Who should choose the captain: the players or the bosses?
Posted at 7:24
The bosses of the Canadian decided that it would be themselves. They therefore proceeded to nominate Nick Suzuki, without allowing his teammates to vote.
Is it undemocratic?
Yes.
Is it against the tradition of the team?
Itou. But it was still the right decision to make. Because elections, in sports locker rooms, are sometimes false good ideas.
Remember the vote for the captain of the Canadiens in 1989. Guy Carbonneau and Chris Chelios finished tied after two rounds of voting.
“This story did not create a war, but it caused small colds between the players”, explained Carbonneau, the day of his appointment. “When Bobby Smith hosted Bob Gainey’s going away party, a few guys suggested he was campaigning for the job. Comments like that are not nice. »
Carbonneau then admitted to having feared such reactions from his teammates. “I spoke with my wife for three days before hosting my teammates for brunch. We played softball in the afternoon on a field close to the house. It was natural to receive the group. However, I was afraid of being accused of looking after my candidacy. Eventually everyone came. I would not have liked to hear that my invitation had been dictated by opportunism. »
In 2015, the Canadiens once again found themselves in the midst of an electoral campaign. A few days before the vote, PK Subban held a major press conference to announce his intention to raise $10 million for the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation. A very popular gesture with supporters. The public voted for him to become club captain. Two days later, Subban’s teammates preferred Max Pacioretty as captain. “Max got a majority vote. I won’t go into details, but let’s say we didn’t need to count twice, ”commented general manager Marc Bergevin.
When the vote is unanimous, everyone rejoices. But when the result is tight, it can sting pride. Who voted for me? Against me ? It can create loopholes. It can encourage the formation of cliques.
I do not know if the direction of the Canadian anticipated a division of the vote. Regardless, she avoided a lot of trouble by slicing herself. It’s much less painful to be pushed aside by your bosses than by your teammates. Especially for a veteran, who has the feeling of having gone to the front with “his boys”.
This partly explains why the bosses prefer to appoint the captain themselves. This is common practice, especially when young players are involved. It was not Gabriel Landeskog’s teammates who voted him captain of the Colorado Avalanche at 19. They are Joe Sakic and Joe Sacco. It was the bosses of the Pittsburgh Penguins who gave the C to Sidney Crosby, at the same age. It was Jacques Demers who imposed Steve Yzerman, 21, as captain of the Detroit Red Wings. Even Derek Jeter, the great captain of the New York Yankees, was nominated by the team owner, not elected by his teammates.
Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson also chose his captains. He compared the role of the captain to that of a section chief in a company. “He’s the person responsible for making sure that the agenda of the organization is adhered to,” he explained in an essay on leadership, a subject he taught for several years at the Harvard University.
The current head coach of the Canadiens, Martin St-Louis, also speaks with knowledge. He was a longtime member of the Tampa Bay Lightning leadership committee, before being named team captain in 2013. According to him, the captain must be the choice of management. “We had communications with the players,” he said Monday. At the end of the day, it’s not a popularity vote. »
No, the Canadian is not a democratic regime. Like almost all private companies, for that matter.
Now, was Nick Suzuki the best choice?
Ah! that’s another debate. Does he have all the qualities of a good captain? Those determined by journalist Sam Walker, who studied the biggest franchises in history for his book The Captain Class ?
I already listed them in a column, but since it was before the pandemic, I gladly forgive you for forgetting. Here they are again.
1. An aggressive style of play that tests the limits of the rules;
2. A willingness to do the thankless work behind the scenes;
3. Emotional control;
4. Extreme tenacity in competition;
5. Discreet and democratic communication;
6. An ability to motivate others without talking;
7. The courage to stand out.
Nick Suzuki owns several. All? Not sure his style of play is testing the limits of the rules. Of his teammates, perhaps Brendan Gallagher and Joel Edmundson tick just as many boxes. Except that their role in the team is not as important as that of Suzuki, the best player in the club.
This is a factor to be taken into account. Milan Hejduk was well aware of this reality when he presented his C to Gabriel Landeskog. “The captain must be someone with a significant role in the team. Probably on the first two lines, which was no longer my case. It’s a bit weird to play on the third or fourth line, and to be captain. I did not feel well. »
Under the circumstances, Nick Suzuki was the best choice.
Even if the players didn’t vote.