Who Will Captain Team Canada?

Written By: Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter

Sure, the Olympics are still months away and, yes, the rosters are yet to be set. But, when it comes to picking a captain for Team Canada, there are just a few candidates that stand out above everybody else.

As it stands now, Hockey Canada has named 10-time Stanley Cup Champion, Montreal Canadiens legend Jean Beliveau as honorary captain of Canada’s Men’s Olympic Team for 2010 in Vancouver.

It’s a huge honor, one that Beliveau is extremely proud of. Beliveau, who never had an opportunity to represent his Country, is a great choice.

President and CEO of Hockey Canada Bob Nicholson was ecstatic to announce Beliveau as a member of Team Canada, “Today, we bring a new member onto the Team Canada roster. It’s about time we see the great Jean Beliveau in a Team Canada Sweater”, said Nicholson.

With the honorary captain already decided, the question is, who will be Canada’s captain on the ice when the first puck drops?

To be Canada’s leader you will have to fulfill a few criteria. It is my belief that all candidates will need to have International experience, be a leader on their NHL club and be regarded as a player that leads by example. A Stanley Cup winner, while preferred, may not be the most important criteria, but it may very well give a player an edge when the final voting takes place.

Given those parameters, we can eliminate quite a few players. Clearly, Dany Heatley (If he even makes it) need not apply. Other players that will likely be excluded include, Rick Nash, Mike Green, Jay Bouwmeester, Simon Gagne and Jeff Carter. All great players, but the competition for captain will be stiff, and these players fall short.

So, who is on my short list to lead Team Canada? I have six players in mind. In no particular order, here they are-

Scott Niedermayer
Jarome Iginla
Sidney Crosby
Joe Thornton
Shane Doan
Vincent Lecavalier

With all due respect to Joe Thornton, his playoff success, or lack-thereof, will likely exclude him from the final selection. Vincent Lecavalier, while talented, will be outclassed when you consider the other four candidates that are left. My third elimination would have to be Shane Doan. First, there is no guarantee that Doan makes this roster, second, when compared to Niedermayer, Crosby and Iginla, Doan’s resume pails in comparison.

That leaves us with three legitimate candidates to be Team Canada’s captain. Sidney Crosby, Jarome Iginla and Scott Niedermayer.

Let’s take a look at the final candidates-

Jarome Iginla- Has served as the Calgary Flames captain since the 2003-04 season, the same year he led the Flames to the Stanley Cup Finals. “Iggy”, as his teammates refer to him, is regarded as one of the NHL’s classiest players, his leadership skills are off the hook and his calm demeanor is well documented.

Iginla has represented Canada in the 1994 Nations Cup, where they won Gold. He also won Gold as a member of Canada’s 1996 World Junior Team, where he was voted a first team All-Star and Best Forward.

He won another Gold as a member of Canada’s 1997 senior World Championship Team, he was just 19 years old at the time.

As a late invitee to the 2002 Olympic games in Salt Lake City, Iginla emerged as a star. Iggy scored two goals against Team USA in the Gold Medal game, a game Canada won 5-2. Yes, Canada won Gold that year too...noticing a trend here?

Iginla would also represent Canada at the 2006 Olympic games in Turin. Canada lost to the Russians in the quarter finals, but Iginla’s play was not the reason.

Iginla is noted for not backing down from anyone or anything. His willingness to drop the gloves is well documented, as is his rare combination of grit and finesse. Iginla is the quintessential Power Forward, arguably the NHL’s best.

Toughness, offensive ability, ability to intimidate and Iginla’s willingness to stand up and be accountable, makes it easy for his peers to look up to Iginla and follow him into battle. He leads by example and he commands respect from teammates and opponents alike.

Besides all of Iginla’s leadership qualities, Iginla consistently puts up monster numbers on the ice. He has scored 50 goals twice in his career (2001-02, 2007-08), he has twice been awarded the Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL’s leading goal scorer (2002, 2004), he took home the Lester B. Pearson Award as the NHL’s most outstanding player (2002) and he also took home the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s points leader.

Combine those trophies with Iginla’s five All-Star appearances, numerous humanitarian awards and, most recently, his being the recipient of the Mark Messier Leadership Award (2009) which recognizes an individual as a superior leader within their sport, and you have yourself one heck of a candidate for Canada’s Olympic leader.

It’s simple really, when you think “Born Leader”, you think Jarome Iginla, period!

Sidney Crosby- Crosby will likely be “The people’s choice” for Canada’s captain at the 2010 Olympic games in Vancouver. In his short NHL career, Crosby has already achieved legendary status.

At just 22 years-old, Crosby is the youngest candidate to lead Canada at the 2010 Olympics. Make no mistake about it, Crosby has a very impressive resume, one that includes a Stanley Cup title in 2008-09 in just his fourth NHL season.

Crosby has a decent amount of International experience. He represented Canada in the 2004 and 2005 World Junior Championships, where he took home a Silver and Gold medal respectively.

In his first NHL campaign Crosby set an NHL record as the youngest player to record 100 points, it was also just the seventh time any rookie had accomplished that feat. He lost the Calder Trophy (NHL rookie of the year) to Washington Capitals star forward Alex Ovechkin, but he was a winner in everyone's mind.

Crosby was elected to the NHL’s all-rookie team in 2006 and, as a member of Canada’s World Championship Team he led Canada to a Gold Medal. His strong effort was recognized with his election to the World Championship All-Star Team, he was also selected as the World Championships best forward and he earned the designation as the tournaments leading scorer- the youngest player in history to accomplish that feat.

the 2006-07 NHL season was a dominant one for Crosby. “Sid the Kid”, as he is often referred to, scored 36 goals, added 84 assists, and led the entire NHL with 120 points, resulting in his winning the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorer. Not bad for your second season in the League!

Crosby would also take home the Lester B. Pearson Trophy as the NHL’s best player as voted by his peers, the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player, the Mark Messier Leadership award which recognizes an individual as a superior leader within their sport and a first team All-Star selection. Again, this is the kids second season in the NHL folks!

In 2007-08 Crosby fell victim to the injury bug. Still, he managed to get elected to the All-Star game and he still had decent numbers, scoring 24 goals, adding 48 assists, for a very respectful 72 points in 53 regular season games.

2007-08 would also mark the first time that the Penguins would make the Stanley Cup Finals since Mario Lemieux was a member of the team. Crosby was an integral part of the Pittsburgh Penguins success, notching 6 goals and 21 assists in 20 playoff games.

In 2008-09 Crosby would surpass the 100 point barrier for the third time in four years, registering 33 goals and 70 assists for a total of 103 points. More importantly, Crosby would lead the Penguins to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second year in a row.

As fate would have it Crosby and the Penguins would face the Detroit Red Wings in the Finals, the same team that defeated them 12 months earlier. After being down two games to none, Crosby and his teammates dug deep and pulled off one the biggest upsets in Stanley Cup history, knocking off the Red Wings in seven hard-fought games.

At just 21 years, 10 months, and five days, Sidney Crosby was the NHL’s youngest captain in history to win the Stanley Cup.

If that resume doesn’t spell “Leadership”, I don’t know what does. Clearly, Crosby has what it takes to lead Canada.

Scott Niedermayer- Anytime the word “Leader” comes up in hockey circles, the name Scott Niedermayer comes to mind.

Niedermayer is one of the NHL’s most consistent defensemen, his poise with the puck is legendary and his leadership skills are second to none.

Niedermayer has always answered the call for Team Canada. He won a Gold Medal as a member of Canada’s 1991 World Junior Team, he followed that up by winning a Silver Medal as a member of Canada’s 1996 World Cup of Hockey Team.

Niedermayer was a key member of Canada’s Gold Medal winning team at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. His poise with the puck and offensive prowess was key to Canada’s success, as was his silent leadership.

In 2004 Niedermayer won a Gold Medal as a member of Canada’s World Cup of Hockey Team, he also won Gold as a member of Canada’s World Championship Team. Two Gold Medals in one year, how can you beat that?

Niedermayer’s NHL totals are just as impressive as his International contributions. In 1992-93 Niedermayer was elected to the NHL’s all-rookie team. Two season’s later,(1994-95), Niedermayer won a Stanley Cup as a member of the New Jersey Devils. He would win another Cup with the Devils in 2003-04.

Niedermayer has been elected to the NHL All-Star game a total of eight times, (1997-98, 200-01, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2006-07*Did not play, 2006-07, 2007-08).

Niedermayer was the recipient of the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman in 2003-04 and took home the Conn Smythe Trophy as the NHL’s playoff MVP in 2006-07, the year he won his third Stanley Cup, this time as a member of the Anaheim Ducks.

In 2008-09, Niedermayer registered 59 points, it was his third highest point total in his 16-year NHL career. He scored a total of 63 and 69 points in 2005-06 and 2006-07 respectively. It would seem that, like a good wine, Niedermayer gets better with age.

In the leadership department, Niedermayer has served as Anaheim’s captain from 2005 through 2007 and then from 2008 through 2009. Previous to that he had served as the captain of the New Jersey Devils in 2004.

You could argue that both Iginla and Crosby should be captain of Canada’s 2010 Olympic Team. It should be noted, however, that Niedermayer is the only Canadian player in history to have won the Memorial Cup, World Junior Ice Hockey Championship Gold Medal, IIHF World Championship Gold Medal, Olympic Gold medal, a World Cup Of Hockey title and a Stanley Cup Championship. For those of you not counting, that’s all six major championships, some of them, multiple times.

The good news is, regardless of which player ends up being elected as Canada’s captain, the choice will be a spectacular one. Iginla, Crosby and Niedermayer are three of the most talented, most respected players in the entire NHL, there is no poor choice here.

So, who would I pick?

After carefully analyzing the options I chose Jarome Iginla to be Canada’s captain at the 2010 Olympic games in Vancouver.

Overall, I felt Iginla’s, International Experience, Calm Demeanor, Respect from fellow players and his natural Leadership skills, were the complete package Team Canada will be looking for.

Aside from not winning a Stanley Cup Championship, Iginla has won at every level. He often exceeds expectations, and, having played in Canada for many years, knows what it means to play in Canada and he is familiar with the Canadian Media and knows how to handle them.

Would Sidney Crosby be a bad choice? No...Would Scott Niedermayer be a bad choice? No...

Like I said, any one of these three players is more than capable of leading Canada to a Gold Medal. I just liked Iginla the best.

Until next time,

Peace!