There are four kinds of captains.
1.-the kind who are appointed simply because they are the best player on the team
2.- the kind who lead by the example they set on the ice
3.-the kind who leads off the ice
4.-the kind who combine 2 and 3
I've always felt 3 is as important as 2. That kind of captain is the liason with the coaches. He takes young players under his wing. He is aware of the off ice lifes of each player on the team and addresses problems individually. He smoothes out the up and down issues that come up during the course of a season. He is the player other players talk to. His persona can be fiery or the strong silent type.
All this while tending to his own career
His leadership shows on the team bus, on the plane, in the lockerroom, in the hotel and after practice.
It is this part of leadership we rarely see. We try to gauge it from our obsession with the team and what is said. But the fact is, we don't know. We think we know, but we don't really.
When Cally was appointed, he had #2 down pat and the hope was he would grow into #3 and become a complete captain, a #4.
Did he? I don't know because, not being around the team, I didn't have enough info. Perhaps he didn't and that is the gist of what Richards was hinting at. Richards, in his day, always struck me as a behind the scene leader. Hey, but not everyone is Messier.
So what's next. Staal seems to laid back and his contract issue clouds his situation. McD seems like Cally was but he too seems a little laid back. Can he grow into the role? I don't know. Girardi seems closest to a complete captain type but will he still be able to maintain the role as his skills erode in 3 or 4 years and he is on longer a first pair D.
An interesting situation.
