This week, theScore's hockey editors are evaluating the best captains from each NHL club since the 2000-01 season. The selections are based on individual and team success, as well as popularity and the character shown by the choices during their tenures in this era.
Pacific | Central | Atlantic (April 17)
Carolina Hurricanes
The hockey world has gotten a better sense for Rod Brind’Amour's leadership since he took over as head coach of the Hurricanes prior to the 2018-19 campaign. Brind’Amour the coach isn’t all that different from Brind’Amour the player: emotional, fearless, gritty, and a tireless worker.
When the leader of your team - whether it’s a coach or captain - is the hardest worker, that motivates everyone else. That's "Rod the Bod" to a tee. He wore the “C” in Carolina for his final five seasons, leading the franchise to its only Stanley Cup win in 2006. Both Ron Francis and Eric Staal were great captains too, but Brind’Amour is on another level.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Rick Nash only served as the Blue Jackets' captain for five seasons, and he wasn't given the role until midway through the 2007-08 campaign despite blossoming into a superstar not long after Columbus drafted him first overall in 2002. However, his impact on the organization was ultimately profound.
In his first full year as captain, Nash led the Blue Jackets to their first playoff appearance, and he'd eventually become the franchise leader in games played, goals, assists, and points. He also won the NHL's Foundation Player Award in 2009 for his charitable work. Nash exemplified what it meant to be a captain on and off the ice. While his tenure wasn't long, his legacy as Columbus’ greatest player and captain of all time lives on.
New Jersey Devils
Scott Stevens may have only been the Devils' captain until the 2003-2004 season, but the team's results during his tenure vastly outweigh those of his successors.
New Jersey captured the Stanley Cup in 2000 (with Stevens winning the Conn Smythe Trophy), lost in Game 7 of the Cup Final in 2001, and won it again in 2003. He didn't put up big offensive numbers, but no one intimidated opposing skaters like Stevens, and his leadership during the Devils' glory years was unquestioned.
New York Islanders
Islanders fans are going to despise this choice, but John Tavares is the team's best player over the last 20 years. He donned the “C” for five seasons, putting him tied for the second-longest tenure as captain in franchise history. He’s also one of two captains since 1992-93 to lead the Isles out of the first round of the playoffs (Anders Lee is the other).
There’s a case to be made for Michael Peca, a gritty, heart-and-soul, two-way center who guided the Islanders to three playoff berths in his three years as captain. But he never won a playoff series with New York, and his tenure was brief.
Tavares is considered a villain these days on Long Island after leaving in free agency for Toronto, but he did more for the club during his time as captain than Peca.
New York Rangers
This was the toughest pick to make, and it's important to note the era in question. Mark Messier is arguably the greatest Ranger of all time and one of the best-ever NHL players, but his glory days as New York's captain came in his first stint during the 90s. His second stint wasn't as successful for both himself and the team, with the Rangers missing the playoffs in all four seasons.
New York's lone Stanley Cup Final appearance over the last two decades came after the club traded captain Ryan Callahan to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2014. Therefore, the choice is Ryan McDonagh.
Under his guidance, the team made the conference final in 2015. He matched Messier for the longest tenure as the Rangers' captain in this era, and New York made more trips to the playoffs with McDonagh as captain (three) than it has with anyone else since 2000-01.
Philadelphia Flyers
Claude Giroux has led the charge for the Flyers since 2012-13, and while the club hasn't gone on any playoff runs in that span, he's one of the most prolific scorers in franchise history.
With one more full season under his belt, Giroux should move into second on the team's all-time points and games played lists behind only Bobby Clarke. His production ranks strongly among both Flyers greats and the best players of this generation. Since Giroux became a captain, only Sidney Crosby, Patrick Kane, and Alex Ovechkin have recorded more points.
Pittsburgh Penguins
In just his third NHL season, a 19-year-old Sidney Crosby became the youngest player ever at the time to be named captain. By the end of that decade, "Sid the Kid" had already captured the Art Ross, Hart, Lester B. Pearson (now Ted Lindsay Award), and "Rocket Richard" trophies, in addition to leading the Penguins to a championship in 2009.
Since then, it's been much of the same from No. 87. Crosby ranks second in points and assists this decade, and fifth in goals, even while sitting 110th in games played. Pittsburgh has made the postseason in each of his 12 campaigns at the helm, and in 2017, the team became the first in 19 years to capture back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, with Crosby earning the Conn Smythe Trophy each time.
Washington Capitals
The best player in franchise history is also by far its greatest leader. The Capitals have missed the playoffs just once during Alex Ovechkin's 11-year run as captain, and they captured their first Stanley Cup in 2018 with him leading.
In addition to the club's success, Ovi's individual accolades as captain put him in rarified air. "The Great 8" is one of just three players - along with Steve Yzerman and Mario Lemieux - to notch five 50-plus-goal seasons as captains. Had the 2019-20 campaign not been suspended, Ovechkin would have likely become the first captain to achieve that feat six times.
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