It is Time to Name a Captain

[Albatrosss]

i look it at it this way:  whose team is it?  is it Zibby's? is it Panarin's? is it Kreider's? is it Fox's?  to me from my couch it doesnt look like any of these guys can say "follow me" and lead. 

[Phil]

6 minutes ago, CCCP said:

i look it at it this way:  whose team is it?  is it Zibby's? is it Panarin's? is it Kreider's? is it Fox's?  to me from my couch it doesnt look like any of these guys can say "follow me" and lead. 

Fox and Kreider say otherwise (at the moment). Fox, especially.

[Albatrosss]

Just now, Phil said:

Fox and Kreider say otherwise (at the moment). Fox, especially.

how?

[Phil]

5 minutes ago, CCCP said:

how?

 

[Albatrosss]

by putting up points? I dont think captain material equals how many points you put up.  

 

[Phil]

I know. You think captain material is screaming a lot. We've been down this path before.

Call me crazy, but putting up a point-per-game seems about as strong a "follow me" approach as can be made.

[Albatrosss]

2 minutes ago, Phil said:

I know. You think captain material is screaming a lot. We've been down this path before.

Call me crazy, but putting up a point-per-game seems about as strong a "follow me" approach as can be made.

where did i say that?  you're putting words in my mouth.  to me a captain is someone who can lead, and not necessarily with points

[Phil]

K. I have no idea what that means. You basically just wrote "I think a captain is someone who can captain."

[Albatrosss]

i posted it above.  IMO Fox is the best candidate  but is this "his" team?  you know what i mean?  i think it eventually will be "his team" but i also think he's a very quiet, "mind your own business" kind of guy

[Phil]

I guess. I don't really think we can say that definitively. We watch him for two hour clips at a time and live vicariously through whatever information Rangers' media chooses to share with us about him.

[Pete]

It's kind of both. Whatever you want to say about leadership qualities, if your performance on the ice sucks, it's really hard to try and get others to raise their level of play when it's not up to par....And that could be part of the role. But not always. Take into account Mark Messier...He was the captain that '94 team needed. But he was not the captain teams with Nedved and Zubov needed.

It depends on the room, not just the player.

[josh]

Its obvious this team needs a more local leader.

it's obvious there is no true C on this team.

putting a C on a jersey doesn't make him a leader, or determine someone else is not a leader. 

[josh]

58 minutes ago, Phil said:

K. I have no idea what that means. You basically just wrote "I think a captain is someone who can captain."

I think that's a disconnect between those who have been in a locker room and those who haven't.

 

To compare, a company is talking about re-branding and you keep screaming "blue!"

[Jdog99]

3 hours ago, siddious said:

He’s not the captain now and he’s already invisible 

can't say i've watched too closely, but my sense is he's been average, not invisible. we need him to be a superstar, and a C could provide him a kick in the butt to consistently play at that level. timing may not be right though.

kreider is a hell of a leader, and earning his keep so far this season. but his skillset/game is a bit too one-dimensional to warrant a C, in my opinion.

[The Dude]

Right now Fox has put this team on his back along with Shestyorkin and carried them through this disaster they are calling a season. 

He's the difference maker. He's the one not playing scared. He's the one doing everything.  He's such a natural that I really don't think putting the C on him, will affect his play. We've seen players not be able to handle the responsibility and have their games suffer from it. 

To me Kreider is too up and down, but probably is a guy they all look up to. Can he handle being captain? 

I don't see Zibanejad as an option.  He's a guy who looks mopie when things aren't going right. 

Trouba? I'm starting to think that talk from last season is all bunk. He seems like a doof and is quickly becoming a target on my shit list after 2 years of sticking up for him. I seriously HATE the Miller/Trouba pairing.  

Fox is really just a step above everyone and puts in the same awesome effort nightly. To me, that puts him in as the easiest selection. If he wants it is another story. 

[Phil]

3 hours ago, josh said:

I think that's a disconnect between those who have been in a locker room and those who haven't.

To compare, a company is talking about re-branding and you keep screaming "blue!"

Except I've been in a locker room. I played all though middle and high school. It has nothing to do with having played or not. Has everything to do with at least explaining the characteristics of what makes for good leadership to you.

[LindG1000]

I'm convinced that half the fanbase just wants a captain to have a whipping boy for bad games. Or we just think every C needs to be Mark Messier or they can't hack it. If you're going to do the first one, just give it to Trouba so nothing changes, and if you're going to do the second, don't. 

 

[Keirik]

On 11/11/2021 at 6:31 PM, G1000 said:

I'm convinced that half the fanbase just wants a captain to have a whipping boy for bad games. Or we just think every C needs to be Mark Messier or they can't hack it. If you're going to do the first one, just give it to Trouba so nothing changes, and if you're going to do the second, don't. 

 

It’s part whipping boy and part along the lines of “ the buck stops with x” on the ice. We are a tortured franchise to be honest because it had been so long without titles then to have a captain pot 3 after guaranteeing a win in the semis and deliver a cup. We just are in that mindset still that a leader HAS to be that way or else he doesn’t lead. It’s not true for the most part but it does have some merit to ot. 
 

   I will say this. If by Christmas time Kreider hasn’t disappeared yet then all fingers point to him. He has stepped up in a leadership role more than I expected him to. I’m still weary of his hiatus but he does see, to “want it” a bit more this year in every way than in previous years. 

[josh]

On 11/11/2021 at 6:31 PM, G1000 said:

I'm convinced that half the fanbase just wants a captain to have a whipping boy for bad games. Or we just think every C needs to be Mark Messier or they can't hack it. If you're going to do the first one, just give it to Trouba so nothing changes, and if you're going to do the second, don't. 

 

I think everyone seems content with Trouba and Lafreniere as the whipping boys.

[LindG1000]

5 minutes ago, Keirik said:

It’s part whipping boy and part along the lines of “ the buck stops with x” on the ice. We are a tortured franchise to be honest because it had been so long without titles then to have a captain pot 3 after guaranteeing a win in the semis and deliver a cup. We just are in that mindset still that a leader HAS to be that way or else he doesn’t lead. It’s not true for the most part but it does have some merit to ot. 
 

   I will say this. If by Christmas time Kreider hasn’t disappeared yet then all fingers point to him. He has stepped up in a leadership role more than I expected him to. I’m still weary of his hiatus but he does see, to “want it” a bit more this year in every way than in previous years. 

I hear you. And really, we went from extremely spoiled to have literally...THE leader - the guy they literally named the leadership award for to Leetch, who basically taught us that the Captain makes you shrink (prob unrtrue), Jagr (who by the standards we set never lived up to the mantle even if he had 240 points in 3 years or whatever he did), Drury (who again, by the standards we set never lived up to it), and McDonagh (who doesn't fit the mold we think of, but did fine).

At this point if you're not giving it to Kreider, don't give it out. He does everything but actually back up the words consistently.

[jsm7302]

You left out Callahan, who in my opinion was the best captain this team had since Messier.

[Phil]

Marty St. Louis was probably the best captain they’ve had since Messier.

[Keirik]

51 minutes ago, jsm7302 said:

You left out Callahan, who in my opinion was the best captain this team had since Messier.

Let’s be honest. The best thing Callahan did  for us was get traded for MSL. 

[Pete]

And Messier was a horrible leader in Vancouver and his 2nd stint here. 

[LindG1000]

Regardless of who was good and who was not, we all have this fantastical idea of what a captain is and what it means, almost entirely based on Mark Messier from 91-97, and that's just setting ourselves up for disappointment. It's like we think slapping a C on the jersey is like finding a magic talisman that's going to add 10 goals, reinforce their testicles with adamantium, and cause hair loss.

You don't need your captain to be a superhero. You don't need him to be the best player. You don't need him to be grabbing guys by the collar and screaming in their faces.

You need the captain to do three things better than anyone else in NYC: take the heat off everyone else, manage the team's mental state in-game, and be the guy who sets the tone for what the team needs to be doing both on and off ice. Kreider is, without a doubt, the de-facto captain, and at this point I'm honestly kind of confused as to why they haven't just given him the honor. It's entirely ceremonial for him.