a team at the highest level of the sport. That goes for NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB, MLS, MLL, or any other top-level league there is. Captaincy is supposed to be earned through longevity in the league, not because a team wants to put the player in the spotlight.
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7 Comments - 9 Replies
chrono420
Jul 20 2008 23:06
exception to the rule...
STEVE YZERMAN!!! no one can say he wasnt a good captain at a young age, sure the team didnt become the dynamo they now are untill the 90s, but Stevey Y was nonetheless the great capt.
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ccd3m
Jul 19 2008 18:53
i see a trend
so what do you think? Stamkos for captain this season?
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twentytwo
Jul 19 2008 18:09
Yeah.
Captaincy is earned not by points but by leadership. I’m almost scared about Richards possibly becoming Captain. He is a true leader clearly, but I think he would do better with an “A” on his shirt. Timonen or Gagne I would feel to be perfect for the job now that Jason Smith is gone.
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piggylady_87
Jul 19 2008 16:30
yeah
But these guys do have enough experience to be captains. It’s not like it is their first year of playing hockey. I think it’s fine. Why can’t a young guy be a leader? I’m sure they listen to their vetern team mates and take advice from them anyway.
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ccd3m
Jul 19 2008 15:11
very much agreed
All of these really young captains cheapen the honor in my opinion. I don’t care how good they are, a captain still playing in his entry level contract is just blasphemous.
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Detroit_Cap...
Jul 19 2008 14:06
^5 double bladed stick
I would love to go into this, but I need to be more sober to do so. . .but simply put: I agree with you
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RiRi
Jul 19 2008 14:03
I agree that
it is a big responsibilty for a young person to take on. I can’t speak for Lecavalier, but in Crosby’s case, When Lemieux left there was really NO ONE to take over the captain’s spot. At the time you could argue Recchi, but Crosby was more of the long term player on the team. I’m guessing they didn’t want to have to keep changing it up. Now You can’t really argue that anyways because ALL the players on the team are real young.
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