Helllooo
So, if anyone cares I am going to put my paper that I wrote for my college writing class on here. It’s about hockey but I am pretty proud of it, so if you do read it, please let me know what you think.
The National Hockey League is the toughest league in professional sports, their eighty-two game season, plus playoffs, is an intense battle where men punish their bodies night after night, shift after shift. These men are unlike any other men in professional sports, they train harder, and they play harder. These men are led by Captains who wear the “C” on their jersey. The letter “C” is just a letter, until it’s put on the front of a jersey. Mark Messier, Steve Yzerman, Wayne Gretzky, these names are just a few of the past great leaders in hockey history who all wore a “C” on their jersey.
With the new generation of hockey players we see an emergence of a different type of captain, a person who worries more about his team than himself, a person who gives his all every night. With thirty teams in the National Hockey League (NHL), there are many Captains to choose from. However, only a select few fit the mold to what I feel is the proper Captain. Sherry Jean, a hockey blogger and hockey fan in Toronto, had this to say when I asked her what she felt the definition of a hockey Captain was, “I think the definition of a Captain in hockey is, somebody who can listen and has a good beat on the feeling in the room. Somebody who can lead by example and get the troops going.” Captains come in variety of personalities ranging from the silent follow-me to the star player, and then to the tough guy who stands up for his teammates when they need him to.
The Colorado Avalanche have a hockey legend for a Captain, he’s the longest serving Captain in the NHL. Joe Sakic is a veteran of 1,347 NHL games and still counting. Sakic leads by example; he’s not a leader who yells and screams in the locker room, but when he does speak, people listen. He is one of the classiest men in hockey. In an article written on April 21, 2004, Terry Frei, a columnist at ESPN, talked to the Coach of the Colorado Avalanche, Tony Granato, about Joe’s leadership ability. He had this to say, “Joe’s always been the guy that has stepped forward and shown it on the ice. He’s a quiet leader, he’s not going to come out and say things every second in the locker room, but when Joe says something it means something. His record speaks for itself, not only with what he does on the ice, but with the kind of person he is off the ice and the way he represents himself in the room.”
On the opposite end of the spectrum there is Rob Blake, an aggressive defensemen for the Los Angeles Kings. Blake is not like Sakic in any way shape or form. His leadership is very vocal, and his dominating presence on the ice is always noticed. I recall watching him in a game recently, when rookie defensemen Jack Johnson hit Colorado Avalanche forward Ryan Smyth into the boards, a clean hit, but Smyth was knocked out cold and was taken to the hospital. The Avalanche tried to get back at Johnson, every attempt was cut off by Rob Blake. Blake dropped his gloves and stood up for his rookie. That’s the kind of guy he is, willing to take a hit for his teammate right or wrong. Blake is always talking to the referees about the penalties they are calling or things he notices about plays. The Kings are a team full of rookies, who don’t know much about the league just yet. Blake’s voice in the locker room and presence on the ice is much needed for the young Kings.
Sidney Crosby is the youngest Captain in the National Hockey League, and is the youngest player to ever wear the “C.” Crosby earned the “C” in just his third NHL season and at only nineteen years old. Most people know Sidney Crosby as the face of the NHL. The NHL uses him to promote the sport, constantly dubbing him “the next great one.” Crosby is the face of the Pittsburgh Penguins, that one player everyone thinks of when they hear the words Pittsburgh Penguins. Crosby shows his leadership skills on the ice; he is capable of almost anything it seems. There are no boundaries for Sid the Kid. Crosby is slowly earning respect around the league; however he is learning what it means to be a Captain. Earlier this season he got into his first hockey fight, standing up for himself, but also sending a message to his teammates to step it up. Last season, even before Crosby was named Captain of the Penguins, he lead his team into the playoffs, and was the hardest working player for the Penguins. When the Penguins were eliminated in the first round it was revealed that Crosby had a broken ankle. He didn’t want to miss the playoffs because he wanted to lead his team to victory, he wanted to help them get there. He will be one of the best Captains in the National Hockey league in the not too distant future.
Shane Doan is one of the more interesting Captains in the NHL he is what I like to call the “Super Captain.” He definitely has all of the attributes of a great Captain. His leadership can be considered the follow me or he can stand up for his teammates when he has to by dropping the gloves, and he can score goals when his team needs him to the most. Doan has been with the Phoenix Coyotes since they moved from Winnipeg and became the Phoenix Coyotes. Doan was also named Captain of Team Canada over the summer, with much adversity, including federal opposition in Quebec due to allegedly making derogatory comments to a French Canadian linesman. Doan ended up leading the Canadians to gold. Doan is a force on the ice, he can play any style of hockey, he hits hard, he scores, he can fight, and he is a leader. Tracy Tanner, a Phoenix Coyotes fan had this to say when I asked her about her Captain, “My captain is Shane Doan. It’s a proven fact that my team just plays better when he’s on the ice. We’ve had a couple games when he’s been injured and we just didn’t have that spark. Doaner is our heart and soul and he always gives his all on the ice. He doesn’t play selfish hockey. He really cares more about the team than himself. He signed a contract this summer for less than he may have received somewhere else (considering the length and terms of these season’s free agents contracts) because he wanted to keep his kids where they’ve grown up and he believed in the direction the Coyotes were going in. He’s been with this franchise since we became the Coyotes and I truly believe that he loves this organization and everything about it.” Doan is unselfish and never gives up. The young Coyotes are in a playoff race thanks to his amazing leadership.
There are thirty teams in the National Hockey League and thirty Captains. All of them have different attributes to being a great leader. Whether it’s the quiet guys like Joe Sakic, or the over-zealous leader in Rob Blake, or the young leader, Sidney Crosby, or the Super Captain, Shane Doan, all of these men get the most out of their teams every single night by the example they set on and off the ice.
