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Leadership A Priority for Trotz and the Capitals |
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It's no secret that the Washington Capitals have had their issues in the past when it comes to the leadership qualities of the core group that has lead this team for the past 8 seasons. The locker room is flawed. The on-ice leadership is inconsistent. The Caps are, at times, like a headless snake.
Barry Trotz is out to fix this.
The Capitals, like most teams in all of sports, are going with a core group of leaders that Trotz has, himself, picked out. While it is not known exactly who they are, as Trotz wants it to be private, "several players", according to the Washington Post, mentioned the names of Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Troy Brouwer, Brooks Laich, Jason Chimera, Mike Green, and Brooks Orpik.
The idea is to "bridge the gap" between the players and the coaching staff, and it is nothing new and fancy - it's just something that has to be done.
The role of captain is a highly coveted and honorable position for a hockey player. It isn't like other sports like football or baseball or basketball. The captain of an ice hockey team is the heart and soul of the club. He (or she) is the person that can rally the troops and bring calm to the locker room if there is ever any indication of an issue with another player or the coach.
The Capitals have been lacking that kind of leadership since Chris Clark left. Clark was a good captain and he led by example. he wasn't flashy or highly skilled. He was 'meat and potatoes'. He was also lost in a transition period that saw the Caps go from the bottom of the league to one of the powerhouses.
The worst mistake the Capitals made in that time was placing the 'C' on Ovechkin's chest. He was simply too young and too immature to handle being a captain. Ownership is to blame for that, but the idea of having the leagues premiere goal scorer being the first to lift the Cup was too enticing for Leonsis and company.
Ovechkin has been lost for the last 5 years. Sure he's scored a few goals and won some hardware, but he has shouldered too much pressure for his personality to bear. A lot has happened in the Caps organization and "quick fixes" are not in the cards any more.
What Trotz is trying to do now is lift that burden off of Ovechkin's shoulders and put it on the backs of more than one individual.
Mike Green said it best, "It's not just the captains. It's a group of guys. It has to be everybody."
The mix of players is a good one. Every team has quiet leaders and direct leaders. Certain players will look up to Ovechkin and follow his "bull in a China shop" mentality, while other players will follow Brooks Laich's lead and grind down the opposition.
You look up to the guy who you want to go to battle with, or who you want to follow into the storm. That's what the Capitals need right now.
Brooks Laich: "Your leaders set the bar and everybody follows behind. Your leaders determine how the team's going to go. They forge the identity of your team and it makes it easy for everybody to fall in behind, and something that we've heard from [Trotz] is he's going to be toughest on the top guys. I think that's the way it should be." (Washington Post)
What the Capitals have also been missing is someone to lead the charge from the war room. A coach that isn't afraid to put his foot down, and has the experience needed to command respect. Boudreau lost the locker room when he was here, Oates never really had the room, and Hunter was never 100% comfortable with his role.
Trotz is comfortable, and his experience demands respect. The core group is older now. Wiser. Hungry. Mature (hopefully). They will listen. They have to.
It doesn't matter who wears the 'C' this year. The Capitals on the verge of finally figuring out their identity as a team and not individually. The 'leadership group' is just a start. It's a way to help identify this teams' lack of responsibility and, with any luck, put it to rest.
More to come...
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