posted by habsbloggergirl
It’s summer, the weather is finally starting to get warmer, and here I am thinking about hockey. The loss of all of our unrestricted free agents, as well as Chris Higgins, was a bit of a shocker, at least to me, and I had resorted to ignoring hockey for a little while. I needed to sort out how I felt about the team, and to be honest, I’m still not so sure. They sure aren’t the Montreal Canadiens we knew and loved anymore, not without Saku or Kovalev, even Komisarek and Higgins. But for the first time in a long time, we actually got some players when the free agent market opened, but what that means is still unclear to me. Right now our team seems like a bunch of randomly chosen players that don’t seem to fit together in any plausible way. We are all hoping that chemistry forms between some of the newcomers, and that Mike Cammalleri finds a way to repeat his great season, but I’m trying to keep my expectations low, because on the off chance they do have chemistry, I wouldn’t mind being surprised by it. It’s sure better than being disappointed if things don’t go our way.
There is something worrying me though, and that is the fact that Jacques Martin is at least entertaining the possibility of not having a captain. I think this is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. He claims that it worked in Florida and on some other teams, and so it may be an option for Montreal. Did it really work though? Florida didn’t win a cup… so not really. They didn’t even make the playoffs. In my opinion, there needs to be a set leader. Without one, there will be no one who sets an example, no one to talk to players who are having difficulty, no one to step up in the room after a bad period, and no one to make everyone feel like part of the team. Even with co-captains, I think that it wouldn’t work as well. It would cause decision-making to take longer, and I feel as though it would be more of a hindrance to have two opinions in that type of situation than a help. So a little obsessively, I decided to see how right he was right by compiling some data. In NHL history (but only including the current NHL teams), there have been 101 occasions where there was no captain or more than one captain. On only 3 of those occasions have teams ever won a Stanley Cup. Twice it was the Bruins, in 69-70 and 71-72 who had no captain, and once was the Flames in 88-89 who had Co-Captains. For both the Bruins’ cups they had Bobby Orr… No offense to Gomez or Gionta, or any of the rest of the newcomers, but none of them even come near to the point totals or plus/minus he had, and he was a defenceman! We can’t compare exactly, because clearly the league was different 40 years ago, but still, no one compares to him. So if that is the case, how can we even think that we can get far without a captain!
The question is… who? Personally, I think that it should be Markov. Despite the language barrier, he is clearly a player that all the others look up to. His English is not bad at all, and if they make Lapierre and Gorges alternate captains, the entire city would be happy and Markov wouldn’t have to do as many interviews, since they could take care of a lot of them for him. There is no one else left. Some are suggesting Gomez, but I really don’t think that would be good. He’s new in town and doesn’t yet know the pressure that the Montreal fans and more importantly the media provide. Markov is our best player. He loves Montreal. He’s not a fan of change so would want to stay here for a while. He’s a good person. Whoever has to fill Saku’s shoes is in for a challenge. I think Markov is the man for the job.
I completely agree that Cammy, Gionta and Gomez should be out of the running. With their 1st season in Montreal (and the francophone culture), the last thing they need is to try to take on leadership of the team as well. It takes a special kind of leader to be able to sign with a new team and immediately become the undisputed leader. Nothing against those 3 agents, but none of them are those kind of guys.
I have to be honest… I questioned your selection of Markov for captain until I looked at the roster. There's NO ONE! And I love the idea to have Lapierre and Gorges as the assitant captains to alleviate some of Markov's pressure.
Either way… great question to think about over the offseason. Just make Price the captain and be done with it… LOL
This is a question I've been thinking about for a while too.
It seems to me there is not clear answer other then Markov. He's the best player (arguably), been in Montreal for a long time…. Not sure how he'd respond to the opportunity. Maybe he'd really take to it, it's just hard to tell because he almost seems shy.
I'd have to agree on giving an A to Lapierre. For sure.
One thing I'd like to mention about Cammalleri… you mentioned repeating his great season… he's actually had 2 very similar seasons.
2006-2007 : 81 games 34 goals 46 assists for 80 points
2008-2009 : 81 games 39 goals 43 assists for 82 points
The season in between he missed some games due to injury.
I really view Cammalleri a little differently then some of the other guys who play one strong year, go UFA,cash in and don't repeat…. I think Cammalleri is here to play. He's already had 2 seasons averaging about 1 point per game and he's 27.
Watching him in a few of the video interviews I really liked his attitude… knows the rich tradition of the organisation…
I'm an optimist… ;-)
Nice summer time Habs blog. Nice work!
It seems like no one can put a finger on how this team will come together. You took time away from hockey, while I've been deeply entrenched (as I always am) and neither of us have any idea how this team will come together. It's such a radical change in personnel and philosophy that it would be impossible to have a clear view.
As for the captain issue, I think that a captain should be someone who deserves to wear the 'C'. Someone who can wear the 'C' and do it justice. I also agree that outside of a very very select few, you do NOT give it to an unrestricted free agent signing. Not in the first year, and certainly not in training camp. The rest of the roster carries very little in captain material. Markov is the only real choice, but at that, I don't think he's "captain material". Yes he's the longest serving Canadien, and aside from Price, he's the most important player we have (perhaps he's even more precious than Price). But I don't think that necessarily means that he gets to be captain.
What does a captain do? He's the liaison between the players and coaching staff. He's speaks to the coaches on behalf of a player or player(s). He speaks to certain players or to the group as a whole on behalf of the coaches. He may be a motivational figure. He may be a disciplinary figure in some respect. He leads by example on the ice.
Which of those can Markov accomplish? I don't know, and neither do any of us. But from what we know about Markov, he's apparently a very quiet guy who goes about his business. Could he be the voicepiece for the players and the coaches? If you put a gun to my head, I'd say no. Given his quiet nature, I'd say anything that requires him to speak – motivation, discipline, are not things that are in Markov's repetoire. We all have eyeballs and see that he leads by example on the ice. The Canadiens are simply useless without him (0-7-1) without him down the stretch if memory serves.
Is that enough to just hand him the captaincy? If he agrees, and if Martin agrees, then who are we to argue? It *could* work.
But for the sake of our debate, I'm going to say that the Habs have no clear cut captain and we should start the season with 3 assistant/alterate captains. From there, I let the group produce the natural leader, whoever that is.
Naming a captain, just for the sake of naming a captain is not smart IMO. Just because you're the Montreal Canadiens doesn't mean you have to continue the tradition. It's not about the past, it's about now and the future. Let's put a bow on the first 100 seasons and put it away. It's now season 1 of the next century for the team and time to let things take their natural course.
I realize that whatever decision is made, people will complain and be upset. If a captain is named, fans and media will criticize. If a captain is not named, those same people will cry travesty that the glorious history of the Habs has been disrespected.
In the end I certainly am not smart enough to figure this out. The pros and cons and the intangibles from either decision are beyond anyone…but they are fun to talk about!
@MattReitz… imagine if it was Price?!?! haha… I feel like he'd have a nervous breakdown after the first week. Maybe in the distant distant distant future…. He definitely needs to find himself before he can even think about leading others. I agree with you on everything though! Thanks for your comment!
@Yves… I'm completely with you on Cammalleri…I was so happy that we got him!! He was one of my favorite players in the league who wasn't on the Habs last year! I can't wait to see him play. And you are right… he has a really great personality. He's the only new guy who actually makes me excited to start the season!
@kyleroussel… you have a lot of good points. I agree mainly, but I just think it's important to have a captain… not necessarily just for the sake of it, but just so that we have someone guiding the team who's in an authority position. Markov may not be the most talkative, but the guys clearly respect him, and I feel like he would speak up if there was a problem (if I remember correctly, Komisarek said that Markov would shout on the ice telling people what to do when something went wrong). As you said he leads by example, but it's hard for us to see how he is in the dressing room so we can't really judge as fairly as we would like to. I think that it would be nice if the players could put it too a vote. They see daily who the leaders are, and I think that their decision would probably be better than Martin's. But again, you never know. I guess we'll find out soon enough!
Thank you all for the comments!
Good article habsbloggergirl!
The next captain for the Montreal Canadiens is a very important topic that many of us have been thinking about for some time. Let's hope, at the very least, that Jacques Martin has been given an equal amount of attention to this issue.
I, too, was disturbed to hear that coach Martin was considering starting the year without designating a captain. Rotating the captaincy or having 3 assistants are silly gimmicks used by coaches who are afraid to make decisions. The absence of a true leader will provide opportunities for division.
I agree that Andrei Markov is the "man for the job". He is the best player on the team and really the only player who deserves consideration. Captains don't always have to be the most vocal or charismatic to get a message to their teammates. A good example is Nicklas Lidstrom.
Mike Cammalleri has the personality of a leader and will be a star on the ice. Scott Gomez has held leadership positions in the past. Both would be excellent choices as assistant captains.
Max Lapierre had a break-out season finally showing he could fill the 3rd line center position albeit with 1st line ice time. However Lapierre was prone to bouts of immaturity and irresponsible play, not to mention his complete disappearance in the playoffs.
Lapierre and Gorges are only being considered as assistants for their popularity with fans and to provide a 'good quote' to the media.
But leadership positions should be selected on how they will benefit the team, not the fans and media.
Respect is the single most important quality in choosing a leader. Captains and assistants must have the respect of their teammates.
Markov, Gomez and Cammalleri fulfill that requirement.
Markov would be my first choice based on the current roster.
Although I would expect that Gomez would be in the running as well.
Best case scenario is Gainey is not done wheeling and dealing and he brings in a true leader.
http://dropthemike.com/?q=canadiens&submit=Drop
@ The Rocket: I think that Mike Cammalleri and Scott Gomez would make good A's as well but I'm not only considering Gorges and Lapierre for their popularity with the fans and media.
Last year all of players kept saying that Gorges was one of the most well liked players on the team. They all loved and respected him and I think he'd do a good job. The only question mark for me is how stern he could be with players doing a bad job… but like encouraging others as well as leading by example, he's already got those things down.
As for Lapierre, I think he's another guy that the others like. He seems to be friendly with everyone on the team, he's good with the media, and he works really hard on the ice. I also think he'd have no problem telling teammates to step it up.
Cammalleri and Gomez also have some of those qualities, but personally I'd rather people who have been playing here for years and know what to expect to be A's… But I think that in a couple of months that may change. In all honesty, I think Gomez will probably get an A… or even the C. I think Jacques Martin has a soft spot for him. But I really don't think the C would be a good idea.
@ Webmaster: I agree with you on Markov, and as I just mentioned about Gomez…. I still think that it's important to not be a new player, but we'll see what happens I guess…
Thanks for your comments!
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