And the “C” goes to…
The first thing to make clear immediately is that you should not in any way be persuaded by what Don Cherry says about European captains and hockey championships. In an earlier conversation about the Rangers and their potential captaincy, Gabriel Landeskog’s name came up. The friend with whom I was having the conversation immediately mentioned Cherry and his ridiculous statement about European NHL captains and the Stanley Cup. First of all, it’s apples to oranges in comparing the OHL to the NHL (just ask Jeff Skinner). And secondly, Cherry’s theory was laid to rest by Niklas Lidstrom in 2008, with the Detroit Red Wings (how quickly we forget). One thing that is noteworthy, perhaps, is that Lidstrom is from Sweden. Just sayin’.
Anyway, to Landeskog. He’s a terrific choice for captain on a team that had several options. There was a lot of chatter about Matt Tipoff and Jason Akeson and even Ryan Murphy. And each of those choices has merit but, as we learned in the movie “Highlander,” there can be only one. And Gabriel is a good one. This is a young man that carries himself well on AND off the ice. He’s got an extraordinary work ethic and he’s willing to accept the responsibility. For proof, look no further than the fight with Ben Dubois while Owen Sound was in town last week. It might have been a mismatch but even without the “C” on his jersey Landeskog was exuding leadership. He wears the new title well.
I’m sure trainer Danny Lebold already has the letter stitched onto the jersey. You can see Landeskog displaying it on Tuesday night when London comes to town.
See ya at the rink.
