By J. Earle
Let me begin by saying I love Chris Drury. Ignoring his cap hit, he is a great role model and seasoned professional who would benefit any team in the league, including the Rangers.
If the Rangers were to win the cup this year, there is no doubt in my mind that Drury would limp to the podium, bleeding from somewhere, with a partially dislocated shoulder and a broken hand to receive the trophy on behalf of his team. It would be a beautiful and inspiring site to see the captain smile through his pain.
This image of a battered leader, reminiscent of Lord Nelson dying at the moment he hears of his victory over Napoleon, is fine for most cities…. But this is New York.
New York does not like to see its leader looking defeated at the moment of victory. New York does not want to simply out last its opponents in order to be victorious; it wants to beat them.
In New York we prefer Napoleon to Nelson. We need Joe Namath, George Steinbrenner and the great Mark Messier to speak about the championship as if it’s already ours. If any other team is drinking champagne from Lord Stanley’s cup in June, it is a direct insult to us, and we need a captain who makes us feel that way.
Currently, the closest thing the Rangers have to that player is the King. No matter how bad things are, Hank makes us feel like we can win, not simply endure.
Lundqvist cannot only contain Ovechkin; he can out play him. That’s what we need in a captain.
Unfortunately, he cannot be our captain, but we can hope that he can inspire young Ryan McDonough or Derek Stepan to take up that role in the years to come.
11 comments:
Good post, but if I were to make a list of the Rangers' top 100 problems and priorities going into this year, I would put the issue of captaincy at #97, right between mouse terds in the food and casino night.
role model*
Yeah, I've been less than satisfied with the proofreading on some of these guest blogs. Obviously, not everyone's a journalist, but this site has enough of a footprint to have a few people read over these posts before we send them out.
Great read, dude. I consider anything written about the Rangers both important and enjoyable to read. But I guess everyone's a critic.
I can definitely see where you are coming from with Hank. I do think he is the foundation/backbone/franchise player for this team.
However, if I were to choose a captain, it would be Ryan Callahan. I think he truly embodies what every team desperately needs on the ice - heart and compassion.
Blame me for the editing, I've been trying my best but things slip through. I've actually had an offer to help me edit but I don't want to burden anyone.
This is a Rangers blog not English class.
Great post. I am one of the biggest Drury fans and couldn't agree more. The guy is one of the best "all around" players hands down. If blocked shots, defensive back checks, cluctch face offs in defensive zone were stats the everyday fan could see then i think the perspective on Drury would be a little different. Too many fans never played the game, or at a high enough level, to truely appreciate what Dru brings every single day.
With that said I think it is time he takes hands the "C" but Cally is not the right guy for the job. He is a young Drury without the scoring touch and cluchtness. Love Cally but not captian worthy in New York.
My vote goes to Gabby. The more you watch him the more you realize this is not just a goal scorer. He is willing to protect himself and his teamates in any situation. He leads by example. Gabby captain with Dru and Cally as his assistants is a very solid leadership core in my opinion.
But agree with Joe that captaincy is not a top priority...consistancy from Torts should be.
Excellent post, but I didn't realize so many English professors read this blog. Lighten up Francis!
And AnnoyingJoe, putting the lack of a strong leader at #97 is wrong in my book. Look at the Stanley Cup winners for the past 30 years and who there (for you 3rd grade E teacher...lol) captains were...Potvin (who still sucks), Gretzky, Gainey, Lanny McDonald, Peplinski, Messier, Lemieux, Carbonneau, Stevens, Sakic, Yzerman, Andreychuk, Brin'Amour, Niedermayer, Lidstrom, Crosby, Toews. I'd say all these guys would fit into the desription that Guest Blogger #12 was talking about. Drury's got guts, but he doesn't have the charisma that will make his teammates follow him through a series of brick walls. That's been lacking since Leetch left. I don't know if there is anyone on the current roster that fits the bill, but here's to hoping that someone grows into it real quick, because it's sorely needed!
By the way today's guest blogger is a self proclaimed "lurker". Great job by a lurker stepping up.
Chris Drury is the perfect captain. He is the captain that other players will follow to the ends of the earth. He plays so hard and gives up everything that every player on the Rangers would be willing to run through walls for him. Gaborik does show that he is willing to do anything to win but not to extent that Drury does. Callahan is the only one who is close to Drury's level and perhaps he will be the captain once Drury retires, which I could only hope would be about four years from now. There is no need for a flashy captain or one that guarantee's victories or shows arrogance. In fact, the greatest captains are the ones who dont need to do that. From that list of Stanley Cup Winners most are not what you describe. In fact, most are quite leaders who give everything everyday. Yzerman, Andreychuk, Brin'Amour, Stevens, Lidstrom and Toews are all quite guys who were respected by their teammates in the same manner as Dru. Perhaps Yzerman, Lidstrom and Toews are more tallented than Dru, but they were not chosen to be captains on talent, they wer chosen on Character. If it was talent that made a captain, then Stevens, Toews, Andreychuk and Brin'Amour would never have been captains. A captain is a warrior and a leader and Chris Drury is one of the best warriors and captains in the NHL today.
John, maybe I was being a little dramatic in trying to make my point. I don't think that this team is just one great leader from glory. As for your list, it's a great list, but these are immortal players, Messiers are a once-in-a-generation players, you may never see his like again. If you wait around for that kinf of leader, you may be waiting a long time. I do have faith that a leader is going to emerge from this current group. You can't "make" a leader, it just happens.
And for anyone who takes the time to post a comment simply to point out grammatical or spelling errors....really?
fully agree with matt. except drury will be gone in 2 yrs not 4. i don't think he will or should be resigned.
this team is lacking a lot more than the be all captain. drury is best choice for now. hopefully 2 yrs from now cally, staal, stepan can form the leadership group.
as for captains. look at messier. 1st stint he was the best ever. not many would say he was the 2nd time around. function of his age and the diminished talent level around him.
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