The National Hockey League (NHL) is a professional ice hockey league composed of 32 teams, founded in 1917. Each team may select a captain, who has the "privilege of discussing with the referee any questions relating to interpretation of rules which may arise during the progress of a game." [1] Each team is also permitted to select alternate captains, who serve when the captain is not on the ice. [1] Captains are required to wear the letter "C" on their uniform for identification while alternate captains wear the letter "A"; both letters are 3 inches (7.6 cm) in height.
Rule 6.2 of the 2008–09 Official NHL Rulebook indicates that "[only] when the captain is not in uniform, the coach shall have the right to designate three alternate captains. This must be done prior to the start of the game." [1] [2] Many NHL teams with a named captain select more than two alternate captains and rotate the "A"s among these players throughout the season. [3]
Goaltenders are not permitted to serve as captains during games. [1] This rule was instituted in 1948 after teams complained that it took Montreal Canadiens goaltender Bill Durnan too long to skate to talk with the officials and back to his crease. [4] Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo served as captain for two seasons (2008–09 and 2009–10), but because of the League's rule, he was not allowed to serve as captain on-ice or wear the "C" on his jersey, though it was incorporated into the artwork on his mask. [4] [5] As a result, the Canucks were allowed to dress three alternate captains in games, as opposed to the League standard of two. Two (of the three) alternate captains handled on-ice duties in Luongo's place. [5] Other than Durnan and Luongo, five other goaltenders have captained their team: John Ross Roach of the Toronto St. Patricks, George Hainsworth of the Montreal Canadiens, Roy Worters of the New York Americans, Alec Connell of the original Ottawa Senators and Charlie Gardiner of the Chicago Black Hawks. [6]
When Connor McDavid was named captain of the Edmonton Oilers, he became the youngest permanent captain in NHL history. [7] Gabriel Landeskog of the Colorado Avalanche and Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, are the second- and third-youngest players to be named captain in NHL history, respectively. In 1984, Brian Bellows was named interim captain of the Minnesota North Stars when Craig Hartsburg was injured, and is the youngest player to captain a team in NHL history. However, because Bellows served only on an interim basis, McDavid retains the distinction of being the youngest permanent captain in the League's history. [8] Mark Messier is the only player to captain two separate teams to Stanley Cup championships, those being the 1990 Edmonton Oilers and the 1994 New York Rangers. [9] Sidney Crosby also became the youngest captain to win the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009, when Crosby was just 21 years old. The oldest permanent captain in league history was Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins, who turned 43 years old, during his last NHL season (2019–20) with the Bruins. The longest tenure in league history was Steve Yzerman of the Detroit Red Wings, who served as captain of the Red Wings for nineteen seasons, over a span of twenty years.
† Spent entire NHL career with team
Abbreviation | Definition |
---|---|
C | Centre |
LW | Left wing |
RW | Right wing |
D | Defenceman |
Twenty-seven of the thirty-two active NHL teams currently have a captain. The five teams without a captain are the Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks, Seattle Kraken and the Utah NHL team. The thirty-third team, the Arizona Coyotes, are currently inactive. Of the twenty-seven captains, twenty-two of them have been with their team for their entire career. The current longest-tenured captain in the league is Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who has served in that role since May 31, 2007.
Thirty of the thirty-two active NHL teams have named at least the regulation two alternate captains, the two exceptions being the San Jose Sharks and the expansion Utah NHL team. The thirty-third team, the Arizona Coyotes, are currently inactive. Of the seventy-eight alternate captains, forty-three of them have been with their team for their entire NHL career. Teams that have named more than the regulation two alternate captains (or three in the case of teams without a captain) are required to rotate the two (or three) "A"s between those players by methods of their choosing. The current longest-tenured alternate captain in the league is Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins who has served in that role since 2008.
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which opened in 2016. Kris Knoblauch is the head coach as of November 12, 2023, and Ken Holland was named general manager on May 7, 2019. The Oilers are one of two NHL franchises based in Alberta, the other being the Calgary Flames. Their proximity has led to a fierce rivalry known as the "Battle of Alberta".
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and play their home games at Rogers Arena. Rick Tocchet is the head coach, Jim Rutherford serves as the president of hockey operations, and Patrik Allvin serves as the general manager.
Roberto Luongo is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Islanders, Florida Panthers, and the Vancouver Canucks. In 2022, Luongo was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Luongo is a two-time NHL All-Star and a winner of the William M. Jennings Trophy for backstopping his team to the lowest goals against average in the league. He was a finalist for several awards, including the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender, the Lester B. Pearson Award as the top player voted by his peers, and the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's most valuable player (2007). Luongo is second all time in games played as an NHL goaltender (1,044) and fourth all time in wins (489). He employed the butterfly style of goaltending.
In ice hockey, the captain is the player designated by a team as the only person authorized to speak with the game officials regarding rule interpretations when the captain is on the ice. At most levels of play each team must designate one captain and a number of alternate captains who speak to the officials when the captain is on the bench. Captains wear a "C" on their sweaters, while alternate captains wear an "A".
Henrik Lars Sedin is a Swedish ice hockey executive and former centre who played his entire 17-season National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Vancouver Canucks from 2000 to 2018. He additionally served as the Canucks' captain from 2010 until his retirement. Born and raised in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, Sedin and his identical twin brother Daniel played together throughout their careers; the pair were renowned for their effectiveness as a tandem. Henrik, a skilled passer, was known as a playmaker while Daniel was known as a goal-scorer. Sedin tallied 240 goals and 830 assists, for 1,070 points, in 1,330 NHL games, ranking him as the Canucks' all-time leading points scorer.
Curtis Sanford is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who last played for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He is currently a goalie coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks, and Columbus Blue Jackets.
Joseph Leopold Louis Marie Frédéric Chabot is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former goaltender who played parts of five seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings from 1991 to 1999. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1989 to 2006, was spent in the minor leagues and then in Europe. He is currently the Goaltending Coach for the Minnesota Wild.
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