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Captains are usually selected by team management, but player votes can also be used. Captains are usually veterans or the most veteran player on the team, and can be from any position except that of the Goaltender . The selection is often seen as an important moment for a team, and one that can affect the team's (and newly appointed Captain's) performance. The "C" is an important part of hockey, and the honour is one with significant responsibilities. Immediately after Chris Gratton was traded in 2000, the 19 year old Vincent Lecavalier was given the captaincy of the Tampa Bay Lightning by owner Art Williams . Lecavalier struggled, and many pointed to this and other situations as proof of Williams' incompetence. Other situations involving the position include Eric Lindros having his captaincy taken away for criticising the Philadelphia Flyers medical staff. Teams also have up to two alternate captains. (While they are often referred to as "assistant captains" by the public and media, "alternate captains" is the term used by both the IIHF Rules Book and the NHL Rulebook .) They fill in when the captain is injured or absent or if the team has named none, and perform many of the same leadership and team building roles as the actual captain. The alternate captains wear an "A" on their Jerseys , (from 1975-85, NHL clubs didn't have alternate captains). Goaltenders cannot be captains; the last one was Bill Durnan of the Montreal Canadiens in the 1948 season. Teams may also go without a captain and have three alternate captains, as is currently the case for the Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils (four alternates), New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning. The longest serving team captains in NHL history are Steve Yzerman (captain of the Detroit Red Wings from 1986-current), Ray Bourque (captain of the Boston Bruins from 1985-2000), Mario Lemieux (captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins from 1987-1994, 1995-1997 and 2001-2006), Joe Sakic (captain of the Quebec Nordiques / Colorado Avalanche from 1992-current), Dit Clapper (captain of the Bruins from 1932-1946, excluding the 1938-39 season), Alex Delvecchio (captain of the Red Wings from 1962-1973) and Scott Stevens (captain of the St. Louis Blues from 1990-1991 and the New Jersey Devils from 1992-2005). LIST OF CURRENT NHL TEAM CAPTAINS INTERNATIONAL SEE ALSO |
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