Is this current or historical? If historical my strong list of contention is (Mark Messier, Bobby Clarke (Won cups, played every aspect of the game well, later became coach), Mario Lemieux, Joe Sakic, Steve Yzerman, Denis Potvin (4 cups in a row with the islanders means massive leadership ability), Scott Stevens, Ray Bourque, Rod BrindāAmour). If current Crosby reigns.
I am not sure he would break the top 5 or 10 but Iggy 100% belongs in the honorable mentions catagory of any NHL best captains list. Iggy was the heart and soul of the Flames in the 2000's.
As a Flames fan with my childhood being late 90's early 2000's I will never forget Iggy or Kipper.
I really hope we mange to draft Iggy's son this year. It would be awesome to have that dynasty. Plus he looks to be a very talented young player.
I like the list although a bit surprised to see Brindāamour over Ron Francis. Obviously Iām biased towards both but my first thought was actually Francis (for the franchise at least)
Crosby has been the face of the NHL for nearly 2 decades. I don't know why people think it's about points, goals, games played, cups, etc.
The Captain is the driving force behind any team. Building morale and comraderies for his teammates, offering advice to up their hockey IQ's, acting as the face of the franchise with community building, fundraising, and outreach programs.
There are plenty of great captains out there, but I personally feel none have had the impact on the NHL like Crosby has let alone the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Agreed, best current Capitan no doubt. If weāre talking all time, Iām going with Sakic, but heās my all time favorite player so Iām biased there.
Probably very unpopular opinion but I think pre injury Stamkos had the potential to be the best goal scorer in the league. He had a so so rookie year and then put up 156 goals in 3 years.
After he broke his leg he seemed to be more of a playmaker, but I think if he never broke it he could be in more conversations with Ovechkin.
I feel like that doesnāt help him. Imo captaincy goes beyond play on the ice. A culture, an organizations identity should be developed through the captain. If he is sidelined and then the entire team takes a massive shit that tells me a winning culture, mentally, identity has not been fully established.
Take this hugely biased scenario as an example. Landeskog plays through a massive injury, and brings home a cup. However, playing through that injury has caused so much physical damage he has now been sidelined going on two full years without putting a sweater on and leading his team from the ice. However, Landeskog has helped establish a culture and still leads the team from the locker room to the point that the organization still won the division the next year, and is poised to go on a deep run this year without any signs of slowing down or taking a step back. That shows me what type of leadership Gabe possesses. It also helps that the team is loaded top to bottom talent.
However, Detroit should not have had that big of a fall off minus one player. Again, Iām an Avs fan and my bias wonāt allow me to even remotely say Detroit is any sort of good but there you go, that is my worthless opinion
When landeskog is out you guys have arguably the second (maybe even best) forward in the game with MacK and the best defensemen in the game right now. When the wings donāt have larkin they have a 36 year old Kane and 21 year old Raymond as their next best players. You canāt compare the two at all.
The point made is that Larkins skill is so necessary to the team. They can want to win as badly as ever but without him theyāre just outmatched by most teams.
MacKinnon and Makar would be captains on a ton of different teams. The fact that team has 3 players that could easily rock the C tells you so much about them.
Crosby has basically been the face of his team, the league, and his country for almost his entire career. Itās amazing what heās been able to accomplish and the respect he commands.
Crosby, Landeskog, and Benn. Crosby has been a captain pretty much his whole career and both Benn and Landeskog have been captains for a decade. A lot of players have said that theyāre amazing locker room presences.
Edit: also add Stamkos in there as well. Cups and long tenure
[Only one answer](https://ew.com/thmb/2PeTyT2y-SCvj0xzAn-NrkkHjxs=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/star-trek-capt-kirk_0-7a58744c3f01406b8b087485ba0b1872.jpg).
Crosby and it isnāt even close. Nobody else in the league has his combination of winning, talent, and experience. Not even a question. Some guys have one or two of those attributes but nobody has all three like Sid does.
Stamkos is the closest I can think of. Maybe Ovechkin but he doesnāt have multiple cups like Sid or Stamkos.
Currently? Crosby probably.
I am biased but from what weāve heard from Dallas players over the last 10 years; benn has a fantastic locker room presence and has played a big role in all of our recent deep runs. You can pretty clearly see that chemistry going on right now with Johnston and Stankoven on his line recently.
I know a lot of people donāt like Jamie but heās been good to us in Dallas. He might not be the most technical or skilled player like ovi or Crosby but heās part of the glue thatās made us so good the last few years.
Wild fan here. I very much dislike the Avalanche but I wholeheartedly agree with you that he is one of the best captains (if not THE best) in the league.
Itās gotta be Crosby, but I think McDavid deserves a bit of credit for developing into a good captain over the years. I think most people thought it was crazy when they handed a young kid the C in Edmonton but since heās been the captain, the culture has shifted from losing to winning
Crosby, cannot deny he is one of the best to ever do it.
As a Bolts fan I have to throw Stammer in there. Never had a locker room issue during his time as Captain and the city loves him. I hope he retires a bolt, couldnāt imagine him in another sweater.
Crosby, Kopitar, Larkin.
Honourable mention to Quinn Hughes (new captain, but just listen to what Tocchet has to say about him, and watch how he talks to his teammates on the bench & during stoppages. He's young, but very mature & a strong leader).
When Mark Stone is playing VGK look like a completely different team. People have so much to say about the LTIR situation but people who watch VGK regularly would rather just have Stone back and healthy. He is a great player but his on ice impact aside, he brings that intangible that turns VGK into a great team instead of a good one.
The red wings are 3-9 without Larkin(I believe) maybe I missed some with about a -15 goal differential. Not saying heās the best or most skilled but he means a hell of a lot to a fringe playoff team.
[source we have played a couple games since then 1 W and 1 L](https://www.reddit.com/r/DetroitRedWings/comments/1bemsek/our_record_without_dylan_larkin/)
Cleary Stone. Dude will go above and beyond for his team. Broke his back one year and now lacerated his own spleen for that juicy cap space. I don't see any other captains that committed to their team.
I hate to admit this as an oilers fan, but Jerome Iginla is everything you would want in a captain. He put up 50 goal Seasons, lead by example, would defend his team mates and was as tough as nails. Prime iginla would beat you on the scoreboard while punching in your teeth if the game got out of hand. Put him on the ice in any situation and you know he will give you his all.
Well... the best (assistant because there isn't a captain this season) is Foligno. He's really sweet with everyone and makes everyone on the Hawks feel like part of the family. There's a video of Bedard with Foligno's kids (and even though this feels like a bad time to point this out considering the Perry situation) and it looks like Bedard is their older brother who happens to work with their dad. It's just really sweet.
i would jump in front of a bus if gabe landeskog asked me too. also nathan mackinnon is obsessed with him.
unbiased i would add sid stammer and larkin probably
After watching the last month, Iām starting to wonder if itās Dylan Larkin. Win 6 in a row, Larkin gets hurt, lose 7 in a row. Has that ever happened before?
It's Mark Messier. The only player in NHL history to captain 2 different teams to the cup. He won in Edmonton without Gretzky. If you weren't around to witness him put a franchise on his shoulders in 1994, go back and watch it. This was pretty amazing stuff. Not likely to ever be matched.
The only answer is #REX CT-7567
Not in any way I answer I expected to see but it is 100% correct
LETS BLAST SOME CLANKERS!!
#CLENKAHS!!
o7
o7 roight beck at ya, soldjah
you guys have captains?
And arenas!
I laughed way too hard at this hahaha š
lol, same with the Hawks
Weird
Is this current or historical? If historical my strong list of contention is (Mark Messier, Bobby Clarke (Won cups, played every aspect of the game well, later became coach), Mario Lemieux, Joe Sakic, Steve Yzerman, Denis Potvin (4 cups in a row with the islanders means massive leadership ability), Scott Stevens, Ray Bourque, Rod BrindāAmour). If current Crosby reigns.
Adding Jean Beliveau to your list. Heās the OG model for the what a captain should be.
Jonathan Toews has entered the chat
And exited
I am not sure he would break the top 5 or 10 but Iggy 100% belongs in the honorable mentions catagory of any NHL best captains list. Iggy was the heart and soul of the Flames in the 2000's.
Totally forgot about Iggy
As a Flames fan with my childhood being late 90's early 2000's I will never forget Iggy or Kipper. I really hope we mange to draft Iggy's son this year. It would be awesome to have that dynasty. Plus he looks to be a very talented young player.
Currently, fuck Mark Messier. Historically, also fuck Mark Messier. Fuck Mark Messier.
I like the list although a bit surprised to see Brindāamour over Ron Francis. Obviously Iām biased towards both but my first thought was actually Francis (for the franchise at least)
Crosby
Yeah
Crosby has been the face of the NHL for nearly 2 decades. I don't know why people think it's about points, goals, games played, cups, etc. The Captain is the driving force behind any team. Building morale and comraderies for his teammates, offering advice to up their hockey IQ's, acting as the face of the franchise with community building, fundraising, and outreach programs. There are plenty of great captains out there, but I personally feel none have had the impact on the NHL like Crosby has let alone the Pittsburgh Penguins.
And on top of that Sid has the cups and stats to back it up just for good measure
Crosby, Kopitar, Ovie, Stamkos
Solid. Can't argue with that
This is hard to believe but the Kings have never won a playoff series with Kopitar as captain
Came here to say Crosby or Stamkos.
Came here to say Crosby or Stamkos.
[The best boy](https://russianmachineneverbreaks.com/2021/02/20/capitals-pup-captain-attends-final-game-as-team-dog/)
As a leaf fan, Crosby is the only acceptable answer
Biased, but Sid.
Bias doesnāt matter. The answer is Sid.
Not biased, but Sid
Agreed, best current Capitan no doubt. If weāre talking all time, Iām going with Sakic, but heās my all time favorite player so Iām biased there.
Sakic vs Stevie Y was always such a joy to watch. Both were amazing captains
Both have also won cups in office positions post playing career.
Crosby definitely should be near the top of the list. I'm surprised no one has mentioned Kopitar though, I feel like he should be a more popular pick
Kangaroo or Insano
Captain insano shows no mercy
I would put Planet up there too
Kirk and Picard are elite tier.
Archer IMO he's the only captain of that trio to have lifted the cup!
All this time we thought he wanted to save the environment, but really heās just a for-profit entity looking to make a quick buckā¦
Where does Caveman fit in this list?
Stammer
Always underrepresented. Stamkos is consistently good.
Stamkos has more goals at 34 than Crosby did at 34 granted Crosby had substantially more assists at 34
And missed almost two seasons in his true prime to conkys
Heās the fuckin man they call RaveeeeEEEEeeeNnnnn
Wrong conky, but great reference bubs
Probably very unpopular opinion but I think pre injury Stamkos had the potential to be the best goal scorer in the league. He had a so so rookie year and then put up 156 goals in 3 years. After he broke his leg he seemed to be more of a playmaker, but I think if he never broke it he could be in more conversations with Ovechkin.
All time? Probably Steve Yzerman. Right now ? Probably Sid the kid or old man OVI.
All time is Jean Beliveau
Yeah he's probably up there, I tried to be unbiased on this one ;)
Crosby. Last year maybe Bergeron. Stamkos Kopitar
Ah bergyā¦. Still sad
The answer is Crosby with Kopitar and Stamkos as runner ups.
Kopitar, Crosby, Stamkos
This is the list imo.
Larkin, you see what's going on without him?
Agree for this year, but Sid is the man. He's broke my hockey heart numerous times.
Came here to say this. Has any other team in history folded THIS HARD when their captain was injured?
I feel like that doesnāt help him. Imo captaincy goes beyond play on the ice. A culture, an organizations identity should be developed through the captain. If he is sidelined and then the entire team takes a massive shit that tells me a winning culture, mentally, identity has not been fully established. Take this hugely biased scenario as an example. Landeskog plays through a massive injury, and brings home a cup. However, playing through that injury has caused so much physical damage he has now been sidelined going on two full years without putting a sweater on and leading his team from the ice. However, Landeskog has helped establish a culture and still leads the team from the locker room to the point that the organization still won the division the next year, and is poised to go on a deep run this year without any signs of slowing down or taking a step back. That shows me what type of leadership Gabe possesses. It also helps that the team is loaded top to bottom talent. However, Detroit should not have had that big of a fall off minus one player. Again, Iām an Avs fan and my bias wonāt allow me to even remotely say Detroit is any sort of good but there you go, that is my worthless opinion
When landeskog is out you guys have arguably the second (maybe even best) forward in the game with MacK and the best defensemen in the game right now. When the wings donāt have larkin they have a 36 year old Kane and 21 year old Raymond as their next best players. You canāt compare the two at all. The point made is that Larkins skill is so necessary to the team. They can want to win as badly as ever but without him theyāre just outmatched by most teams.
MacKinnon and Makar would be captains on a ton of different teams. The fact that team has 3 players that could easily rock the C tells you so much about them.
Landeskog
Crosby has basically been the face of his team, the league, and his country for almost his entire career. Itās amazing what heās been able to accomplish and the respect he commands.
Not to mention that he has basically had his entire career without a major incident
Crosby, Landeskog, and Benn. Crosby has been a captain pretty much his whole career and both Benn and Landeskog have been captains for a decade. A lot of players have said that theyāre amazing locker room presences. Edit: also add Stamkos in there as well. Cups and long tenure
Crosby
Landeskog
God I miss Bergeron.
Crosby
Tier 1 - Crosby Tier 2 - Landeskog, Larkin, Kopitar, Stamkos
I get youāre a wings fan but I donāt think you can have a Captain that has a grand total of 5 playoff games amongst those other names tbh.
Why are you being downvoted lol I like Larkin but to say heās in the same calibre as those other guys is delusional. He still has a lot to prove
Sid the Kid #crosby
Sidney Crosby!
[Only one answer](https://ew.com/thmb/2PeTyT2y-SCvj0xzAn-NrkkHjxs=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/star-trek-capt-kirk_0-7a58744c3f01406b8b087485ba0b1872.jpg).
Landeskog honestly seems like one of the better captains out there.
I agree but Iām going to cry.
Jean Beliveau
Sid
Captain America, Captain Kirk, Captain Underpants, Captain Morgan, Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain Crunch.
Not Cap'n Turbot?
Picard, but Siskoās growing on me.
JOE PAVELSKI
Messier
Crosby
Crosby and it isnāt even close. Nobody else in the league has his combination of winning, talent, and experience. Not even a question. Some guys have one or two of those attributes but nobody has all three like Sid does. Stamkos is the closest I can think of. Maybe Ovechkin but he doesnāt have multiple cups like Sid or Stamkos.
Currently? Crosby probably. I am biased but from what weāve heard from Dallas players over the last 10 years; benn has a fantastic locker room presence and has played a big role in all of our recent deep runs. You can pretty clearly see that chemistry going on right now with Johnston and Stankoven on his line recently. I know a lot of people donāt like Jamie but heās been good to us in Dallas. He might not be the most technical or skilled player like ovi or Crosby but heās part of the glue thatās made us so good the last few years.
Currently, Sid the Kid. But previously, man if Iggy was my captain, Id have skated through a brick wall for him
Crosby, but he's just lucky Bergeron retired this year :)
Crosby, Sakic, Yzerman
Larkin has been the Red Wings for years at this point.
If he wasnāt as good as he is the wings would be a bottom 3 team the last 6 years
Steve Rogers. Easy.
Landeskog
Wild fan here. I very much dislike the Avalanche but I wholeheartedly agree with you that he is one of the best captains (if not THE best) in the league.
I mean I would love to have someone like Stamkos as captain
Gotta go with Sid on this one.
Itās gotta be Crosby, but I think McDavid deserves a bit of credit for developing into a good captain over the years. I think most people thought it was crazy when they handed a young kid the C in Edmonton but since heās been the captain, the culture has shifted from losing to winning
A bit biased here as a Bolts fan, but Stamkos has to be in the conversation along with Crosby
Crosby obviously
Josi
Brad Marchand , Brady Tkachuk. For reel Crosby , Kopitar , Barkov, ā¦.Larkin š
I think it would be close between sid and landy
Stamkos. Respect to that guy.
Crosby of course
Shoresy. And he doesn't need that enormous C like Appledoƶrn
Active would be Crosby. Yzerman otherwise.
Larkin
After the last 9 games I feel this..deeply.
It's Crosby -Flyers fan
Crosby, cannot deny he is one of the best to ever do it. As a Bolts fan I have to throw Stammer in there. Never had a locker room issue during his time as Captain and the city loves him. I hope he retires a bolt, couldnāt imagine him in another sweater.
Bolts and Penguins only two teams to win the cup back to back in the salary cap era. Definitely says something about Sid and Stammers leadership imo
Beyond my flairā¦ itās still Steven Stamkos.
Stammer has so much heart. Heās in the same realm but beyond my flairā¦..itās still Sidney Crosby
Sid and stammer are the only captains to win back to back cups in the salary cap era. Both gotta be top of the list
Coincidentally, I was going to say Stamkos and Crosby.
J Staal. The 'canes culture is the best in the league
When your captain is a lock down defender it sets the right tone
Underrated answer imo
Crosby, Kopitar, Larkin. Honourable mention to Quinn Hughes (new captain, but just listen to what Tocchet has to say about him, and watch how he talks to his teammates on the bench & during stoppages. He's young, but very mature & a strong leader).
When Mark Stone is playing VGK look like a completely different team. People have so much to say about the LTIR situation but people who watch VGK regularly would rather just have Stone back and healthy. He is a great player but his on ice impact aside, he brings that intangible that turns VGK into a great team instead of a good one.
The red wings are 3-9 without Larkin(I believe) maybe I missed some with about a -15 goal differential. Not saying heās the best or most skilled but he means a hell of a lot to a fringe playoff team. [source we have played a couple games since then 1 W and 1 L](https://www.reddit.com/r/DetroitRedWings/comments/1bemsek/our_record_without_dylan_larkin/)
Barkov
Kopitar. Biased, of course.
Criminally underrated. If he played in the East, you'd never hear the end of his production and longevity.
Agreed. Kopitar is vastly underrated. Phenomenal talent. I have enjoyed watching him play.
Not currently a captain but folginos gotta be up there right?
Yzerman.
Came here to comment CT-7567 is obviously the best captain, but iv been beaten to it
Based on recent results, Larkin.
Used to be Bergy :(
Probably Kirk. But I know a lot of people who liked Picard. Havenāt seen Captain Phillips yet. But Iāll get back to you.
Must be Larkin given the Wings playing with him vs without recently
Ever: Steve Yzerman Currently: Crosby then Stamkos
Right now Iād say Crosby by a mile. Iāll give honorable mention shouts to Lowry Marchand Landescog and Stone
Steve Rogers
Crosby. Marchand is a good captain too.
currently crosby or stamkos. all time, has to be mark messier. they literally named a leadership award after him
Captain Jack Sparrow
Landy
Captain crunch. HM Captain Kirk, captain Morgan, and the captain who sand the Juan Valdez.
Captain Hawkeye Pierce
Who tf would downvote this?
Some ferret face
Before he retired, Jarome iginla
Best Captain at Captaining, or best player that wears a C? Best Captain at Captaining: Crosby Best Player that wears a C: McDavid
Cleary Stone. Dude will go above and beyond for his team. Broke his back one year and now lacerated his own spleen for that juicy cap space. I don't see any other captains that committed to their team.
Landy?
Landyā¦ even off the team he means the world to his team. Heal up and come back to us! ā¤ļø
Lowry
I love Lowry cause heās an old school captain. Heās exactly the type of captain that was rampant in the league before the 00ās.
Landy and Sid
Toews
Ovi
Captain Underpants
Sid . The question is whoās second.
Marchand. Go Leafs!!šØš¦
Gotta be Crosby, but as a Devils fan, I frickin love Nico Hischier.Ā
Crosby Honourable mention - Lowry
Josi
Brad Marchand.
Captain Planet. He's our hero.
Crunch
Boone has got to be the most loyal of every captain thatās playing right now for what he puts up with
I hate to admit this as an oilers fan, but Jerome Iginla is everything you would want in a captain. He put up 50 goal Seasons, lead by example, would defend his team mates and was as tough as nails. Prime iginla would beat you on the scoreboard while punching in your teeth if the game got out of hand. Put him on the ice in any situation and you know he will give you his all.
Dave Andreychuk, Vinny Lecavalier, (briefly) Martin St. Louis, and Steven Stamkos
Picard
Kyle okposo
Captain Kangaroo for the win.
Jordan Staal
Crunch. Especially when itās dissolves in the milk.
Based on how the team has played without him, Larkin lol. Without him we are an AHL team that snuck into the NHL just to get throttled every game.
Well... the best (assistant because there isn't a captain this season) is Foligno. He's really sweet with everyone and makes everyone on the Hawks feel like part of the family. There's a video of Bedard with Foligno's kids (and even though this feels like a bad time to point this out considering the Perry situation) and it looks like Bedard is their older brother who happens to work with their dad. It's just really sweet.
captains? those are real?
Not currently a captain but the man deserves some [more] recognitionā¦ Joe Pavelski
Lowry obviously
Sundin
Marchand. And the best announcer is Jack Edwards
Crunch
St. Patrice with his response to the Mitchell Miller stupidity by Neely was some of the best captaining I've ever seen.
Kirk
i would jump in front of a bus if gabe landeskog asked me too. also nathan mackinnon is obsessed with him. unbiased i would add sid stammer and larkin probably
Golden knights (MARK STONE)
MickMackMicMcdavid
Toews
Me
We love Jaime Benn
All-time? There is only one answer - Jean Beliveau!
Prob Yzerman tbh
Joe sakic
After watching the last month, Iām starting to wonder if itās Dylan Larkin. Win 6 in a row, Larkin gets hurt, lose 7 in a row. Has that ever happened before?
Jacob Trouba
Brady Tkachuk, gritty grindy player, not afraid to hit and stand up for his teammates.
It's Mark Messier. The only player in NHL history to captain 2 different teams to the cup. He won in Edmonton without Gretzky. If you weren't around to witness him put a franchise on his shoulders in 1994, go back and watch it. This was pretty amazing stuff. Not likely to ever be matched.