After months of speculation amongst the St. Louis faithful, the Blues are finally set to announce their captain(s) for the 2011-12 season. As previously reported, the Blues organization has been contemplating either a traditional captain with two alternates or a “captain by committee” set-up that would rotate the “C” throughout the season. With the announcement only hours away, it seems like everyone is in agreement that David Backes is the man to lead the next era of Blues hockey.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has been polling Blues fans for their choice for the “C.” Given the choice between newly acquried veterans, youngsters with potential, and familiar faces, fans chose to go with the names that have been in St. Louis for a while. Backes leads the way and it’s not even close:
Andy Strickland shares the majority opinion that Backes would be the perfect fit:
To Strickland’s point, Backes brings much more to the table than just goal scoring and ice vision. Some may remember in the weeks leading up to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver when Backes took it upon himself to fight the entire Canadian National team one game at a time. That’s just a sampling of the type of leadership he brings to any team. If the team is sluggish he’ll take the ice and deliver a few body checks to get his team going. If a teammate is taken out, he’ll drop the gloves to defend anyone on his team. Of course, if the Blues desperately need a goal, he’s pretty good in that department as well.
There’s an old adage that a team will take on the identity of its captain. If that’s the case, then Backes would be the ideal man for the job.
Becoming a first time captain is never an easy transition. Time and time again, anointed captains have explained afterwards that they had no idea how difficult the job could be. There’s added pressure deal with in the locker room, on the ice, and even in front of the media. Those are the little things that people don’t always see when a first-year captain slumps while they adjust to the added responsibility. But with former captains Jaime Langenbrunner and Jason Arnott added to the team this offseason, the veterans should be able to aid in the transition.
The only question left: the Blues are going to make Backes the captain, right?