Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Blake gets the C and the Crowd Gets Butthurt

Well, ok, maybe I am exaggerating a little but the reactions that I have been witness to have been pretty mixed. It's safe to say that despite the fact the Blake has been a C wearing man before and despite the fact that he definitely fits the role of "veteran", I'd say most Sharks fans didn't see this coming. Boyle was a shoe in, with a lot of people picking Pavelski as another likely candidate.

Blake wasn't my first or even third choice, but whatever. It's not about me, it's about who the team feels can best lead them overtly and argue calls on the ice. It's also about who stepped it up the most at camp. Your winners are Blake, Boyle and Joe.

People are sort of freaked out.

Blake? BLAKE? OMGWHYBLAKEOMGHESSOOLDOMG.


Yeah, ok, so maybe he's only got a season or two left in him. So what? If the locker room is behind him and the staff is behind him, who cares?

But he's not the best player on the ice!


Nope. He's not. He doesn't need to be.

But he didn't earn it!

Well, apparently, he did or else he wouldn't have it.

Mina suggests that Blake my have a great locker room presence we know nothing about. YOU don't have to like the choice, but understand that he was chosen for a reason, even if it seems inexplicable right now.

The reaction to Joe is a mix of "Why did he get the A back?!" and "Why doesn't he have the C?!" Mina and I are both firm believers in the idea that your captain is not necessarily the best man on the ice (see above).

Joe WAS a Captain before, and I think he's the type of guy who does better in a "secondary" leadership roll. The C seemed to hurt him more than it helped, and besides, as Mina said, he can still carry the team even without a fancy letter.It can still be "Joe's team." That based on the way you play and how you are in the locker room, not on a letter.

But why give Joe back the A and not give Patty back the C?


Because quite possibly, somewhere along the lines in discussions we were and never likely will be privy to, it was decided that it wasn't going back to Patty. That's all. He's still a Shark and still a leader even without the letter. That much has even been said publicly and I don't think it's just lip service. Not this year.

Boyle, well, Boyle probably is the luckiest out of the bunch. Since most of us figured he was going to get the C, him getting the A is alright.Though some people are left wonder if this means there will be yet another fight for the C when Blake retires, but I'm going to worry about that when the time comes.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Blake has been a C on and off for a number of years, and Boyle never has at the NHL level. So, in the long view, if Blake is done after this year, then there is graceful transition to Boyle as captain.

Gray said...

yeah, pretty much. I think some folks really wanted to have the C nailed down for the next few seasons, but I'm not sure any choice (save for maybe Boyle) would have been met with near universal happiness.

fmedges said...

I don't like it. Look how Blake handled being the captain in Los Angeles. They still hate him there for that.

SharksFan202 said...

Why does the team love Blake so much? DW tried trading for him a couple of times and failed, then they overpay for him via free agency, and now he is the friggin' captain? Wish Boyle would have locked it down this year.

Gray said...

Who knows?

As I said, he's not who'd I have picked, but the decision has been made, and I got over it pretty quick. I figure if nothing else, he's only going to have the C for a season, maybe 2. And the Sharks aren't his old Kings, so, hopefully, it all works out beautifully.