John Tavares blir ny kapten
Lagets stora stjärna, John Tavares, utsågs under måndagen till ny kapten för New York Islanders. 22-åringen blir lagets 14:e lagkapten i historien.
Det var ingen större nyhet som föll under måndagseftermiddagen. John Tavares var alla bookmakers självklara favorit till kaptensuppdraget sedan Mark Streit lämnade föreningen tidigare i somras. Att Tavares skulle bli kapten för detta lag en dag visste alla och vid 22-års ålder kommer centern nu bära det ärofyllda "C:et" på det vänstra bröstet.
Tavares visade förra säsongen, och säsongen innan, att han är den härförare som en dag alla fans hoppas på, ska ta hem Stanley Cup tillbaka till Long Island. Utan Tavares prestationer hade Islanders inte tagit sig till slutspel förra säsongen, och i år siktar han och lagkamraterna på att nå ännu högre.
"En stor ära"
"It’s obviously one heck of an honor to be named captain of the New York Islanders, to have the respect of your teammates, the organization, our great fans and everyone involved with the club. There have been so many great past captains and obviously the last two have meant a lot to me. Hopefully I can carry the team in a way they did and learn from the great friendships that I have with them."
"I don’t think being named captain is going to change a whole lot, but it’s a great honor. We certainly have the opportunity to build on last season’s strong performance. It’s up to us to prove ourselves and it’s not going to get any easier for us this year. What we’ve accomplished so far doesn’t mean anything unless we can take advantage of what’s ahead of us."
Kommentarer om beslutet
- Genral Manager, Garth Snow
"He’s a top player in the league, but he has a grinder’s mentality when it comes to work ethic and practicing the right way. He’s a great leader and deserves to be the 14th captain in Islanders history."
- Josh Bailey, #12
"I think a huge quality in someone you want as a captain is someone with the determination and drive to be successful and win. I think those qualities can make you a great leader. When you throw into the mix him being a great guy and a good friend – I think he’ll do a great job as captain."
Tidigare kaptener i New York Islanders
Ed Westfall 1972-77
Clark Gillies 1977-79
Denis Potvin 1979-87
Brent Sutter 1987-92
Pat Flatley 1992-96
Bryan McCabe 1997-98
Trevor Linden 1998-99
Kenny Jönsson 1999-00
Mike Peca 2000-05
Alexei Yashin 2005-07
Bill Guerin 2007-09
Dough Weight 2009-11
Mark Streit 2011-13
John Tavares 2013 -
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Citat hämtade från New York Islanders officiella hemsida
