WHO IS THE CAPTAIN?

Teams from every sport have been led by captains since the dawn of games being played. The origins come straight from the battle fields where soldiers looked to officers for leadership and direction. As in war, not every officer is of the same quality and that’s certainly the case for the captains of junior hockey teams.

The captaincy of any hockey team is an honor that comes with higher expectations and responsibilities. Even the boys with the “A” on the sweater completely comprehend that the man with the “C” is different, and that is never mistaken.

Hockey captains are seldom the best players on the team, or the fastest, or even the toughest, so why is he the captain? What is more important than the ability to play? The ability to lead. He leads by example on and off the ice. His leadership abilities can not only influence the outcome of a hockey game, it can also be instrumental is the maturation process of the players on his team.

Accepting the role as captain comes with tremendous responsibilities that should never be taken lightly. Having the confidence to represent, and defend, teammates’ actions is a rare trait that most players simply do not possess.

The captain of a junior hockey club is the voice of the team. He’s the one man every player looks to first, often even before the coach, in the heat of a battle. Again, he’s not always going to be the best player, but more times than not, he’s the best person. He knows what makes each of his teammates tick, who plays the best with who, the heartaches of the healthy scratches, the level of pain an injured player is experiencing, and most of all, how to put all the parts together to make the machine. The coach may be the driver, but the captain is certainly the mechanic.

More than any other sport, hockey is fluid, and the captain has to have the ability to adjust on the fly and be turn creativity into production. His leadership is vital, as is his knowledge of every player’s skillset.

The best captains lead by example. The expectation is that he can not only implement the game plan but also has the presence to identify tendencies of the opponent and make alterations to the coach’s system to take advantage of their counterpart’s weaknesses. The captain is the master of the game within the game.

The captain takes that another step further regarding what happens in the locker room, in the gym, and even in the community. The smart captain protects younger players from overzealous, and often criminal, hazing rituals. He protects the identity of the team by quickly addressing individual stupidity.

Back on the ice, the captain must have the hockey intelligence to know when, and how, to address the officials in the event of a bad call. The captain knows when to intercede when an opponent is consistently getting the best of a teammate. He knows when a physical message needs to be sent and he knows exactly how to disrupt the rhythm of the opponents’ best players.

The captain often spends more time watching game film than the coaches. The insight from that investment of time is one of the key factors in gaining the respect of his team: and that’s a valuable asset to that team’s on ice success.

He has to be the hardest working player on the ice, each and every time he puts on the skates. He takes the time to work with the goalies and individual skill development with teammates.

All this responsibility comes with a great deal of pressure and the title is not for everyone. He was selected as the captain because of his communication skills, his leadership abilities, and his knowledge of the game and team.

Let’s be realistic, the team is his team, and he is the team.

There are very few players. from the junior level of play. that have the experience to elevate their individual character to perfectly deal with the crushing weight of the captaincy.

We can’t all be the captain of our teams, but we can be the captain of our lives. Support the team captain when he’s doing the job right, but at the same time, don’t be timid when it’s time to speak up when something is wrong.

As in life, the goal must be to do a little better job at it today than what happened yesterday. The same goes for teammates, we all must push a bit harder in practice, games, and the gym. We also have to try and eat, hydrate, and rest with more efficiency. Just as important, we should all strive to work better as a team while also trying to be a better person.

Make the most of these days as a junior hockey player because only the memories last forever. That captain will very likely be a friend for life, your support of him now could easily turn into his support of you for the next 70 years.