I hate threads like these. A Captain is a leader, not just the best player or two on the team nowadays.
We have no idea how these guys were in the locker room. They might’ve been the guys giving the rallying speech during intermission, the one that pushes everyone else in the weight room, the guy that mentors the young’ins.
Without inside knowledge, we have no idea.
Agreed. If the players and staff see a certain guy as their "leader" (on, or off the ice), then he's a good captain. It's why I always find it funny when fans or the media mix in on this topic without really knowing.
To illustrate, I recall reading an article or seeing an interview where Chris Pronger discussed his first interactions with his new oilers teammates. He said he walked into the room and
immediately understood that this was Jason Smith's team.
He didn't elaborate on the how and why (whether it was Smith's preparation/dedication, the way he spoke to teammates, or the way he laid everything on the line during games), so we as outsiders can only guess. But I thought it was interesting nonetheless, especially coming from someone who himself was a captain on his previous team and was a far more talented and celebrated defenceman.
