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I heard that a player from a metro area private school is considering an attempt to play junior this year vs. his high school team. He is doing that as a players chosen Captain. This is not Ryan Walters who made his path known some time ago. This is a player that recently considered that option.

Question: should any kid following that path be stripped of his/her captaincy immediately? What kind of an example is that?

No knock on the kid .............. to each his own. However, I am of the opinion that a person going down that trail should not be a captain.

Your thoughts?

At this age level some kids have big decisions they have to make.If a kid is taking time and deciding what is best for his future, then makes a decision to stay with his high school team, why should he be punished for looking into his options. Yes if he decides to make the move then of course he would not be captain, however if his decision is to stay with his commitment to his high school team why should he be stripped of the captains patch.

As harsh as this may sound, I think he has to lose his captaincy. I don't fault the young man for exploring options but feel if he doesn't have a commitment to his high school program and the other kids know about this, then someone else should be given the responsibility as Captain.

Sounds like maybe a jealous parent or kid that think there kid deserves the captain position instead of this kid exploring juniors. Maybe if you give us some insight on what school this is or anymore information someone could enlighten you on truth or rumour.

We seem to want to be too nice at times these days. I am old school on this one, strip the C and move on. Now the question will be, well how does everyone voting for a captain know what the players intentions are? Well as he declares his intentions, then either conduct another vote or give it to whoever had the next highest votes.

A true captain needs to be dedicated to one thing and one group only.

Good for the player for exploring his options. Same thing adults do when looking at the best career options for themselves. Just because he is looking at options that may advance his hockey career, doesn't mean he is turning his back on his team. He is doing what is best for his future.
He is captain until no longer part of the team. If he decides the jr. route is where he is going, then he should call the coach and let him know of his decision. Coach can than appoint a new captain.

breakout wrote:Question: should any kid following that path be stripped of his/her captaincy immediately?

No

breakout wrote:What kind of an example is that?

It's just a kid exploring his options. I'm sure he'll be 100% dedicated to whichever team he ends up playing for this season.

It's just like the captain of an AHL team trying to make the NHL. Would you take his C away too?

the exiled one, its nothing like going from the NHL from the AHL. But i get your point

Perhaps the team should let the players make that decision. They voted for this player as captain in the first place. If the player does decide to stay in school, ask the players if they still want them as captain. My guess is that they would still keep them as captain. I seem to remember that Nick Larson from H-M played juniors before his senior season and returned to H-M and was a captain with no problems. Seems like the players get less worked up about this kind of stuff then the people on this bored.

My personal opinion is that in an awful lot of cases, the High School captaincy is nothing more than another perk for the team "star" and way to often doesn't necessarily reflect his leadership. IMO, kids will often vote for the player who is expected to get the award because he is going to be the teams top player and consequently will end up on the ice probably 40% of the time in a typical HS game, whether they believe he is the best representative for them. Aside from maybe showing a little initiative when "captains practice" time rolls around, where do you see todays HS captains honestly making an impression on his team? I'm guessing that a lot of the "strip him" comments on here are coming more from old guard type hockey fans as opposed to recent players in tune to todays locker rooms.

Tony Soprano wrote:We seem to want to be too nice at times these days. I am old school on this one, strip the C and move on. Now the question will be, well how does everyone voting for a captain know what the players intentions are? Well as he declares his intentions, then either conduct another vote or give it to whoever had the next highest votes.

A true captain needs to be dedicated to one thing and one group only.

Soprano. A little perspective here. Say you, Mr. Soprano, are the "captain" "ie new president" of a company. You've just been appointed that and all of the sudden out of the blue a new offer comes that triples your salary and makes you the president at the top company in your industry. My guess is you may take your dedication to one thing and one group and be out the door faster than they can open it. Give the kid a break here. Things change all the time. In my mind, he's captain until he decides to leave.

formerly7aafan wrote:My personal opinion is that in an awful lot of cases, the High School captaincy is nothing more than another perk for the team "star" and way to often doesn't necessarily reflect his leadership. IMO, kids will often vote for the player who is expected to get the award because he is going to be the teams top player and consequently will end up on the ice probably 40% of the time in a typical HS game, whether they believe he is the best representative for them. Aside from maybe showing a little initiative when "captains practice" time rolls around, where do you see todays HS captains honestly making an impression on his team? I'm guessing that a lot of the "strip him" comments on here are coming more from old guard type hockey fans as opposed to recent players in tune to todays locker rooms.

Nicely put and hard to add to your post. Captaincy today is a popularity contest and has nothing to do with leadership unless the coach awards the "C". You would hope the coach is picking that player for their maturity, learship ability and commitment and not just pleasing a problem parent.

Let the kid have his "C" until he decides to leave or stay.

Say a captain is offered the chance to move up to juniors, and he is torn because of loyalty to the program and the fact that he is captain.

He confides to friends that he has this opportunity and is undecided.

The friend mentions it the coach, who is upset and tells the player he's immediately stripping him of the "C" because he's considering this opportunity.

Kind of makes the decision a lot easier for the player, doesn't it?

aak...sorry double post

hockeydad wrote:Say a captain is offered the chance to move up to juniors, and he is torn because of loyalty to the program and the fact that he is captain.

He confides to friends that he has this opportunity and is undecided.

The friend mentions it the coach, who is upset and tells the player he's immediately stripping him of the "C" because he's considering this opportunity.

Kind of makes the decision a lot easier for the player, doesn't it?

Pretty crappy of the coach not to take the time to discuss this with the player that were to be his capt., before reacting on what someone else tells him.
The other thing is those are not friends, and they all deserve a poke in the eye!
What a bunch of jerks!

Davey - Talking about presidents of major compaines and high school hockey are two completly different situations. Yes, what you have posted may have the same concept in mind, but quite a bit different. If I was offered what you posted, I would have to look at all the angles, not just the money. There just is not enough dedication anymore. There can be days of conversations on staying in high school or leaving for Juniors. I belive in staying in high school with your freinds and to experience the full high school experience. Some of these top athletes could miss opportunites to play in state tournaments in more than just hockey if they leave. Is a state tournament everything, no, but it is something that does not happen to many.

So, if you are selected captain and you start getting looks, let the coach know so discussion can begin on how to handle the situation. I just think doing both clouds the focus of a true captain in my opinion. I also disagree that all captains are selected by the popular vote. Sure some may be, but I do not think all are. Some teams will allow the players to pick a captain and an alternate, and then the coaches may have the other pick. I still can't give the kid a break. It can stink of the "me" thing more than the team thing.

Wait until the season opener to pick a captain. Who picks a captain in the off season or the previous year?

puck19 wrote:Sounds like maybe a jealous parent or kid that think there kid deserves the captain position instead of this kid exploring juniors. Maybe if you give us some insight on what school this is or anymore information someone could enlighten you on truth or rumour.

No jealous parent here. Frankly, the kid in question probably wouldn't see much playing time at the Jr level this year (speculation). In my opinion, he would be better served being a leader on his HS team and seeing a lot of ice time including PP and PK. Follow that up by playing a year of Jr and maybe play college hockey.

breakout wrote:

puck19 wrote:Sounds like maybe a jealous parent or kid that think there kid deserves the captain position instead of this kid exploring juniors. Maybe if you give us some insight on what school this is or anymore information someone could enlighten you on truth or rumour.

No jealous parent here. Frankly, the kid in question probably wouldn't see much playing time at the Jr level this year (speculation). In my opinion, he would be better served being a leader on his HS team and seeing a lot of ice time including PP and PK. Follow that up by playing a year of Jr and maybe play college hockey.

He can be a leader whether he wears the "C" or not! In many instances being named Captain is overblown. True leaders always do what they do best . . . lead, whether they are recognized or not!

formerly7aafan wrote:My personal opinion is that in an awful lot of cases, the High School captaincy is nothing more than another perk for the team "star" and way to often doesn't necessarily reflect his leadership. IMO, kids will often vote for the player who is expected to get the award because he is going to be the teams top player and consequently will end up on the ice probably 40% of the time in a typical HS game, whether they believe he is the best representative for them. Aside from maybe showing a little initiative when "captains practice" time rolls around, where do you see todays HS captains honestly making an impression on his team? I'm guessing that a lot of the "strip him" comments on here are coming more from old guard type hockey fans as opposed to recent players in tune to todays locker rooms.

I whole heartedly disagree with this statement, and the other statement made about the captaincy being a popularity contest. In my opinion, the captains that I've seen voted for in GR have absolutely deserved them. Those chosen became great leaders and role models to the younger players. On and off the ice. Several of them were stars as you put it, but several were not. They all were complete team guys and pretty much played for the guy sitting next to him. Also, they helped with the development of the younger players through encouragement and by setting good examples. GR has been blessed with some great players over the years, and those chosen as captains flourished because of it, and the teams have always followed their lead. Hopefully the trend continues this season with the three guys chosen to lead.

GR3343 wrote:

formerly7aafan wrote:My personal opinion is that in an awful lot of cases, the High School captaincy is nothing more than another perk for the team "star" and way to often doesn't necessarily reflect his leadership. IMO, kids will often vote for the player who is expected to get the award because he is going to be the teams top player and consequently will end up on the ice probably 40% of the time in a typical HS game, whether they believe he is the best representative for them. Aside from maybe showing a little initiative when "captains practice" time rolls around, where do you see todays HS captains honestly making an impression on his team? I'm guessing that a lot of the "strip him" comments on here are coming more from old guard type hockey fans as opposed to recent players in tune to todays locker rooms.

I whole heartedly disagree with this statement, and the other statement made about the captaincy being a popularity contest. In my opinion, the captains that I've seen voted for in GR have absolutely deserved them. Those chosen became great leaders and role models to the younger players. On and off the ice. Several of them were stars as you put it, but several were not. They all were complete team guys and pretty much played for the guy sitting next to him. Also, they helped with the development of the younger players through encouragement and by setting good examples. GR has been blessed with some great players over the years, and those chosen as captains flourished because of it, and the teams have always followed their lead. Hopefully the trend continues this season with the three guys chosen to lead.

Who is selecting these captains, players or coaches?

GR3343 wrote:

formerly7aafan wrote:My personal opinion is that in an awful lot of cases, the High School captaincy is nothing more than another perk for the team "star" and way to often doesn't necessarily reflect his leadership. IMO, kids will often vote for the player who is expected to get the award because he is going to be the teams top player and consequently will end up on the ice probably 40% of the time in a typical HS game, whether they believe he is the best representative for them. Aside from maybe showing a little initiative when "captains practice" time rolls around, where do you see todays HS captains honestly making an impression on his team? I'm guessing that a lot of the "strip him" comments on here are coming more from old guard type hockey fans as opposed to recent players in tune to todays locker rooms.

I whole heartedly disagree with this statement, and the other statement made about the captaincy being a popularity contest. In my opinion, the captains that I've seen voted for in GR have absolutely deserved them. Those chosen became great leaders and role models to the younger players. On and off the ice. Several of them were stars as you put it, but several were not. They all were complete team guys and pretty much played for the guy sitting next to him. Also, they helped with the development of the younger players through encouragement and by setting good examples. GR has been blessed with some great players over the years, and those chosen as captains flourished because of it, and the teams have always followed their lead. Hopefully the trend continues this season with the three guys chosen to lead.

I would love to hear the name of one captain in GR that you would have NOT considered a star. I don't necessarily agree myself that it is a popularity contest, but I RARELY, if ever, see the case where the chosen captain, whether he be chosen by the players isn't the most recognizable star on the team. I await the day that the second line HS left wing gets the "C", not the "A", and gets recognized for his ability to be respected by his teammates, or coach, for his intelligence and leadership on the ice, rather than his goal scoring ability.

Once a captain always a captain.. once a leader always a leader, sort of think of it in Military ways.. if a officer was stripped of his leadership and you respected him as a leader before.. well you will always treat him with that respect

Breakout you still have not mentioned what private school you are referring to, the only other one in the metro I can think of besides St. Thomas is Hill Murray, and this was already done a few years back with Larson he tried juniors and decided to stay at high school he still ket the c patch and there were no problems there. So do you think at this particular school your talking about it is causing problems the kid is not a role model. So what if you think he should stay the choice is not yours to make. Maybe you are just hearing plenty of rumours that continue to spread through out te summer.

puck19 wrote:Breakout you still have not mentioned what private school you are referring to, the only other one in the metro I can think of besides St. Thomas is Hill Murray, and this was already done a few years back with Larson he tried juniors and decided to stay at high school he still ket the c patch and there were no problems there. So do you think at this particular school your talking about it is causing problems the kid is not a role model. So what if you think he should stay the choice is not yours to make. Maybe you are just hearing plenty of rumours that continue to spread through out te summer.

Give it up.

And I agree with the captaincy being a popularity contest. The last one at ER that I can think of that wasn't a star player (those who got it most years deserved it, a couple didn't) was Andy Crook. Leadership was his best attribute by far and his teammates recognized that.