Did Team Canada jump the gun giving Crosby the C so early?

[hyduK]

Obviously no one would have expected his level of play to drop so much this season (they named him before the season started), but was it really necessary to name a captain over a year in advance of the tournament even starting? Right now he's just barely top 40 in points for Canadians for this season and isn't showing much in terms of turning it around...at this rate they may be stuck with a Captain who might not even be one of the best 12 forwards in the country by the time he puts on the jersey...

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[Wheatking]

Maybe, but who cares. I doubt Toews does.

 

[Sarcastic]

Yeah his scoring problems really relate his inability to be a leader.

 

[Samuel Culper III]

Yeah his scoring problems really relate his inability to be a leader.

He's always been a better scorer than leader to begin with. If he wasn't Sidney Crosby, he wouldn't have been captain, certainly not as young as he was.

 

[hyduK]

Yeah his scoring problems really relate his inability to be a leader.

Well part of leading is doing so by example. Besides that, based on what's been going on in Pittsburgh the past couple seasons I don't see why anyone would think that him being a good leader is a given...

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

He will make the team no matter how he plays for the next months leading up to the tournament. He has established himself at TC's captain since Sochi.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

He has done enough for Hockey Canada and hockey in general that they aren't about to kick him to the curb because of a bad half season and I am glad they won't.

 

[Gigantor The Goalie]

There will be so many leaders in the room that the "C" and "A" don't matter. Toews, Weber, Tavares, Bergeron, Keith, Benn will not care one bit about the letters on the team. Someone will step up if Crosby cannot.

 

[hyduK]

He will make the team no matter how he plays for the next months leading up to the tournament. He has established himself at TC's captain since Sochi.

Yeah, he definitely makes the team regardless...he's earned that much.

But having your captain be someone who scored 52 points (his current pace) and missed the playoffs (strong possibility at this rate...and they haven't exactly done much in the playoffs lately even when they did make it) the previous season doesn't seem like the best idea.

 

[habsrule4eva3089]

Canada's management isn't like posters on hf.

Your country's best player needs confidence, needs to feel great about himself again, no better way then playing with the best with the World's best coach at the helm. He is the captain and will be for the next Olympics as well.

Canada needs him to succeed if they want to win their 3rd straight Olympic Gold.

 

[93LEAFS]

On teams like this I don't think letter's matter, the hard workers will work hard regardless and set the tone. Especially with the no-under 22 guys, I don't think anyone really needs to be shown the ropes.

 

[snizzbone*]

Canada's management isn't like posters on hf.

Your country's best player needs confidence, needs to feel great about himself again, no better way then playing with the best with the World's best coach at the helm. He is the captain and will be for the next Olympics as well.

Canada needs him to succeed if they want to win their 3rd straight Olympic Gold.

This thread is about the World Cup not the Olympics. And I honestly don't believe Canada needs Crosby to win Olympic gold going forward. We have so many elite players it's insane.

 

[Addison Rae]

Sidney Crosby has had the highest PPG in the league for the past 5 seasons, this is absloutely ridiculous, people are acting like he's chopped liver, it's been 30 games people

 

[1Gold Standard]

what are we talking about here? Captain of the World Cup team? That preseason NHL exhibition tournament? Hardly all that important in the grand scheme of things. and if Sid can't find his game between now and then and Team Canada doesn't perform well, then better to fail in that ridiculous NHL preseason money grab than to fail in a real international Best on Best tournament...

 

[SH15]

Uhhhhhhhh I think things are going just fine...

 

[canuck2010]

I remember hearing a story about the NFL years ago. It might have been in connection with the annual NFL collage all star game. The coach simply asked that his starting QB and offence line up. Nobody questioned Johnny Unitas when he stepped forward.

The point is no Canadian hockey player today would argue that Crosby shouldn't be team captain.

 

[Stand Witness]

If Wayne Gretzky came back to play for Canada at the World Cup with his current play (whatever that would be) he would still be named captain.

Point here is points aren't what determines the captain. The face of the NHL and Hockey Canada for the past 10 years will be the captain of Team Canada and I wouldn't even be opposed to him being the captain at the Olympics either.

 

[QnebO]

I think if he plays he is the C. Like if any Koivu family member plays for team Finland.

So they didin't, as answer to OP.

 

[JackSlater]

It's fine. Besides, Toews seemed to essentially be the co-captain in the 2014 Olympics. Crosby's scoring doesn't impact leadership, and if it did then someone else would just fill that void.