Jacques Martin Promised There Would be A Captain...
It's nearing August now and the fact is, teams are already preparing for the upcoming season.
The Habs are no different.
After another extreme home-makeover, the Canadiens now boast a virtually brand new management system, both in Montreal and on the farm in Hamilton.
In general, it's very easy to expose the team's inability to keep their young coaching talent, personnel who were presumably being groomed as the next generation of Canadiens coaches, but, with an inability to prevent members of their staff from going on to bigger and better things, the organization has done well in mortaring all the cracks in the foundation created in the wake of all the summer tremors.
The replacements are actually more qualified and experienced than their predecessors and, despite the outcry of losing 'youth' in the coaching ranks, the staff has gotten remarkably stronger.
Remember, grabbing young players is what the fans want to see. When it comes to your coaches, you're always better off with an experienced group. Ask Detroit, New Jersey and Chicago, experience makes a big diffference.
Setting aside the main area of change off the ice, the Canadiens haven't done much in the way of messing with their current on-ice formula. Yes, Jaro is gone and many of the vet UFA's are gone, but the core is still intact and more importantly, with the re-signing of Pleky, the team's offensive core is still intact.
Better yet, the new group in charge of the team have done a great job at re-stocking the prospect pipeline. Again, those losses at the management level are tough to deal with, but just because the coaches have changed does not mean the players have gotten worse. As a matter of fact, including the new crop of Habs draft picks this year, after a couple years of ditching off first rounders to other teams, the Canadiens seem to be doing an excellent job at building the team from the foundation back up.
Jarrod Tinordi, Ian Schultz and Alex Avtsin, now officially in the mix, added to the likes of Louis Leblanc, Danny Kristo and NHL ready prospects like Lars Eller(who will likely start the year as the Habs 3rd line center), PK Subban and younsters Tom Pyatt and Dustin Boyd make this franchise alot younger, stronger and more talented moving forward than they have been in years past.
It's always up for debate, but there's no argument when it comes to the new management's direction; younger today and younger tomorrow. They're now getting it right when it comes to having experience to properly select youth, now it's all about getting the right format and mix to the current roster.
Clearly this leads right into the fact that, as per Jacques Martin, the Canadiens will have a captain for the 2010-11 season.
But Who?
In the days following the Canadiens 2nd miraculous Game 7 victory of the playoffs over the Penguins, I asked you who you felt was the captain of the team. The resounding response, at the time, had Brian Gionta and Josh Gorges as the consensus picks to be the next player to wear the C, but is that still the case?
Here are the results from the mid-playoff poll:
So, have your thoughts changed? Is Gionta still the top choice? Is Josh still your 2nd favourite to be named the next captain of the team?
Other leaders on the team have cases to be made as well.
Andrei Markov, recently granted his Canadian citizenship, is destined for a new contract at the end of the coming season, something that all Habs fans hope can be circumvented via an early extension, so who is not to say that the most talented and veteran member of this team, and one of its quietest yet strongest leaders, won't be rewarded with not only a new deal, but also the honour of the captaincy?
The people who question his loyalty, desire and leadership abilities are not the same people who play with him or the people who have to deal with him on a day to day basis. The fact is, this team relies heavily on Andrei's impact both on and off the ice. As Gorges mentioned during the playoffs, when Markov actually practiced on a destroyed knee, 'the team got a huge boost emotionally.' Pardon my paraphrasing, but as Josh explained, the simple image of Andrei skating with his team-mates instilled them with incredible confidence. If that doesn't spell leader, I don't quite know what does. Regardless of whether he does get the "C" or not, my only hope for this organization is that they lock him up and keep him a Hab for life.
Beyond Andrei's candidacy, the former Devils' make for great selections. Who was a bigger warrior than Brian Gionta during the Habs recent playoff run? Outside of the heroics in the crease, I would have to say that no one played with a bigger heart than the little warrior.
Then there is Scott Gomez. The new Habs newest #11, Gomez may get a hard wrap for his expensive price tag, but the work ethic and attitude that Scott brings to the Canadiens is worth its weight in gold. And, it may not be all Scott's doing, but thanks to his arrival the Habs have been able to build a formidable corps of leaders. Other leaders on the team may prove to have more impact, but Gomez brings an extensive resume of success which makes him an ideal candidate to serve as the voice of the team. Tack onto the that his strong efforts to ingrain himself with the city and local culture, not to mention spending his own time and money to learn the language(French, that is), and you clearly have an individual who not only wants to make a strong impact with his team, but also his new home.
Finally, there hasn't been a more jubiliant and vibrant spokesperson for the Montreal Canadiens since perhaps Guy Lafleur than Michael Cammalleri. To some he comes off as a 'teacher's pet', but to his team-mates and the media, he is the voice of positive reinforcement. Cammy is a quote machine and is friendly to a fault, but don't let his shiny veneer fool you because the amount of skill, effort and desire that he brings to the ice is hard to match. Michael has become a leader by example on the ice and a leader by attitude and reputation in the room. He does not boast the same attributes as some of the other leaders in the room, but thanks to their combined efforts, he has become a better team player than anyone in Calgary or Los Angeles could have imagined. He may not be the first choice on the list, but with some more seasoning and learning at the hands of guys like Gionta, Gomez and Gill, Michael may yet be a future captain of this club.
But enough of my blabbering, what are your opinions?
Now, I didn't list Hal Gill as a possibility simply because of his age and contract status, but please feel free to add in your wildcard choice if you don't feel that the next captain of the Canadiens is on this list.
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