I haven't weighed in on this captain issue yet, and I know the popular consensus is Brian Gionta, but I am sticking with the choice I made after the first week of camp: Mike Cammalleri.
The thoughts that Cammalleri gave to the media after the loss against Calgary showed me that he is the right choice.
He has a superb understanding of how the game is played and has an innate ability to communicate his desires.
Tuesday night, he expressed a frustration with the way that things are going, but he did it in a way that is motivating to his mates and inspiring to listen to.
Here are some of his sage words. Keep in mind that this is right after the game and clarity of thought is not easy just after a hard fought loss, but it rolls off Cammalleri like he could coach, never mind captain.
"I'll be honest with you. Right now and in the last few games I feel we gotta be making it harder on other teams by playing with a little bit more confidence, a little bit more jam, and challenging their D and making the right decisions, chipping the puck deep when we have to, taking the line. We are a lot of capable guys in here that can make a lot of plays. But it seems like we are just chipping it in deep and afraid of making mistakes. We're going to make mistakes but we'll recover for each other. That's what this game is all about".
And that is what being a captain is all about.
Dealing with fans
However, Cammalleri was just getting started. His next response was to the fans frustration. It's a loaded question about hearing boos, and a good response is difficult. No problem for Cammalleri.
"The only way we are going to please the fans is for us to win hockey games, but If we're trying to please the fans we are going to lose hockey games and they are going to be upset, so we have to look to one another and must be accountable to one another - I need you to make this play. You need me to make this play and at the end of the night we will have our hands in the air and everybody is happy".
And the final thought was a question whether this was all about the Habs commitment: "I think this team is committed to an unselfish brand of hockey. And I think the guys wanna win and they wanna work hard. We just need to challenge ourselves a little more here. It's the National Hockey League here. You watch a guy like Jarome Iginla. It's pretty inspirational. The guy tries to make plays all night long. No matter where he is he tries to create every shift and he ends up getting one because of it".
Appropriate for me that one 'should be' captain is inspired by one already great captain.
Total package
Cammalleri has it all. He's a strong player. He's a communicator. He's a motivator. He answers the call after the game to the media. He is already making his mark in the community through charity work. And finally, we shouldn't discount his effort and joy to learn French.
Mike Cammalleri is committed to this team and this city. My choice is made. He's your next captain.
