The Vancouver Canucks announced on Monday that Roberto Luongo has relinquished his captaincy, and the team will be looking for his replacement for the upcoming season. There was much speculation about this issue, and the announcement comes as little surprise to anyone in Vancouver as the rumours have been flying for a couple of months already.
Early speculation has Henrik Sedin, the NHL's leading scorer and MVP last season, as the most likely replacement, but Mike Gillis has stated that the team will not rush into any decisions. Ryan Kesler is another option, but many people feel he is not quite ready to accept a responsibility of that magnitude. Heading into the season without a captain is also a possibility for the Canucks, but Gillis did mention that he expects to make a final decision before the start of the regular season.
“Roberto has been an excellent captain for our team the past two seasons,” Gillis said in a statement. “We respect and support his decision to relinquish the captaincy and are confident that he will continue to help lead our team through his tremendous character and work ethic both on and off of the ice.”
The Canucks goalie was an anomaly, as a captain being a goaltender hasn't been done in the modern era.
Rumour has it that the responsibility of dealing with the media pre and post game was a bit too much to handle for Luongo, and a goalie being the spokesman for the team often made it sound like he was throwing his teammates under the bus.
According to Gillis and Luongo, it was the former captain's decision to step down, as opposed to management asking him to, which has been rumoured around town.
"I am honoured to have served as captain of the Vancouver Canucks for the past two seasons," Luongo said. "Being captain in a Canadian city for a team with such passionate fans is a privilege and an experience I will always take pride in. I will continue to be a leader on this team and support my teammates the same way I always have while focusing on our ultimate goal."
Expect Luongo to bounce back from a poor season (by his standards) with the pressure of being captain off his shoulders. Luongo was well-known for his game day preperation and often quirky superstitions which, before being named captain, included not talking to the media on game days.
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