Tradition is something that clubs in the NHL put a great deal of value in. As is tradition, most clubs name a leadership group of three players, with one being named team captain and the other two acting as alternate captains. Of course, there are exceptions, but in most cases teams stick to that time-honored formula.
NHL news: Sabres, Oilers name captains
The Buffalo Sabres and Edmonton Oilers took an untraditional approach to naming their leadership groups.
USA TODAY Sports
The Buffalo Sabres and Edmonton Oilers broke the mold when the two clubs announced their leadership groups for 2013-14 season on Tuesday.
Buffalo announced that the team would have co-captains, with Steve Ott and Thomas Vanek alternating who wears the "C" based upon where the team plays (Ott will be the captain for road games, while Vanek will be the captain for home games). Christian Ehrhoff will be an alternate captain regardless of location. While this untraditional method is rare, it's not the first time Buffalo has implemented a co-captain system, as Chris Drury and Daniel Briere led the leadership group in a similar fashion during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.
Edmonton announced that Andrew Ference was named the team's captain over the weekend but officially identified his leadership group on Tuesday ... and it's extensive:
#Oilers have named Jordan Eberle, Sam Gagner, Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nick Schultz and Ryan Smyth Assistant Captains.
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 1, 2013
How the team decides who wears a letter has yet to be released. At the root of it, the letter is just a letter and all the players -- whether in Buffalo or Edmonton -- have been named a captain because they’ve displayed an ability to help the team. Regardless of whether their jersey has an “A,” “C” or anything in between, these players will be expected to set an example for the rest of their club.
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