One of the most important leadership roles in sports is being your team’s captain.
Fans, teammates, coaches and other captains look to you to make the right decisions both on and off the field.
In hockey particularly, the captain has the right to speak with the officials, takes part in ceremonious puck drops and leads the team through the season and often deep into the playoffs.
Hockey is also the only one of the major sports in which the captain is awarded the trophy when the championship is won.
Commissioner Gary Bettman awards the Stanley Cup to Jonathan Toews, not Joel Quenneville or Rocky Wirtz. Bettman gives it to Sidney Crosby, not Ray Shero.
The Philadelphia Flyers organization has had 16 captains through their 43-year history, averaging about 2.7 years of reign for each captain.
What began with Lou Angotti in the fledgling expansion team’s first season has now come to Mike Richards, the franchise player and (eventually) long-tenured captain of the club.
As the captain, Richards has done what most Flyers captains have been unable to do–lead the team to the Stanley Cup final. In fact, just four captains before Richards have done this: Bob Clarke, ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Alan Bass
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June 27th, 2010 by Alan Bass Leave a reply »
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