Hockey has a unique culture that makes it different than all other sports. Perhaps it is due to its working-class roots in Canada. Perhaps for some other reason. Yes, other sports have captains, but they are for the most part superfluous, just for show. Not so in hockey: in hockey, "the captain" actually means something, not just symbolically, but historically, and on and off the ice. I would agree that it is because of the emotional nature of the game.
Leadership comes in all forms: "rah-rah" types, strong silent types, on-ice emotional types. I think these days, many teams make the mistake of giving the captaincy to the best, young player. I'm not sure that is the best way to go.
Many posters have griped about our captains for years: Callahan was to much "on-ice" but not enough off ice. McD was to stoic and didn't show apparent emotion.
Most of us think we know what is going on behind the scenes: on the team plane, in the hotels, at team meals, but official and unofficial. This is where a captain earns his pay just as much as on the ice. And we just don't know, really, what transpires.
I would never, as a Ranger fan going back to circa 1960, say anything negative about Messier. Ever. He did what I never thought possible and that I would never see. He was the most unique athlete I have ever seen in any sport. I don't care what happened in Vancouver or his second stint here. He brought us the Cup. He is the ultimate "Captain."
For some older posters: the captain of the Rangers as they emerged from the horrors of the early 1960s and in the early days of the Francis era was Bob Nevin: the strong silent type. The captain during the height of the Francis era was Vic Hadfield: an on-ice leader.
I don't know who is captain material on this team. Sometimes I think that Kreider is the guy; if he would only be consistent. Zuc: my sense (which could be wrong) is that his leadership comes from just getting guys to relax and laugh. He might be the guy always saying things to lighten situations. Fast: to quiet but perhaps the strong silent type. No one else strikes my fancy. Maybe we go with three alternate captains next year until the next generation of leadership emerges.
But yeah, in hockey, historically, symbolically, and in actuality, due to the emotion of the game, a captain is important if not essential.