NHL.comin Crashing The Net -osiossa käsitellään tällä viikolla NHL:n joukkueiden kapteeneja. Suomalaisia kapteeneja NHL:ssä on kolme: Saku Koivu, Olli Jokinen ja Kimmo Timonen. Moni Suomessa ei tunnu tajuavan, miten suuri tunnustus C-merkin saaminen rintaan on. Shawn P. Roarke toteaa tekstissään osuvasti:

In hockey, captains are almost mythical figures. Sewing that “C” on a player’s sweater often provides said player with the gift of seemingly super-human powers. Usually, captains are among a team’s core of better players and often among the most charismatic figures on a team. They are asked to lead by example and, as a result, their deeds are constantly under the scrutiny of teammates, fans and the press.

Kirjoitus esittelee myös NHL-kapteenien tämän hetken kärkikympin. Kärkipaikkaa pitää mestarijoukkue Carolina Hurricanesin Rob Brind'Amour. Montrealin Saku Koivu löytyy komeasti sijalta neljä.

Like Sundin, Koivu has the expectations of a passionate and knowledgeable fan base to live up to in Montreal. If possible, Koivu actually has more stress placed upon him than even Sundin. Yet this unflappable Finn has handled the position with nothing but grace since assuming the head role in 1999. This is a man that has quietly returned from cancer and a near career-ending eye injury since becoming captain. His courage, it seems, knows no limits and makes him ideal to continue his franchise’s proud legacy of elite leaders.