Plea For Goalie Captains
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Roberto Luongo might be giving up his captaincy.
The Canucks goaltender, who was named captain in 2008, has dealt with distractions because of his role as the teams captain, and as a result he may be stepping down as the team's leader. He's still going to take a couple weeks to let the team and management know his decision, but for the sake of a goaltender's right to be a captain I really hope he keeps the job. NHL ruling states that a goaltender can't wear the "C" on his jersey because goalies can't take ceremonial faceoffs or argue with refs after questionable calls. Despite these restrictions, the Canucks still named Luongo the captain - the team ended up not putting a C on anyones jersey, and Luongo has a C on his helmet. The Canucks were right to make Luongo the captain, and though many skeptics will banter on and on about why a goalie shouldn't be a team's captain, I think there are some very good reasons for why goalies should be captains.
Luongo is the first goalie to be a captain of an NHL team in over 60 years, and he's only the 5th goalie to be captain of an NHL team. The instance of having a goalie as a captain is very rare, but also refreshing. Goalies are often under-appreciated in terms of their leadership qualities and overall value to a team. Being a goalie is not like any other position. If you're a forward or defenseman and you make a mistake it doesn't always turn out for the worst. However, if you're a goalie and you make a mistake the puck is in the back of the net. The role of a goaltender is perhaps the most important in all of sports, and with that in mind why wouldn't you want a goalie to be a captain?
To be a great goalie you've got to be consistent under pressure - who better to lead a team than someone who demonstrates a value like that?
Of course I'm not saying that all goalies should be captains, but what I am saying is that goalies, for whatever reason, seem to be overlooked when it comes to leadership roles on a team when in fact they're nearly always the backbone of every team. Games are won and lost with defense and there's no role more important to a team's defensive capabilities than that of a goaltender. So for the previously stated arguments I hope Luongo keeps his role as captain. It's good for the Canucks if he's their leader, it's good for hockey to have some diversity, and it's good for goalies when people see that they're capable, and oftentimes deserving leaders.
The Canucks goaltender, who was named captain in 2008, has dealt with distractions because of his role as the teams captain, and as a result he may be stepping down as the team's leader. He's still going to take a couple weeks to let the team and management know his decision, but for the sake of a goaltender's right to be a captain I really hope he keeps the job. NHL ruling states that a goaltender can't wear the "C" on his jersey because goalies can't take ceremonial faceoffs or argue with refs after questionable calls. Despite these restrictions, the Canucks still named Luongo the captain - the team ended up not putting a C on anyones jersey, and Luongo has a C on his helmet. The Canucks were right to make Luongo the captain, and though many skeptics will banter on and on about why a goalie shouldn't be a team's captain, I think there are some very good reasons for why goalies should be captains. Luongo is the first goalie to be a captain of an NHL team in over 60 years, and he's only the 5th goalie to be captain of an NHL team. The instance of having a goalie as a captain is very rare, but also refreshing. Goalies are often under-appreciated in terms of their leadership qualities and overall value to a team. Being a goalie is not like any other position. If you're a forward or defenseman and you make a mistake it doesn't always turn out for the worst. However, if you're a goalie and you make a mistake the puck is in the back of the net. The role of a goaltender is perhaps the most important in all of sports, and with that in mind why wouldn't you want a goalie to be a captain?
To be a great goalie you've got to be consistent under pressure - who better to lead a team than someone who demonstrates a value like that? Of course I'm not saying that all goalies should be captains, but what I am saying is that goalies, for whatever reason, seem to be overlooked when it comes to leadership roles on a team when in fact they're nearly always the backbone of every team. Games are won and lost with defense and there's no role more important to a team's defensive capabilities than that of a goaltender. So for the previously stated arguments I hope Luongo keeps his role as captain. It's good for the Canucks if he's their leader, it's good for hockey to have some diversity, and it's good for goalies when people see that they're capable, and oftentimes deserving leaders.
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