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The Captaincy question

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Slegr

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When this season started, I was a bit surprised that they hadn't yet made Horvat the captain of the Canucks. I wasn't sure why they wanted to wait - did he really need more time, with less pressure on him?

 

Then I saw what EP40 brings to the team. He may very well turn out to be the best Canuck of all time. Forgot the Calder, in some circles his name comes up in Hart trophy discussions already. 

 

So now I wonder, who really should be the captain of this team? It's a bit of apples to oranges, but I think back to Gretzky and Messier on the Oilers. One was pure offense, while Messier brought some sandpaper and more traditional leadership qualities (although we as Canucks fans can rightfully dispute that). But it was #99 who was the captain, because, ultimately, he was a superior player. On the flip side, we had Linden and Bure play together, with Linden getting the captaincy.. although to be fair, Linden was given the captaincy before Bure even arrived.

 

This season, Horvat is having a record year offensively. He also plays responsibly at both ends of the ice. Still, if we have an opportunity to give one of these players the captaincy, and in 10 years from now, we'll be looking back on it, reflecting on whether it was the right decision, who do you think it should go to? I'm leaning more towards EP40 every passing day.

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2 minutes ago, Slegr said:

When this season started, I was a bit surprised that they hadn't yet made Horvat the captain of the Canucks. I wasn't sure why they wanted to wait - did he really need more time, with less pressure on him?

 

Then I saw what EP40 brings to the team. He may very well turn out to be the best Canuck of all time. Forgot the Calder, in some circles his name comes up in Hart trophy discussions already. 

 

So now I wonder, who really should be the captain of this team? It's a bit of apples to oranges, but I think back to Gretzky and Messier on the Oilers. One was pure offense, while Messier brought some sandpaper and more traditional leadership qualities (although we as Canucks fans can rightfully dispute that). But it was #99 who was the captain, because, ultimately, he was a superior player. On the flip side, we had Linden and Bure play together, with Linden getting the captaincy.. although to be fair, Linden was given the captaincy before Bure even arrived.

 

This season, Horvat is having a record year offensively. He also plays responsibly at both ends of the ice. Still, if we have an opportunity to give one of these players the captaincy, and in 10 years from now, we'll be looking back on it, reflecting on whether it was the right decision, who do you think it should go to? I'm leaning more towards EP40 every passing day.

I still think you gotta give it to Bo, this is his team. Plus took a discount to play here and is the hardest working player most nights. This team needs a captain badly in my opinion!  

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It's really hard to say, as we just see these guys in tv clips and read some of their comments.  We don't know how they interact with their teammates.  Captaincy isn't always based on who is the best player; see Toes/Kane. 

 

Bo seems to interact with his teammates a lot and I have heard former teammates mention him several times (just as Burr did last night).  He seems to have the qualities of a good captain and certainly shows that he never gives up during a game.  He already seems like the captain.

 

If the team chooses EP, I would be fine with that.  Bo is still a team leader.

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It will be Horvat without question.

 

If you've listened to comments Petey's teammates have made about his demeanor, they all indicate that he is quiet, reserved, and doesn't say much - those aren't things that people say about a future NHL captain. That isn't to say that Petey isn't a great teammate or player, simply that he isn't NHL captain material. 

 

On the other hand you have Horvat who is continually the first to deal with the media after a tough loss, the first guy on the ice in practice, and continually the guy speaking up on hot topic matters. That is what makes Horvat captain material.

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Hughes, Pettersson, and Bo are all candidates imo. Boeser looks up to pettersson you can see it when he looks at him. Bo is a hell of an on ice leader and workhorse. Hughes might be the next great American D man.

 

Hughes looks like a franchise defenceman.

 

So who do you name or reward with such a title? I would vote for whom rises to the big stage. Benning has added several of those players. 

 

Horvat, Pettersson, Boeser, Juolevi, DiPietro etc. Demko played pretty good too. 

 

I think what we need is a playoff run to really see who rises to the occasion when it matters most. Bo did in his 14/15 playoff run plus his OHL championship gwg. We have a lot of big game players. I love it.

 

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7 minutes ago, Fateless said:

If you've listened to comments Petey's teammates have made about his demeanor, they all indicate that he is quiet, reserved, and doesn't say much - those aren't things that people say about a future NHL captain. That isn't to say that Petey isn't a great teammate or player, simply that he isn't NHL captain material. 

It's interesting, as Linden was actually known as a quiet leader who let his actions on the ice do his speaking, as was Naslund. You could argue Henrik was pretty reserved early on too. I think some of those characteristics can be taught over time. 

 

I'm just thinking that EP's stats are already through the roof, and the guy owned the Swedish Elite League. He could very well be a Hart Trophy winner down the road. People pay to see him. He already has several game winning goals. Would it be a mistake not to give him the C?

 

And this isn't to say Horvat wouldn't be a good captain - I think he would. It's just, we have something very special with Pettersson, and it would almost seem wrong not to think of him as a potential captain.

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I was always on the Horvat train, captain material. But saying that, Horvat is a workhorse, but not the best player on the team. Nor, centering the top line. Bo is great in front of the media, but so is Pettersson. His death stare puts them in their place. I would be fine with either Bo or Elias. Maybe the Canucks are waiting to see if they get the 1st at the Draft before making any decisions. My guess is: if they get the #1 and draft Jack Hughes, then Horvat could eventually be traded.   

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Just now, 189lb enforcers? said:

Horvat has not sent messages to the opposition though being able to.

 

This part has surprised me. I really thought Horvat would have been standing up for teammates more than he has this year. But if that's not part of his repertoire,then what exactly is making him the default captain in many people's minds?  It also confused me as to why he wasn't already given the captaincy if he was meant to be our next captain. It would have made the most sense to give it to him before this season started. He's not a rookie anymore - he's in his fifth season. Why the hesitancy by Canucks management?

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It seems to me like Horvat has kind of taken a step back this year - with his presence. Last year, it really appeared that the Sedins were passing the torch to him and it would become his team. This year, even though he's still producing good numbers, he doesn't seem to exactly be leading this team. He's been saying for a year that he would be honoured to wear the C one day and he went out and did everything he could to carry the team on his back and win games. Now, he just seems like another shut-down centerman who quietly goes about his business. Is he doing less interviews too? I wonder if Bo feels slighted by Canucks management for giving his all in previous years, proving himself to be captain worthy, and then having management tell him they're not ready to assign the C to anyone yet.  

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You guys are hilarious. Bo is already the unofficial captain, its only a matter of time until he is wearing the C. Clearly the management group decided that if they were to give him the C this year it would put unessarry pressue on one guy if the team was in the bottom of the standings again.

 

Bo will be wearing a C come next sept without a doubt. Not even debatable. 

 

 

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