Hurricanes in a Twist Over Captaincy

Since Eric Staal left the team in February 2016, the Caroline Hurricanes have been without a captain. Now Jordan Staal has been named as the team captain…and so has Justin Faulk.

Jeff Skinner is the team’s sole full-time alternate. So seemingly difficult was the decision to name a captain that the ‘Canes went with two, which also looks to be against the rules:

“6.1 Captain – One Captain shall be appointed by each team, and he
alone shall have the privilege of discussing with the Referee any
questions relating to interpretation of rules which may arise during the
progress of a game. He shall wear the letter “C,” approximately three
inches (3”) in height and in contrasting color, in a conspicuous
position on the front of his sweater. No co-Captains are permitted.”

Presumably the Hurricanes are getting around this rule by making Staal the captain for home games, and Faulk the captain for road games. While one is performing captain duties, the other will officially be an alternate captain and wear the A alongside Jeff-sucks-to-be-me-Skinner. The two captains will switch home/road roles halfway through the season. Victor Rask, who also served as an alternate last season didn’t make the final cut.

The decision to have two captains on the roster is unusual, and that’s being polite. Aside from being the only player allowed to talk to the referees during games, the role of a team captain is that of a leader on and off the ice. It’s not that Staal and Faulk aren’t capable of doing this, but what possible benefits can there be to having more than one captain? I don’t see any.

As gestures go, it’s nice of Hurricanes coach Bill Peters to recognise the contribution that both Staal and Faulk have made, but that’s what bobbleheads are for. Diluting the rule of captain serves no real purpose other than to generate publicity. Next season expect different captains for different days of the week. Of course if the Canes go on to with the Stanley Cup then every team will have co-captains. But that’s not likely going to happen. Sorry Carl.

Are you pro co-captaincy? Check out the poll below. Also comment below or tweet me or the @4thlinepodcast to tell us where you stand.

 

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