The Habs’ Captaincy Election

Why Bergevin and the Canadians made the wrong choice

The federal election is upon us and people all over Canada are gearing up to vote for who they feel will best represent the country. If you follow the Montreal Canadiens however, the biggest election has already happened. It was reported two weeks ago that Habs players conducted their own election to decide who would represent the team and become captain. In the end, Max Pacioretty came out victorious and will be wearing the C this season. Ultimately however, the players were wrong.

A captain is supposed to be someone who will represent your team. They are the face of the franchise. The guy who answers all of the media’s questions and makes appearances for the team while also contributing and giving back to the hometown community. If any fan or casual observer were to examine the criteria just presented, it would be obvious that the captain of the team should be none other than P.K. Subban.

Ever since Subban joined the Habs, he has consistently been a recognizable face for the team. He is a Norris Trophy-winning defenceman and is one of the most entertaining players to watch in the NHL. Not only is he amazing on the ice, but off the ice as well. His charitable donations and commitment to the city is extremely admirable and he is truly a fan favorite. His rapport with fans and the media is something to be marvelled at and his maturity has grown exponentially over the last few seasons. Just last year, his critics were saying he was too immature to be a captain. This year, he was considered a frontrunner and was robbed.

By no means am I saying that Pacioretty is a bad player or can’t be a good leader. He is a talented forward who has the potential to score 40 goals per season. The problem is that Pacioretty just doesn’t have that star personality Habs fans salivate for. He is a player that is prone to injury and it’s hard to lead from the pressbox. But the players voted him as captain so that must mean that they see something in him that we simply can’t see from his demeanor on TV. While I will always believe that P.K should be the captain; I hope that Pacioretty proves me wrong and goes that extra mile to become one of the marquee leaders in the game. The team’s success depends on it.

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