Who will be named as the Montreal Canadiens new captain?
The last captain the team had was Brian Gionta, who served as captain from 2010 to 2014 before leaving Montreal for the Buffalo Sabres.
"There will be a captain this year. He will be announced by the end of camp." - Marc Bergevin #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/UH1bUoxe7P
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) September 10, 2015
Now, each of those four are an obvious candidate for the captaincy. But that's just too boring. Let's throw in a dark horse candidate as well to round out a top-five list of the most likely players to receive the captaincy.
Oh, and before we start, don't even try to argue Carey Price is the dark horse candidate. It's not happening.
P.K Subban
P.K. Subban has one of the best personalities in all of the NHL. He's an impossible player not to like. On the ice, he's a physical force with a cannon of a shot. Off the ice, he's a humble, witty guy that would give you the shirt off of his back. He is always looking out for others. Subban does loads of charity work, and it just comes naturally for him. It's been that way ever since he was young, according to his mother, Maria Subban.
"When he was younger, a kid, he always gave away his lunch," Maria told NHL.com in June. "He would say, 'Mom, they don't have anything to eat.' He was always looking out for other kids."
Now, Subban has an opportunity to be the one his team mates rely on. He's signed until 2022, so the Canadiens would be set for quite some time. Subban would make an excellent captain.
Tomas Plekanec
Tomas Plekanec is about to enter his 11th full season as a Montreal Canadien. The oldest and most experienced forward on the team, Plekanec is still capable of scoring goals in opportune times. He is an excellent two-way forward. He is a calm, quiet player, but when he does speak, he does so intelligently. He has thrived off of consistency all throughout this career. Excluding the lockout-shortened season, Plekanec has scored at least 20 goals in eight out of nine seasons.
"I’ve learned to find a way to play consistently, season in and season out," Plekanec told Dave Stubbs of the Montreal Gazette in April. "I’m happy with the experience of the games I’ve got under my belt.”
Consistency and experience allows Plekanec to take virtually anyone under his wing, from the grizzled vet in a scoring slump to a wide-eyed rookie.
Max Pacioretty
The underrated scorer is by far the most relied on player on the ice not named Carey Price. Pacioretty has quietly scored 91 goals in the past three seasons. That's the fourth-most in the entire league, behind only Alex Ovechkin (136), Steven Stamkos (97) and Joe Pavelski (94). He has a nose for the net, and while he doesn't generally get the highlight-reel goals that some guys manage to find themselves in on a consistent basis, he does score, simply because he always puts himself in the right position. He's a little more soft-spoken off the ice, but he is trying to really adapt to the Montreal culture. According to the Montreal Canadiens in-season documentary 24CH, a kind of "Hard Knocks" inside look at the team throughout the season, Pacioretty is trying to learn how to speak French. Pacioretty would become just the second American to lead the bleu, blanc et rouge, behind Chris Chelios' single season as the team captain in 1989-90.
Andrei Markov
For his entire NHL career, Andrei Markov has been a Montreal Canadien. The longest-tenured Canadien and oldest player on the team has 846 regular season games in a Montreal Canadiens uniform. He's virtually all business, and, similarly to Plekanec, shows his leadership through consistency on the ice. Markov was the Canadiens' Bill Masterton Memorial trophy nominee this season. The trophy is given to the player “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey,” as the Professional Hockey Writers Association put it. Markov has given his all for the city of Montreal, and he wouldn't have it any other way.
“It’s the best place to play hockey,” Markov said to Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette in March. “The passion of the fans and the organization. I never thought about leaving. It’s going to be special for the rest of my life.”
Dark Horse Candidate - Brendan Gallagher
Okay, you simply have to include the 5-foot-9, 180 pound soaking wet Brendan Gallagher in the captaincy discussion. The 2010 fifth-round pick has scored 58 goals and 116 goals in 207 games in three seasons for the Habs. But points aren't what make a captain. Those aren't my words, those are from a former Montreal Canadiens Hall of Famer himself, Guy Lafleur, the Canadiens all-time franchise leader in assists and points, and he endorses Gallagher as the next team captain.
"A captain shouldn't be chosen on the amount of goals he's going to score," Lafleur said to the Montreal Gazette's Hickey. "(Gallagher) really impressed me every night I saw him play. He's aggressive, he wants to win. He gets some bad shots from opponents, he takes a lot of hits, and there's not too many guys on the team that work like he does."
"I like the way he plays," Lafleur continued on Gallagher. "He shows up every night and gives 100 percent. I think he's a great influence on his teammates."
Talk about an endorsement.
Whoever is named as the 26th captain in franchise history, they will join an elite class of Canadiens who are expected to carry a heavy workload and to always be there for their team. Every one of these guys listed could certainly do just that. And with the announcement coming after the Canadiens' training camp, we won't have to wait all that long to find out who that guy will be.
