Took me a few days to fully take this news in (and not having internet certainly helped), but its still a big shock to realize that Gabriel Landeskog is the Captain of the Avalanche. The 19-year old accomplished so much last year, walking away with the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie. However, being a Captain is a whole different story; what C on your sweater represents is the complete showcase of skill, leadership and responsibility. Landeskog has only played 82 games, and is a mere 19 years old, but don't let that fool you. The kid is mature beyond his age, and this has been said about him ever since he played in the OHL as a 16-year old. He was the captain of the Kitchener Rangers at 17, becoming the first European Captain in the history of the Rangers. He was the captain for Sweden's U16 U17 and U18 teams, as well as an Alternate Captain at this year's World Hockey Championship. Landeskog embodies all the qualities of an NHL captain, and the decision to make him captain now (youngest in NHL history, 11 days younger than when Sidney Crosby got his C) is the right move for several reasons. They know that Gabriel is the face of the franchise, and he will be around for a long, long time. On the ice, he plays a type of hockey that is sought out by every NHL team; a 200-foot, two-way player who plays in all aspects of the game. He isn't the most skilled guy on the ice, but he may certainly be the hardest worker on the avs (besides O'Reilly). Gabriel does it all on offence; he takes a ton of shots (270 last year, 15th in the NHL), he hits (219, tied for 18th in the NHL) and he scores big-time goals (24 last year, 6 PP and 5 GWG). He led the rookies in points (52), shots (270 - next closest 184), 2nd in goals (22), 2nd in GWG (5), 2nd in PPG (6), 2nd in +/- (+20), and 3rd in assists (30). However, offence isn't the only characteristic of Gabriel's game; he is one of the hardest working young defensive-forwards in the game right now. He understands the importance of being a two-way player, and that is where we see alot of comparisons to another former Kitchener Rangers Captain in Mike Richards. Landeskog is a relentless skater, and he understands the importance of finishing his check. While he is still young and has a ton of experience to gain, he has already impressed enough people to make him the youngest Captain in NHL history. Gabriel had this to say,
"It's something you dream about as a kid — just being a part of an
organization like the Avs, and then getting honored to put the 'C' on,
especially with the history that this club has with Joe Sakic and Adam Foote and
obviously Milan Hejduk, it's a pretty humbling experience,"
There were certainly other options; the unsigned Ryan O'Reilly, assistant Captain Paul Stastny and Defenceman Erik Johnson. However, Coach Sacco said in their talks it all kept coming back to Gabriel as the logical choice, and they feel extremely comfortable with him as a leader and Captain at the age of 19. From Mike Chambers (
http://www.denverpost.com/avalanche) quoting Coach Sacco,
"Don't let his age fool you. He is way mature beyond his years," Sacco said of
Landeskog, who led the Avs with a plus-20 rating as a rookie. "He has that
natural leadership ability, something that just comes easy for him. I think he's
going to be a great captain for a long time for this franchise. The response has been overwhelmingly positive," Sacco said. "They are all very
excited for Gabe. We knew he was very well liked and respected in the room. He's
still 19, so obviously that still comes into play. But at the same time we have
good people in this room, good leaders in this room, and we have good support
for Gabe."
As an Avalanche fan I am extremely excited to see #92 rock the C, that is if there even is a season this year (FUCK GARY BETTMAN). The future is bright in Colorado
-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News
