It was announced today that the NY Islanders have selected Bill Guerin as their new captain. It’s difficult to say if this announcement was at the behest of the certifiably insane owner Charles Wang or coach Ted Nolan, who I have a lot of respect for. Whoever’s decision it was, I think it’s safe to say that it wasn’t done after careful observations of team chemistry or any other factor that had to do with his future teammates. The 37 year old Guerin is on a two year contract and has played for seven different teams in the last ten years. Prior to the free agency acquisition of the Islanders, Guerin was traded to San Jose from St. Louis at the cost of a first round draft pick in 2007, Ville Nieminen, and prospect forward Jay Barriball. In return San Jose received two assists in nine playoff games.
Thankfully, Avalanche fans we are spoiled. Since his second year in the NHL the captain of the Avalanche franchise has been Joe Sakic. Over the years there have been various leaders on this team. We’ve seen Roy, Foote and Bourque play important roles in the lockeroom and on the ice. In fact, various arguments have been made by pundits that the Avalanche needed a more vocal leader over the years. However, this has never been uttered by Avalanche players themselves and likely never will. As Avalanche fans know, Sakic is modest, relatively stoic on the ice and soft spoken. However, from time to time Sakic can and will speak with conviction. When he does, everyone listens. Sakic gained his footing as a young captain for the Quebec Nordics when he told the press;
“We only want players here who have the passion to play the game. I’m tired of hearing that name. He’s not here and there are a lot of others in this locker room who really care about the game.”
That rare public comment was regarding the soap opera that was Eric Lindros. He’s never lead the team wrong since. One day Sakic will no longer play in the NHL and the Avalanche will name a new captain. We can only hope to find someone with half the class as Captain Joe.
For a real treat this September, I encourage fans to lurk at the Family Fun Center before, during and after rookie camp. Prior to official training camp you may be lucky enough to witness what I have on a few occasions, Joe Sakic leading his team on the East rink. I remember the off season prior to the lockout in ‘03 when Sakic was on the ice with Foote, Selanne, Kariya, Blake and other veterans. With no coaching staff in sight Sakic was running the ice and he didn’t have these guys doing shooting drills or 2 v 2 on half the ice. Sakic had them all doing what we called as kids “donkey drills”. They would skate in a large figure 8 pattern around the face off circles in single file. The man at the back of the line would have to sprint to the front of the line to the outside of the turns. It was an amazing thing to watch professional athletes sucking air and pushing themselves when they essentially didn’t have to. Sakic transitioned everyone from drill to drill with a few words and he always lead the way doing the first sprint, breakout pass rout etc… . It would have been so easy to just shoot the breeze, toss some pucks in the net and make fun of rookies (Keep in mind, this was prior to the start of training camp. Players weren’t even required to report yet). Instead, they were all business and no one complained nor dogged it. No one should ever question Sakic’s commitment to win. Enjoy him, he’s one for the ages.
man, I hate Bill Guerin.
I’ve never been able to put my finger on why. It could be that he’s a soft power forward. Or maybe because people call him “Billy” (seriously, that’s not a name for a grown man). It might even be that he looks too much like Howie Mandel for my tastes.
Either way, I hate him. And the scary thing? He’s a locker room upgrade to the previous captain on the big island.
oh, and Sakic rocks.
I am looking forward to the day Sakic finally retires. Great player, awful leader.
You can have your class. I will take a leader who cracks skulls and has the nuts to speak up when the team is playing without heart. Sakic keeps his mouth shut and sits on his hands when the Avs play without heart, and it has cost them Cups.
For all he adds on the ice, the team would have been a lot better off with a different guy wearing the “C”.
What are you smoking Thomas?
Sakic is the best man to wear the C in NHL history, besides of course the great Stevie Y from our hated rivals, the Dead Things. I dont care who you are, or what insight you think you might have. As a “fan” of the Avalanche, you should never question the leadership of Joe Sakic.
I agree with Aaron. Nobody likes crackheads Thomas, nobody.
So if skull cracking and nuts are the requirements for a valid captaincy, why where Crosby, Naslund, Forsberg, Alfredsson, and Briere/Drury captains last year? I don’t remember them throwing any teammates under the bus when their respective teams struggled. They are quiet leaders who lead by example. Did Alfredsson, Briere/Drury, Crosby, Iginla, Morrow, Lidstrom, Elias, Yashin, Jagr, Marleau, Taylor, or Naslund cost their teams the cup last year due to nut deficiency? I’m just curious.
As an Avs fan, I’d rather have someone who walks softly and carries a big stick (to the tune of 100 points) than a loudmouth or whiner (Crosby and Jagr come to mind).
Nicely stated, Mike! I mean, I can understand the desire to want someone to stand up for your players, drop the gloves if need be. But thats why the GM picks up players like Lappy and Parker.
I love it. If I don’t drop to my knees and fellate Sakic at every turn like the rest of the lemmings, I get called names.
I am a fan of the Avalanche (the *team*, not just the player like you two) and that’s exactly why I criticize the leadership of Joe Sakic. I want my team to win Cups. The Avs had the horses to win several Cups since the move from Quebec, and they only won two. Wow, what a coincidence, the only time they actually won Cups were the seasons in which they went out and acquired someone else’s vocal leaders in trades (Roy and Keane in 96 and the combination of Bourque and Blake in 01).
Sakic is a lead-by-example guy on a team that needs a vocal leader. You could take Sakic and put him on the 01-02 Wings team and he’d fit right in because those players knew what needed to be done, and the only leadership they needed was by example.
The Avs aren’t that team. They are a young team, and have been for a long time. They rely on production from their young guys, and they need someone there to bark at them when they take a night off.
When you went out and played a lethargic game, you didn’t want to sit next to Mark Messier after the game. Nobody’s afraid of Joe Sakic.
He’s an awful leader. Just because he’s classy and has been the captain for a long time does not make him a good leader.
Good guy, great player, AWFUL leader. Big reason why we missed the playoffs this year, and while I love his production on the ice, I think the Avs will be much better off when someone else wears the C.
I’m not really the fellatin’ type (not that there’s anything wrong with that).
You are entitled to your opinion, as misguided as I think it is.
I love contrarian points of view Thomas, I’m not about to call you names. I think you’re wrong. Sakic is a hero in Canada because he lead that country to their first gold medal in 50 plus years, he lead that team. To my knowledge there has never been an Avalanche player, current nor former who has ever claimed that Sakic was a poor leader. Every player that’s come to Colorado has followed Sakic’s lead. Blake is a horrible example of someone with vocal leadership, so much so he has shunned the C in LA prior to and after his tenure with Colorado. Smyth recently told the whole world that Sakic is a major factor in his coming to Colorado. One of those reasons is…wait for it…. his leadership. Sakic proactively picked up the phone and played a major role in getting Smyth on board, that’s leadership. When Kariya and Selanne came to Colorado Sakic played a major role in talking to both of them.
Sakic is very old school. To Sakic, the lockeroom is sacred ground. He’s an infamous prankster, but you won’t see it. He will never undress a teammate in front of the public, ever. There’s a reason you never hear about drama in the Avalanche lockeroom, because it stays in house. You and others may think this happens by accident but I can assure you that it’s Sakic’s house. He may not give you a show on the bench but he takes care of business. Sakic commands the highest levels of respect and if you don’t think the young players respond then I’m not sure what Avalanche teams you’ve watched over the years.
Great response Dario!
Just a quick point, Thomas.
You say we only won the cup in ‘96 and ‘01 because of the leadership of Keane, Roy, Blake and Bourque.
Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe Keane was there, with Roy, in 1997. We didn’t win the cup. Roy was also there in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003. We didn’t win then either. Mike Keane was also back for 2002 and 2003. Similar story - no cup.
Bourque was there in 2000. Blake was there in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006. No cup for the Avalanche.
Can you point out which years we were missing that ‘vocal leader’ . And do not forget Adam Foote.
One other thing to consider. The players say that Sakic is a great leader. Does anyone know better than the players? Didn’t think so.
You can say that the players all say he’s a great leader, and that’s all well and good, but it is entirely irrelevant.
The simple fact remains that the team has played lethargically ever since they arrived in Colorado, other than the Cup run in ‘96, the stretch run after they acquired Fleury, and the Cup run in 01. Sakic was there, and he never showed any sort of anger or disappointment when his team just didn’t bother to show up.
OF COURSE the players are going to say he’s a good leader. They’d much rather have someone who won’t say a word when they don’t put in any effort as opposed to someone who gets in their face.
Being respected and being a leader are two completely different things. Sakic is respected. He’s not a leader.
I certainly don’t expect anyone to get up off their knees and realize that they shower Sakic with all this praise for basically no reason other than the fact that he’s been a captain for so long. I fully expected everyone to jump down my throat for it. Hell, I even expected you all to be as immature about it as you were.
But that doesn’t make me wrong. Sakic is a poor leader. At the very least, he’s not the kind of leader that the Avs need.
I saw no original responses from anyone here, so I am done. I’ve had this argument before, and I’ve heard all your responses before. Same inane garbage. If someone has an actual original thought on the subject, by all means, e-mail me.
Thomas, to call the responses to your post immature is the very definition of irony.
Essentially, your rebuttal is that it’s your ball and you’re going home. I think the only counter point you’ve made is that players will always agree he’s a good leader because they want to continue to live the easy life where no one gets in their face. So, logically you believe a good leader is someone who takes players to the mat and in public view so you can witness this “leadership”.
I’m not entirely sure you appreciate nor understand the culture of the hockey dressing room.
[...] the 21st through the 29th). Bill Guerin and the Islanders arrive on January 5th to give Joe Sakic a coaching clinic and the Devils come to town on March 15th - perhaps Lou Lamiorello will have fired his new coach by [...]