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Craig Simpson Questions Luongo’s Captaincy:

During Sunday night’s game 5 between the Blackhawks and Canucks, CBC’s Craig Simpson raised the issue of Roberto Luongo, Vancouver’s goaltender, being captain of the team:

“Personally, I think it’s a real mistake to have your goaltender the captain.  It’s something that is a burden that he shouldn’t have to do. If he has a bad game, how’s he going to talk about the rest of the team without making it sound self serving?”

There is an “I” in Team

When it comes to being a goaltender, you’re on your own.  You have to concentrate on doing your job – allowing the least possible goals, and let the rest of the team concentrate on theirs: scoring goals, playing defense, etc.  They are two separate entities.

After a loss, if a goaltender says, “Our team didn’t play well tonight,” or, “We need to play better,” it sounds like he is blaming his teammates and not taking responsibility for his own mistakes.  Although a goaltender is very much a part of any team, he stands alone in the blue paint.

Leading the Team

Leadership is shown in many different forms.  Some do it vocally, and some just lead by example.  A goaltender must do the latter, but unfortunately, that is the only influence he has.  He cannot tell the forwards to score, or the defense to cover their men.  He can’t lead the powerplay, or direct players on the penalty kill.

A goaltender can try to contribute to other areas, but it ends up taking away from where his focus needs to be – stopping the puck.  Worrying about players’ positioning or anything else is merely a distraction from his own job.

Other Responsibilities

Whenever reporters are allowed in the dressing room, the first person they congregate around is the team’s captain.  One of his biggest roles, and possibly the least known, is his responsibility to the media. Once again, when a goaltender needs to be focusing on his own preparation, these demands are taxing and unnecessary.

A Bad Game

Perhaps the toughest thing about being a netminder is that when one has a bad game, it results in goals against and usually a loss.  No other player has to deal with this pressure.  Sometimes, even when a goalie is playing very well, a couple of unlucky bounces or incredible plays by the opposition can result in goals, and make it seem like he’s off.

The problem is, once a team is down, or a goaltender is not playing well, what can he do to lead a comeback?  A skater can make up for a lack of scoring by making a big hit, or leading the team with his effort.  Anything from a blocked shot to a great rush can inspire the team and be used as a rallying point.  A goaltender has no such avenue of reprieve – except perhaps a brilliant save.

Luongo for Captain?

When Roberto Luongo was named captain, there were no other strong candidates for the role.  A number of influential players had recently left the team for different reasons – Markus Naslund, Brendan Morrison, and Trevor Linden – and there was a leadership void that needed to be filled. Mattias Ohlund was probably next in line, being the longest serving and most respected Canuck, but he was playing out the last year of his contract, making him a short term solution at best. Luongo probably was the best choice for captain at the time, even if it was by default.

Since 2008, the leadership void has been filled by a number of players.  The two who are most respected, not only in the dressing room, but league-wide, are Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler, the team’s first and second line centers.  Both players embody the team’s core values of hard work, unselfishness, and a winning attitude, and either could step into the captain’s roll with relative ease, reducing the burden on Luongo

Don Cherry’s Thoughts

This segment of Coach’s Corner aired after this post was originally published. See what Don Cherry thinks: