After losing Markus Naslund to free agency, the Vancouver Canucks have announced that they have anointed goalie Roberto Luongo as their new team captain to fill that void. 'King Louie', as he's sometimes known, is now the first goaltender in over 60 years to act as team captain. This isn't necessarily because goaltenders are bad leaders, but because of a long-standing NHL rule that states that goaltenders are not allowed to wear the 'C' on their jersey to designate them as the captain. Because of this, teams have always just chosen one of the skaters as the team leader. I completely back the decision made by the Canucks. I don't see any reason why a goaltender can't be the guy to guide his teammates on and off the ice. You may argue that many goalies aren't right in the head and should keep to themselves...to that I would throw out names like Sean Avery, Chris Simon and Ryan Hollweg. All three are skaters, all three most likely could use a little psychiatric assistance. Granted, Avery had an excuse: He had to spend a lot of time on the road, away from his (now ex) girlfriend Elisha Cuthbert...who wouldn't go a little bonkers? But I'm getting off-track here.
There are some points that work against a goalie as team captain. The first is that captains are the ones to take part in ceremonial faceoffs before special games. Okay, I can see how it would look a little funny with a tender and his big-paddled wicket in there to do the honors, but is ceremonial faceoff ability what defines a captain? Probably not.
The second is that the captain and alternate captains are the only players allowed to communicate with the on-ice officials during the game. This one is a little sketchy, as there's nothing keeping a netminder from skating over to the ref for a quick chat. I understand it's a long way to skate with all that padding strapped to various parts of your anatomy, but these guys are professionals...they can handle a little extra chafing now and then.
The third is more legitimate. A team leader would be much more effective if he was there shoulder-to-shoulder with his comrades during the heat of battle. A goalie can be a little disconnected from the rest of his team during the game, since he's unable to wander very far from his net. Because of this, he may not have as much vocal influence on the rest of the guys as someone who is on the bench or in the play. On the flip side though, many captains do their leading through their actions. Regardless of the position a guy plays, he has the ability to lift up his teammates by showing poise, resolve, intensity and even competitiveness solely by his actions. If you see a teammate drop to the ice to block a shot and he's obviously hurt, yet he drops to block a second shot anyway, chances are good that you'll be willing to go that extra mile to make sure his effort wasn't in vain. The same goes for a goaltender. Big saves can go a long way to changing the momentum of a game. A goalie who is seemingly down-and-out that makes that diving-across-the-crease last-gasp attempt to rob the opposition of a sure goal can do wonders for a team's spirits.
In every other aspect of a captain's duties, it doesn't matter what position a guy plays. As long as he's there for his teammates and displays continually what it takes to be a consummate player on and off the ice, and has the respect of the rest of the team, he is the leader. Roberto Luongo is just that.
Keywords: Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks
