Don't worry about whether there's a 'C' on someone's sweater

Apr 06, 2006

A hockey team can't win without a designated captain. No 'C,' no leadership.

That was a prevailing thought in the NHL before this year. Upon closer analysis, you see two of the three metropolitan area teams doing very very well without an appointed captain.

For the New York Rangers, it was evident very early last fall that their best player and most logical appointee of the captaincy, Jaromir Jagr, wanted no part of the cherished 'C' on his Number 68 jersey. And because of his and his team's stellar performance to begin this season, the discussion on whether the lack of captaincy would hurt the Rangers was laid to rest almost immediately.

Neither Elias, nor Jaromir Jagr, needs a captain's C to lead their respective clubs. (AP)

For the Devils, who are in a similar situation -- trying to replace the great captain Scott Stevens -- the challenge was not quite so clear-cut as their best player, Patrik Elias, was sidelined with a devasting illness. The Devils struggled for the first three months, just trying to remain in the school of fish who were attempting to swim to contention for a postseason berth. And during those struggles, some of which seemed leader-less and misguided at times, the question of why the Devils wouldn't name a captain continued to surface. These questions seemed legitimate.

But through all that, something was happening within the Devils locker room that was developing and formulating that GM/Coach Lou Lamoriello had desperately hoped for. With the vacancy of one clear-cut strong leader, other than Marty Brodeur, who was unable to legally accept the captaincy, the Devils seemed to be in the midst of an identity crisis.

Besides all the attributes of a strong captain, the one focus a strong captain brings to a team is a clear understanding of 'This is who we are, and this is the way we have to play to have success.' An identity crisis, as to who were the Devils, seemed to be the most prominent challenge facing them in this unpredictable season.

Then January 1, Patrik Elias rode in on a white horse. The Devils went on a tear. A strong personality and clear direction carried the Devils to a nine game winning streak. The Devils continued to play well into the Olympic break, but after that break, the Devils seemed to falter once again. It seemed even the great Brodeur could not supply the tonic the Devils needed to regain their health.

And then, after a very demoralizing dip -- only three wins in eight games -- the Devils traveled to Ottawa to receive what appeared to be a fatal blow to this floundering season, but something incredible happened. The leadership that had been maturing and growing under the surface exploded through the ice and produced one of the most inspirational wins of the year and the Devils beat the Senators 3-2 in a shootout.

Then they came home to silence the Sabres, 3-1. Then they drove up to Philly and frustrated the Flyers 4-1. And then, in their best road victory of the year 24 hours later, they came from behind to dramatically put down the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2. That was eight out of eight points, pretty much locking them into a playoff position.

But much more important than all was the centerpiece of all these victories -- shared leadership by 22 assistant captains. Not one designated captain, but 22 different individuals showing what can be accomplished when each player understands that they may very well be the difference on any given night.

For instance:

- In Ottawa, you had Cam Janssen taking on the the reigning Eastern Conference heavyweight champion Brian McGratton in a fight and winning

- Scott Gomez scored the winning shootout goal in the most unassuming manner this season.

- Zach Parise scoring a huge goal vs. Buffalo, showing everyone that he both appreciates and deserves to be bumped up to the first line with Brian Gionta and Gomez.

- Janssen, Eric Rasmussen,and Jason Wiemer pounding the Flyers into a position of passiveness every shift they hit the ice with another example against Philadelphia, with Wiemer scoring his first important goal in a Devils uniform.

- John Madden menacing the skillful Peter Forsberg, then grabbing the offensive limelight by scoring a goal on a brilliant feed from Grant Marshall.

But perhaps the strongest team effort occured the next afternoon in Pittsburgh. They trailed by two after the first period. Jay Pandolfo, with a superb hockey sense goal, gave the Devils hope in the second. And then with Brodeur on their bench, their most skilled player, Patrik Elias, executed a diving deflection that resulted in a tying goal with less than a minute in regulation time. Then it was up to fellow Devils MVP of the Year candidate Brian Gionta supplying the heroics to finish off the Penguins with his 42nd goal of the year in OT, which basically put the Devils into the playoffs.

It should be noted, the other candidate for Devils MVP, Marty Brodeur, supplied the confidence and support needed to set the stage for all four wins. He was sparkling in all those games. To me, what was most important of these four victories -- other than the needed eight points -- was the shared leadership. That leadership popped up often and was well-distributed. Except for Brodeur, you could not point to one particular player as being forced to handle more of the load. Four lines, eight defense, and one great goalie shared in it all.

Having played on championship teams myself that were lead by committee rather than two or three designated individuals, I know the bond and inner-strength that develops through group effort. The playoffs, the supreme challenge of team leadership, still lies ahead for the Devils.

But regardless of the result, the absense of the 'C' on one of the sweaters of the players will not have been a factor.