| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Ryan Harper |
Posted - 11/30/2006 : 09:28:05
Great article I though to share with you all. I was surprised to see that 13 of the NHL's captains are European. Anyways, its only a matter of time.
quote:
With 13 NHL clubs now sporting C's from across the Atlantic, it's only a matter of time before a Euro captain wins the Cup.
by Ken Campbell (THN.com)
With 13 NHL clubs now sporting C's from across the Atlantic, it's only a matter of time before a Euro captain wins the Cup.
Since European players began arriving with regularity in the early 1980s, the NHL has seen them accomplish just about everything.
Europeans have won the Stanley Cup many times. Their names are all over the Hart, Art, Ross, Rocket Richard, Calder, Selke, Lady Byng and Conn Smythe trophies. They've been drafted first overall and they've been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
They've won three of the past four Norris trophies, have either tied for or led the league in goals in five of the past seven seasons and have won the Vezina Trophy in seven of the past 12 years.
But one thing a European hasn't done yet is be the first one on his team to lift the Stanley Cup. That's right, there have been no C's from overseas on a Cup winner.
"I was actually kind of surprised to read about that a couple of weeks ago," said Kimmo Timonen, who was named captain of the Nashville Predators at the start of the season. "But I think it will happen someday."
Timonen shouldn't have been surprised. Neither should the knuckle-draggers who worship at the altar of Don Cherry, who will undoubtedly use that tidbit as fodder for their argument that Europeans don't possess the leadership skills requisite for being a captain of a winning team. (Although, Philadelphia Flyers captain Peter Forsberg didn't do his European brethren any favors when he initially declined after being asked to participate in a shootout in early October.)
If European players don't have what it takes to captain a winning team, neither do Americans. That's because in the NHL's 88-year history, Derian Hatcher is the only U.S.-born and -trained player to captain a team to a Stanley Cup championship.
And judging by the way teams are naming Europeans as captains, it's clearly only a matter of time before Europeans check captaining a team to a Cup off their to-do lists.
There are now a total of 13 European captains in the NHL, but the most significant development is that of the nine teams that named new captains this season, six of them chose European players. That would have been seven had Alex Ovechkin accepted the captaincy in Washington. Instead, Chris Clark is keeping it warm until Ovechkin is ready.
It's only natural the trend is beginning now, since it has only been about 10 years that all of Europe has truly opened up to the NHL. Since then, Europe has produced every kind of player, from elegant statesmen (Mats Sundin, Nicklas Lidstrom), to gritty and determined competitors (Saku Koivu), to lethal combinations of power and skill (Forsberg), to defensive stalwarts (Mattias Norstrom).
Timonen said gone are the days when players are uneasy about having a European captain. In fact, he was named to the job in Nashville first after being approached by coach Barry Trotz, then being confirmed in a vote by the Predators players.
"I was a little surprised because we have some great leaders here like Paul Kariya and Steve Sullivan and Jason Arnott," Timonen said. "The guys here have been very supportive."
http://sports.sympatico.msn.ca/
"Some people skate to the puck. I skate to where the puck is going to be."
~Wayne Gretzky
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| 5 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| B-rett10 |
Posted - 12/17/2006 : 14:40:35
Forsberg I do not like as captain on Philly it should be Gagne and Forsberg as an assitsant. |
| Guest4101 |
Posted - 12/17/2006 : 13:30:37
There's something about Canadian captains. Maybe some leadership they learn in all the hockey-craziness that goes on in their childhoods around here? Grit, determination, perseverance, drive to win the Cup. Most Canadian hockey players start off skating as pre-schoolers these days, joining their first leagues around 5-6... even the ones that don't make it big. Their lives are hockey. I guess anyone who loves the game that much must really have the willpower to push for that cup.
Canadian franchises themselves haven't won the cup in a while, but that's because, ironicallly, they are largely made up of European players. 2004 cup champions the Tampa Bay Lightning had something like 19 Canadians on the roster altogether. A lot of Canada was actually cheering for the Lightning to support Maritime favourite Brad Richards, old man Dave Andreychuk who desperately needed an end to his cup drought, and many others.
I think it's worth noting that although Canadian franchises have been deprived of the cup since 1993, the only ones to make it to the cup final lately are the only two with Canadian captains: the Edmonton Oilers, and the Calgary Flames. |
| ultimatetitman |
Posted - 12/01/2006 : 13:47:09
quote:
Originally posted by Guest4401
Really? I thought Niedermayer was from BC?
Just buggin!
That was me... I hate anonymous quotes.
Great article Pucker! |
| Guest4401 |
Posted - 12/01/2006 : 13:45:42
Really? I thought Niedermayer was from BC?
Just buggin! |
| bablaboushka |
Posted - 11/30/2006 : 11:04:21
It's going to have to wait another year because in '07 it will be a Saskatchewan native who will be the first to hoist the Cup! |
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