Issue #70 – Oh Captain, My Captain
But O heart! Heart! Heart! O the bleeding drops of red, where on the deck my captain lies, fallen cold and dead –Walt Whitman (O Captain, My Captain).
It seemed like a good idea, two summers ago, when Mike Gillis and Alain Vignault conspired to name Luongo the 12th captain of the Vancouver Canucks.
After losing to the Chicago Blackhawks two years in a row, it seemed like a bad idea. Everyone knew it. Gillis acknowledge last week that it was a distraction and it would be addressed. It was.
Loungo relinquished his captaincy today in a press conference.
End of story.
It was a failed experiment, but one commenced by Gillis in the spirit of diplomacy. At the time he needed to lock of Luongo to a long term deal and he knew waving the “C” under the Montreal natives nose might entice him to sign. It worked.
But it was ridiculous. It felt awkward. It looked awkward. It was a necessary evil at the time. But is was evil nonetheless and a brilliant move by Gillis to lock up Luongo. While the 12-year contract may come back to bite the Canucks in the ass, especially since the minimization of the goaltending position in the playoffs (see: Chicago) in recent years, is also solidifies the back end for a while (or until Luongo shits the bed this year in the playoffs).
What I noticed the most during Luongo’s captain years is a real lack of identity for the team. In Luongo’s early years, the team was known for it’s defence-first system. After missing the playoffs in his second year here and a regime change the Gillis-era rung in a new, offensive minded system that earned the team back-to-back divisional titles but subsequent failure in the playoffs earned little for Luongo’s confidence and trust in his leadership began to slid.
So that is that. We need a fearless leader. I dunno. It’s probably going to be the Sedins. Most likely Henrik.
Did you know that Don Cherry played 33 games for the Vancouver Canucks in 1969 when the team was still in the WHL? Well now you do. And I don’t know, and don’t really care who will be captain. I wish it was Ryan Kesler but it won’t be. It’s gonna be Henrik. It has to be.
End of story.
cool