What Captaincy Really Means in the NHL

Currently, some teams are left without captains while others have the position filled. As I type right now, only about half the teams that don't have a captain are thinking about their captain now.

You know why? Because they realize that captaincy isn't just a player wearing a "C" on his jersey, and it doesn't just raise a player's value. In fact, sometimes it doesn't.

Take Tim Taylor of Tampa Bay. Have you ever heard of him before? Probably not. He was a third or fourth line player for Tampa Bay, and was also their captain. Chris Clark donned the "C" for Washington and he was a second liner at best.

My point is that only about half of the captain-less teams as of Aug. 10, 2008 will keep their captain for the next three seasons.

A team like Toronto or Vancouver knows that they need to find a long-term captain because of their hockey market, their previous non-success, and their hardcore fans.

Vancouver had Markus Naslund for a long time before he left in the offseason for the New York Rangers. Mats Sundin spent over the five year limit* in Toronto.

Both of those men were true captains. Captaincy helps teams win, and win a lot. It can get your players ready and excited and motivated for any game, whether it's the preseason or overtime in Game Seven of the Stanley Cup finals (depending on who your captain is).

It doesn't matter if your captain scores 50 goals or one goal in a season. It only matters if he can be a good leader. A lot of people say anyone can be a good leader. This is not true. You need a veteran who knows every little thing about the game.

Not Sidney Crosby. He may know a lot about the game, but he is not a veteran who has seen everything in the game.

Take Nicklas Lidstrom, for example. He is a great defenseman and can motivate players. He has seen and done everything in the game that can be seen and done. 

If you ask me, I don't think teams should have three assistant captains and no captain. They won't win the Stanley Cup. You need one main leader and two that can be there to assist him. I just hope that every team finds a true, good captain this season.

*Captaincy limit: I think that a good true captain will serve in that role for at least five years with one team.