Why Bucyk lost his captaincy for awhile?

[Mohar Ikram]

Just read the history of one of the most solid team in the history of the sports - The Bruins and these periods confused me.

Bucyk was appointed as a Captain in 1966 replacing Leo Boivin and...... directly lost it in 1967.

He was consider as "honorary captain" but unofficial one until he got it back in 1973.

As a result for this, Bruins 4th and 5th title being lifted.... captainless

Mind to you, Bucyk is already a mainstay and already produced 543 points in 651 games in 1967......

What Happen?

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[Michael Farkas]

A lot of personalities in the room at that time, so I think they just went with the "co-captains" route...I believe Bucyk is presented the Cup first in '70 and '72. I think Esposito, Ed Westfall, and...I think Ted Green were also considered leadership group (not to mention, the league's best player by a mile, gentlemanly number four there). Contemporary materials at the time freely refer to Bucyk as the captain though...

 

[vikash1987]

Harry Sinden basically explained it this way:

“That was in 1967, when we’d made the deal with Chicago for Espo, and we were starting to put together a good young club. I thought it was important to spread the responsibility around, so we named four co-captains.”

But Sinden also said that Bucyk never stopped playing the role of a de facto captain during those Cup years: he remained the team’s spokesman and leader.

 

[Crosby2010]

Also, I think the players at the time unofficially considered Bucyk as the captain even if there wasn't a letter on his chest. I am not sure though why in 1973 they just didn't give it to either one of Espo or Orr by then. I am sure Bucyk would have conceded the captaincy to either one of them.

 

[VanIslander]

@seventieslord sold me Bucyk's autobiography about 12 years ago. I read it. I donated it years later to a library. I recall he said the pressure of being a captain made him uncomfortable. I assumed it was the media role, but i can't recall details. He just DID NOT WANT the 'C', for whatever reason.

 

[ForsbergForever]

@seventieslord sold me Bucyk's autobiography about 12 years ago. I read it. I donated it years later to a library. I recall he said the pressure of being a captain made him uncomfortable. I assumed it was the media role, but i can't recall details. He just DID NOT WANT the 'C', for whatever reason.

If that's the case then I think Esposito should have worn the C. He was a born leader, and especially after his '72 Summit Series speech I think he had that reputation league-wide. I always thought it odd that a quasi-dynasty like the 70s Bruins never had an establish captain like Montreal. Similarly, it's weird to me that Howe only wore the C for a few seasons in Detroit. But maybe there's a whole other back-story there.

 

[VanIslander]

Howe always heralded others. His praise for Lindsay, Kelly, Sawchuk, ... had no bounds.