C14
By Wanye
11 years agoSome decisions in life are funny and some are not. This dude reacting to the news he is not the father in a Maury paternity test is funny. Jordan Eberle being the next Captain is no laughing matter. So you can watch the video above and have a good laugh or make the jump and have a good think. We are on the verge of a 10 year NHL strike – its every man for himself at this point.
Disagreeing with Robin Brownlee can be hazardous to one’s health. And he recently wrote a great article about Horcoff ultimately handing off the C to one of the youths:
I understand the sentiment – and there has been plenty of it in these parts in recent days – that Horcoff, facing a diminished role as his career winds down, could get out in front of the inevitable transition that will see youngsters like Hall, Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins take over as the on-ice leaders of the team. That swing is already underway.
We are fully on board with his line of thinking that the time isn’t now for Horcoff to hand over the C. Most hockey pundits agree that the Oil probably have another year on the outside looking in of the playoffs (wrong) and if this is the case (it isn’t) then waiting until the Oil have officially returned to respectability before handing over the reins is probably good for all involved.
It’s hard to be the Captain of a losing team – particularly if you are a) mega young by NHL standards and b) in the first year of the job. Any player assuming the role – and with a large long contract on the books – need look no further than the C13 for the type of lightning rod you can easily become if you aren’t living up to expectations.
C13
Remember the quest for the C13? Oh those were fun times. Back in the day we all used to amuse ourselves with the quest for the thirteenth Captain of the Oilers. Ethan Moreau had just left town (Thank the Gods) and the Oil were left looking within the dressing room for someone to lead the squad.
In those days heady days of 2010, we were all up in arms about whether or not the Oil needed to build through free agents and trades or blow it all up and start again. It seems like centuries ago but fans were split between going with an experienced Captain or going with youth.
Youth in those days consisted of Ales Hemsky, Jeff Deslauriers and Patrick O’Sullivan who expertly stickhandled his way through Edmonton on his road to nowhere. Experience consisted of Ales Kotalik, Dr. Randy Gregg and other players who shouldn’t be considered in a trade much less being made Captain of an NHL team.
In the end it was all a bunch of hullabaloo about nothing as is so often the case in the world of full contact hockey blogging.
The Captaincy went to Shawn Horcoff over Hemsky and an assortment of "not reallys" from failed miracle trades. This was the best move at the time.
C14
Things couldn’t be any more different now if you decided to spin a random wheel of chance and began cheering for a completely new team. Appeasing Ales Hemsky is no longer a reason to hand out letters left and right and the option of "going with experience" for a new Captain is completely "laughable."
The C14 as anyone with a functioning set of eyes and brain stem knows is going to someone with a hazy recollection of cassette tapes and someone who has no idea what a Sega Master System was. The C14 is going to youth.
The key point here to make is that when the time does finally arrive for the C14 to be named – it needs to be Jordan Eberle receiving the C not teammate Taylor Hall.* Sure we are about as biased as Honey Boo Boo’s mom being named judge at a Honey Boo Boo pagent but this is for a very good reason.
Maturity, composure and clutch-ness are a key component for the next Captain of the Edmonton Oilers. C14 will have a very young room to lead, headstrong superstars all looking waaaaay down the road to their 25th birthdays. Things could go sideways quickly if the wrong person is put in charge of the room.
We will take a look at the different candidates for the next Captain of the Oilers in the next little while as we all scratch our heads for topics of debate. But it’s Jordan Eberle so there.
Shoot man it’s C14. Of course it will go to Jordan Eberle.
BROWNIE POINTS
In one of the old C13 articles we stumbled upon ourselves saying this:
A Jason Strudwick type player might just be what this team needs to elect as C13 until they can figure out the long term player to fill this role. Not the greatest player in the NHLPA, a Strudwick type player could still command the room with his grizzled veteran presence and allow the next generation of players (including the future C14) to develop free of the pressure of being the Captain of a losing NHL hockey team.
Now turns out Strudwick runs the sports media in Edmonton. Classic.
*Or maybe the Nuge. He is so cute.
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