When was the last time a team where the captain played in the third or fourth line won the Cup?

[Summer Rose]

im shocked the kings had dustin brown on the 1st line for both cup wins

He was even selected for the United States at the 2014 Olympics. It was very confusing for me, then a Coyotes fan, to suddenly have to root for him and his team.

 

[centipede2233]

NHL teams don't really put 3rd/4th liners as captains. Especially if they have big time superstars, which nearly every Cup winner will have.

It's part marketing... does anybody think McDavid was the Oilers leader when he was named captain at age 19? Of course not. It's just the style in NHL.

Yeah, back in the 80’s and 90’s im sure having a non star captain was more prevelant but the nhl has grown so much in revenue that it’s a marketing thing. You think Matthew’s is some leadership savaant, he has zero leadership skills unless you want expertise on how to scratch and claw every possible dollar out of your team. It’s all about selling jerseys

 

[ColbyChaos]

What is this site? I tried googling past line combinations but didnt have much luck.

Also is it third or fourth line?

Dobber frozen tools good for seeing line combos

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

im shocked the kings had dustin brown on the 1st line for both cup wins

He was a beast in that first Cup run. Less so the second.

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

Pretty sure it's just less rare to have non-star players as captains

I think the only ones left are Lowry (Jets 3C) and Benn (Stars 2LW?)

Yup, it’s pretty much just an honorary thing. Of course teammates respect the best player, and he’d have to be a real turd to actually do damage with his captaincy- i think someone like Chara legit raised the standard for the team with training and mindset, but if you overdo it (Mac*cough*) you might alienate people, but overall I think the captain doesn’t create an impact so much as the overall team culture does. Y’all gotta pull together this time of season.

Thinking out loud. It’s meaningless, OP, captaincy isn’t really a relevant factor- you just don’t see many bottom liners named captain, and the age of declining with one team are largely over.

 

[ColbyChaos]

im shocked the kings had dustin brown on the 1st line for both cup wins

He was a good player in 2012

 

[Staniowski]

Lanny McDonald wasn't among the 20-best players on the '89 Flames.

 

[Sentinel]

2019: Pietrangelo - 1. line
2018: Ovechkin - 1. line
2017: Crosby - 1. line
2016: Crosby - 1. line
2015: Toews - 1. line
2014: Brown - 1. line
2013: Toews - 1. line
2012: Brown - (I assume 1. line)
2011: Chara - (I assume 1. line)

I don't care to look up older teams but is there some truth to this? Or is it just rarer that a captain plays in the less skillful lines?

Pietrangelo and Chara are defensemen, so there is that.
I remember Stamkos not playing on the first line in 2020.
And I don't remember Brown being a first-liner. The guy was probably the worst player to captain his team to a cup in half a century.

 

[Voight]

Pietrangelo and Chara are defensemen, so there is that.
I remember Stamkos not playing on the first line in 2020.
And I don't remember Brown being a first-liner. The guy was probably the worst player to captain his team to a cup in half a century.

2004 Andreychuk was definitely a worse player than 2012 Dustin Brown

 

[Voight]

Yeah, back in the 80’s and 90’s im sure having a non star captain was more prevelant but the nhl has grown so much in revenue that it’s a marketing thing. You think Matthew’s is some leadership savaant, he has zero leadership skills unless you want expertise on how to scratch and claw every possible dollar out of your team. It’s all about selling jerseys

How could you possibly know this? You dont play for the team and aren't around them.

Matthews would sell a ton of jerseys with or without the C anyways.

 

[Derailed75]

RBA doesn't have numbered lines so if the Canes win Staal doesn't count?

 

[ESH]

Pietrangelo and Chara are defensemen, so there is that.
I remember Stamkos not playing on the first line in 2020.
And I don't remember Brown being a first-liner. The guy was probably the worst player to captain his team to a cup in half a century.

Brown played on the Kings top line both years they won the Cup

 

[JaegerDice]

What line did Brindamore play on in 2006? I cant remember.

 

[tarheelhockey]

What line did Brindamore play on in 2006? I cant remember.

Their ice time was almost identical at ES and PP (within 10 seconds/game of each other). Staal led the playoffs in scoring, Brind’Amour was the matchup guy for the opponent’s top line. Rolling them evenly was like punch-counterpunch all night long. The big difference between them was that Brind’Amour also anchored the PK, which gave him a whole lot more overall TOI.

Probably the best way to put it is that Eric Staal played on the top scoring line, but Brind’Amour was the Canes’ top center.

These were the lines in Game 7:

Mark Recchi - Eric Staal - Erik Cole
Cory Stillman - Rod Brind'Amour - Justin Williams

Kind of hard to call either of them the “first line” as they are very evenly balanced. In that game, RBA had close to 4 more minutes than Staal at ES because of how crucial his role was down the stretch.

 

[SirKillalot]

I remember Stamkos not playing on the first line in 2020.

Because he wasn't really playing at all. He got some minutes in one game to feel a little bit more part of it. He was on the bench for most if not all games, but didn't play because of injury.

Though if he was healthy he surely would have played top line or top six at minimum.

 

[CN8]

Adam Lowry 2025