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 | Metropolitan | Atlantic (April 17)

Chicago Blackhawks

Selecting Jonathan Toews is a no-brainer. "Captain Serious" has been the Blackhawks' leader since the 2008-09 season, and no other player has worn the "C" for more than two campaigns in Chicago throughout the 2000s.

During Toews' tenure, Chicago has won the Stanley Cup three times while also rattling off nine straight postseason appearances before missing out in 2017-18. Toews doesn't put up monster offensive numbers, but he's been a steady presence and often elevates his game in the playoffs.

Colorado Avalanche

Joe Sakic bolstered his first-ballot Hall of Fame credentials when he captained the Avalanche to a Stanley Cup for the second time in 2001, adding the Hart Trophy to his mantle later that summer. He led the Avalanche as captain for 16 of his 20 NHL campaigns after doing the same as a Quebec Nordiques co-captain earlier in his career.

During the era in question, Colorado qualified for the playoffs in six of Sakic's eight years as captain, including a conference final appearance one season after the aforementioned title.

Dallas Stars

The Stars were a powerhouse at the turn of the century, but Mike Modano was their captain then for only two seasons. As such, Jamie Benn gets the nod here over the original face of the franchise, as well as grittier predecessors Derian Hatcher and Brenden Morrow.

Benn's production has fallen off over the past two seasons, but he was one of the top left-wingers in the game at his peak. His run as leader in Dallas includes three playoff appearances, three postseason All-Star nominations, a scoring title, and a Hart Trophy nomination.

Minnesota Wild

The Wild didn’t name a permanent captain until Mikko Koivu was given the honor in 2009. But Koivu still deserves the recognition, even if he was one of the easiest choices on the list.

The franchise leader in points and games played, Koivu has devoted his entire career to the Wild since Minnesota drafted him sixth overall in 2001. He’s led the team to the playoffs in six of the last seven seasons, and although the veteran hasn't been able to take Minnesota beyond the second round, Koivu has been nothing but class during his long tenure with the club.

Nashville Predators

Not only was Shea Weber indisputably the Predators' best captain, he's also the most important player in the club's brief history. The 6-foot-4 blue-liner quickly asserted himself as one of the NHL's top defensemen, garnering attention for the team leaguewide with his dynamic play.

Weber helped lead the Predators to the playoffs during eight of his 11 seasons in Nashville, including four as captain. That came after the Predators had made the postseason just once in six prior campaigns.

Although he never won the Norris Trophy, Weber finished among the top four in voting for the award four times as a captain, and was twice a runner-up. He also holds the franchise record for games played, goals, and points by a defenseman.

St. Louis Blues

Plenty of worthy captains have led the Blues over the last two decades. However, Chris Pronger and Al MacInnis each only wore the “C” for two years apiece in the 2000s. Dallas Drake (two years) and Eric Brewer (four years) were noble leaders, too.

St. Louis also enjoyed plenty of success with David Backes as captain for five years, and it’s easy to forget how effective he was in his prime. However, Alex Pietrangelo is still the easy pick here after leading the Blues to a championship last season. While the impending free agent's future with the club is uncertain, he’s been a franchise pillar his entire career, and some of Pietrangelo's best seasons have come during his four campaigns as captain.

Winnipeg Jets

Blake Wheeler is the no-doubt choice. The Atlanta Thrashers didn't experience much success in their existence, mustering just one playoff appearance. But since the move to Winnipeg, the Jets have made the playoffs three times, and Wheeler has been the captain for two of those runs, including a trip to the Western Conference Final in 2018.

Wheeler is a selfless leader, as he’s switched from his preferred position of right wing to play center on multiple occasions for the betterment of the team, sometimes for long stretches.

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Most hockey fans aren't too fond of Gary Bettman, but New Jersey Devils defenseman P.K. Subban sees a lighter side of the NHL commissioner.

"Gary and I have crossed paths many times. I know that his nephews are huge Devils fans. With red carpets and awards shows, I've gotten to interact with Gary more than a lot of players have. And Gary's hilarious, in my opinion," Subban told ESPN's Emily Kaplan and Greg Wyshynski.

He added: "He's got a great personality. It's just tough to show that sometimes when you're the commissioner of a league. I think he does a good job of balancing it, and not taking himself too seriously."

NHL fans boo Bettman during drafts, Stanley Cup presentations, and other various public appearances, though he seems to embrace it by this point.

Bettman was named the league's first commissioner in 1993 and has held the position since. Under his reign, the NHL has grown rapidly across North America, placing several teams in non-traditional hockey markets to varying degrees of success. He's also been at the helm for three work stoppages, including the 2004-05 lockout that canceled the entire season.

"He's obviously a very smart businessman, to have the NHL grow to what it is now. It was very cool to have him on the show," Subban, who's hosting "NHL Hat Trick Trivia," said of Bettman's appearance on the show. "I think he's hilarious. Compared to the other (pro sports) commissioners, I'd rank him really high."

Bettman was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018.

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Wayne Gretzky and Alex Ovechkin will do battle on April 22 in a charitable series of NHL 20 in a clash dubbed "The Great One versus The Great Eight Showcase," the two confirmed to Scott Allen of The Washington Post.

The best-of-three series will be streamed on the Washington Capitals' Twitch channel and raise money for the Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation and the Edmonton Food Bank to benefit the coronavirus relief effort.

Gretzky came up with the idea after seeing a video of Ovechkin and his son playing NHL 20.

"There's been so much talk about the goal record, so there's a nice link between Alex and myself," Gretzky told Allen. "I thought we could do something that people could watch and help raise money for those who need it."

Ovechkin has long been the front-runner to catch Gretzky's all-time goal mark of 894. The 34-year-old Capitals sniper became the eighth player to reach 700 goals earlier this season.

"We have a very good connection," Ovechkin said. "We always stay in touch. It doesn't matter if there's a milestone coming up, he's always reaching out to me and saying congrats. Before my 700th goal, I was a little down and he texted me and said, 'Don't worry about it, it will come.' It's nice of him. He's a great person, and to have a relationship like that with The Great One, it means a lot to me."

Gretzky and Ovechkin won't be alone in their battle, as the former will team up with his son, Tristan, and the latter with John "JohnWayne" Casagranda, the first esports professional signed by an NHL team.

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Star KHL goalie Ilya Sorokin chose not to sign an extension with CSKA Moscow and will instead ink a deal with the New York Islanders once his contract expires on April 30, according to Sports-Express' Igor Eronko.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman confirmed Sorokin will move to the NHL next season.

Sorokin's arrival has been highly anticipated by Islanders fans since the team drafted him in the third round in 2014. The 24-year-old enjoyed a decorated career in the KHL, never posting a save percentage below .929 or a goals-against average above 1.61 in five seasons as CSKA's starter.

The 6-foot-2 netminder won a Gagarin Cup with CSKA in 2019 and was awarded playoff MVP honors, sporting a .947 save percentage and a 1.19 goals-against average in 20 postseason contests. He also took home a gold medal at the 2018 Winter Games with the Olympic Athletes from Russia, though he played only one contest during the tournament.

Sorokin is expected to share the crease with fellow Russian Semyon Varlamov, who signed a four-year, $20-million deal as a free agent last summer. Thomas Greiss, who's split time with Varlamov this campaign, is a pending unrestricted free agent.

The move brings with it the potential for an intriguing Russian goaltending rivalry in New York after Igor Shesterkin shined for the Rangers in 12 games following a midseason call-up this year.

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What is believed to be possibly the oldest known hockey stick in existence is up for grabs through Goldin Auctions.

The auction house's description says the stick dates back to the time period between the 1850s and 1870s, prior to the first recorded indoor hockey game in Montreal on March 3, 1875. It has been appraised at a value of $3.5 million.

The item has been dubbed the "Morse Stick" after its owners, Gary and Germaine Morse. It was gifted to the couple by Germaine's brother, Anthony Bean, who found it after purchasing their grandmother's house in Northfield, Vermont, in 1980.

International Hockey Hall of Fame board of directors member J.W. "Bill" Fitsell examined the stick twice and wrote in a letter to Gary Morse that he found "it to be a unique and most interesting artifact that fills the void in 19th century hockey history between shinny, ice polo, and ice hockey." The Hockey Hall of Fame has also expressed a desire to have the stick displayed there.

The auction has an opening bid of $100,000 and runs until May 16.

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Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers believes his club is on the verge of something special.

"I think we have such a good, solid core group of guys," Myers said Wednesday, according to Sportsnet's Ian MacIntyre. "You add in a piece here and there to keep developing your team.

"I guess what I’m trying to say is we're close. We're close to that point of becoming a winning team. It's just a matter of experience and getting that feeling of what it takes to win. And part of that is getting that experience in the playoffs."

The Canucks haven't made the playoffs since 2015, but they sit tied for the Western Conference's final wild-card berth with the season on hold.

Vancouver has a budding young core to thank for much of its success in 2019-20. Five of the club's top seven scorers, including blue-chip talents Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes, are 25 or younger.

"With all of our young guys, they're such drivers of the team right now," Myers said. "The development they showed this year, I think, was more than people were expecting. I think the mix of those young guys with a few more veterans we have in the room now, it came together really well."

The NHL suspended its season on March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Commissioner Gary Bettman said Wednesday any format for a return to action would need to be "fair" and give bubble teams - like the Canucks - the chance to battle for a playoff spot.

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The Philadelphia Flyers didn't take long to make a name for themselves following the NHL's first expansion in 1967. The "Broad Street Bullies" won two consecutive Stanley Cups in 1974 and '75, and they were looking for another against Guy Lafleur and the revered Montreal Canadiens in the 1976 final.

Flyers star Reggie Leach set the record for most goals in a single postseason (19) and claimed the Conn Smythe Trophy, but the Canadiens proved to be too much, completing the sweep in Game 4 with a 5-3 win at The Spectrum for their first of four consecutive titles.

Watch the footage below:

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