Wearing the “C” on the sweater as team captain in hockey is a hallowed honor. As the Avalanche reconvened as a team Friday for physicals and fitness testing at the Pepsi Center, the question of who would succeed Adam Foote as team captain remained unanswered.
Coach Joe Sacco said it may remain in question through much of training camp.
“That’s going to be a process that’s going to play itself out,” said Sacco, entering his third season. “There are a few guys very capable of being the captain. I will say this: (Milan) Hejduk and (Paul) Stastny will continue to wear the ‘A’ (for alternate captains), and there will be another player who will wear the ‘A’ as well. But there is no timetable.”
Hejduk, the most senior member of the team at age 35 and entering his 13th season with the club, said he would accept the captaincy if asked.
“If it’s going to happen, it would be great,” Hejduk said. “If not, then no big deal.”
Most likely, the coaching staff will have the final say on who is named captain, but player input will play a role in the decision.
Stastny said he would be honored to get the “C” but echoed Hejduk. Sacco said the naming of a captain is a bigger deal than it may seem to an outsider.
“It’s extremely important. He’s a guy who has to be an extension of the coaching staff,” Sacco said. “He has to be a guy who relays the same message to your group, and coaches spend a lot more time with the captain than other players because of that. It’s a decision we take very seriously, and that’s why we’re going to take our time and let the process play itself out.”
