Roberto Luongo Named Canucks' Captain: Good Politics?

And you thought politics were the arenas of presidents, prime ministers, and that jerk from your office hockey pool (there's always one).

It hasn't taken long for people to question the motives behind Mike Gillis and Alain Vigneault's decision to make Roberto Luongo the 12th captain in Vancouver Canucks history. 

And question they should.

The NHL has acknowledged that Luongo can be captain in name only. 

On the ice, there will be no evidence that he was even a candidate for the job.  He won't be dropping the ceremonial pucks.  There will be no C on his chest.  Like all other NHL goaltenders, he will be forbidden from talking to the refs—and we all know how effective that rule is.

Why the fuss and muss?  Why risk alienating other potential captains, such as long-standing Canuck Mattias Ohlund, captain-in-waiting Willie Mitchell, or future-captain-of-some-team Ryan Kesler?

Is he the best person for the job? Yes.

Does he lead the team in the locker room? Yes.

But as the old hockey adage goes: You don't need a "C" on your jersey to be a leader.  

So then why bother appointing Luongo captain? The answer: good politics.

If it means nothing on the ice, then the only logical reasons must reside off the ice.  And when we turn our attention there, it all starts to make sense.

We begin to see just how cunning a move this was by Gillis and Vigneault.

First, by publicly and clearly declaring Luongo captain, Gillis and Vigneault have effectively eliminated the leadership disorder that has plagued the Canucks for the better part of a decade. 

When Hall of Famer Mark Messier joined the Canucks in 1997, Trevor Linden humbly relinquished the captaincy position, remaining the team's leader while skating in Messier's shadow. 

Following three years of exile, Linden returned to the Canucks, where Markus Naslund was now captain. Linden was not afforded the same honor, and once again was captain in deed, but not in name.  Over time, Naslund's leadership waned, while Linden's leadership was never cast in doubt.

As anyone who has ever played on a team will tell you, it's never a good thing when the supposed leader isn't the actual leader. It creates distracting conflict, causes divides, and ultimately leads to confusion on the playing field. 

The simultaneous departure of Linden and Naslund should have wiped the slate clean, yet the spectre of the past still loomed large: The heir-apparent to the Canucks' leadership was a goaltender, unable to wear the C.  If anyone else were to take it up, the leadership identity issues would continue.

But Gillis and Vigneault knew what they were doing. 

By getting in front of the TV cameras and publicly, unabashedly, and proudly declaring Luongo as the captain of the Canucks, they have put to rest a leadership issue that some might say should never have seen the light of day. 

Now, there are no doubts: Luongo is the leader of the Vancouver Canucks—not its official captain, but its official leader in every other regard.

And, perhaps more importantly, now everyone knows it.

Second, by naming Luongo captain while he has only two years left on his contract, the team's long-term leadership prospects are addressed.  True, as has been pointed out elsewhere, it could help encourage Luongo to stick around in the long run.  But there's a bit more to it than that.

Vancouver has a prospect in its system named Cory Hodgson who is widely regarded as a future captain.

If Luongo re-signs, that's great—the Canucks have a quality captain for years to come.

But if he walks away from the Canucks after two years, then there is an opportunity for a young man to step up and become the new face of the franchise. 

Luongo's captaincy doubles as both incentive and succession planning. Gillis and Vigneault know they'll have a great captain in place two years down the road and beyond—they just don't know if he'll be named Roberto or Cory.

Third, and finally, it helps deflect some of the negative attention that Gillis has been getting lately for what he's done—or hasn't done—for the Canucks. 

Now he's done something big and unexpected; moreover, he's even done something unprecedented since the introduction of rule 14(d) 60 years ago.

As a side note, naming Luongo captain sends a clear message that a certain Swedish centre will not be assuming that role—and I'm not referring to Henrik Sedin. 

Gillis is clearly done waiting for Mats Sundin and is ready to move on.

Naming Roberto Luongo unofficial captain was a good political move by Gillis and Vigneault. 

Make no mistake, it really is unofficial. 

One could argue that, under rule 14(d), Luongo could have been captain, worn the "C", and just not acted as one; however, rule 14(a) would have then prohibited the alternates from talking to the referees. 

That would have left Vigneault as the only person who could argue with the refs—and we all know how good Canucks coaches are at that.