Colorado Avalanche Make Gabriel Landeskog Youngest Captain in NHL History

The Colorado Avalanche have announced that 19-year-old forward Gabriel Landeskog will become the team's new captain, making him the youngest captain in NHL history.

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Gabriel Landeskog becomes just the fourth captain in #Avs history, joining Joe Sakic, Adam Foote and Milan Hejduk. #CaptainLandy

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) September 4, 2012"

Veteran forward Milan Hejduk was the previous captain, and many thought he would be the captain for a few more seasons while some of the team's young stars earn some more experience. Whether the decision to make Landeskog captain happened now or in a few years, it's the right choice.

As James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail points out, Landeskog is just a bit younger than the former youngest captain in league history.

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Landeskog is 11 days younger than Crosby, who was 19 years 297 days old when he was named captain of the Penguins in 2007.

— James Mirtle (@mirtle) September 4, 2012"

When a team makes a young player the captain, it has to make sure the player is ready to handle the job. Landeskog has been a leader throughout his hockey career, including his time in the NHL, OHL and for Sweden during international competition.

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Landeskog was also an alternate captain for Team Sweden at the 2012 Worlds, and was the captain for Kitchener in his final OHL season.

— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) September 4, 2012"

Landeskog's experience in a captain's role at the OHL level will definitely help him be a strong captain in the NHL.

It's not the same role, but the 19-year-old is a natural leader, which is exactly what you want in a captain.

Landeskog is well on his way to superstardom, and he has the potential to be one of the best players in Avalanche history.

As captain of the Avalanche, Landeskog will be under even more pressure to have a great sophomore season, but he's definitely ready for the challenge.

Nicholas Goss is an NHL lead writer at Bleacher Report. He was also the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Final in Boston. Follow him on Twitter.

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