In ice hockey each team has a designated captain, who wears a "C" on his jersey. According to National Hockey League rules, the sole official duty of a captain is to be the only player who is allowed to talk with referees about rule interpretations. Another important attribute is team leadership, as the captain is seen by most (including the media) as the primary representative of the team. The captain is also the player who represents the voice and the concerns of the entire team when dealing with management. An additional function of the captain is to mentor the younger players and to "show them the ropes."

Captains are usually selected by team management, but player votes can also be used. Captains are usually veterans or the most veteran player on the team, and can be from any position except that of the goaltender. The selection is often seen as an important moment for a team, and one that can affect the team's (and newly appointed Captain's) performance.

The "C" is an important part of hockey, and the honour is one with significant responsibilities. Immediately after Chris Gratton was traded in 2000, the 19 year old Vincent Lecavalier was given the captaincy of the Tampa Bay Lightning by owner Art Williams. Lecavalier struggled, and many pointed to this and other situations as proof of Williams' incompetence. Other situations involving the position include Eric Lindros having his captaincy taken away for criticising the Philadelphia Flyers medical staff.

Teams also have up to two alternate captains. (While they are often referred to as "assistant captains" by the public and media, "alternate captains" is the term used by both the IIHF Rules Book and the NHL Rulebook.) They fill in when the captain is injured or absent or if the team has named none, and perform many of the same leadership and team building roles as the actual captain. The alternate captains wear an "A" on their jerseys, (from 1975-85, NHL clubs didn't have alternate captains). Goaltenders cannot be captains; the last one was Bill Durnan of the Montreal Canadiens in the 1948 season. Teams may also go without a captain and have three alternate captains, as is currently the case for the Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils (four alternates), New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa Bay also did not name a captain during their first three seasons of play.

The longest serving team captains in NHL history are Steve Yzerman (captain of the Detroit Red Wings from 1986-2006), Ray Bourque (captain of the Boston Bruins from 1985-2000), Mario Lemieux (captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins from 1987-1994, 1995-1997 and 2001-2006), Joe Sakic (captain of the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche from 1990-91 and 1992-current), Dit Clapper (captain of the Bruins from 1932-1946, excluding the 1938-39 season), Alex Delvecchio (captain of the Red Wings from 1962-1973) and Scott Stevens (captain of the St. Louis Blues from 1990-1991 and the New Jersey Devils from 1992-2004).

List of current NHL team captains

List of Ontario Hockey League captains (as of April 1, 2006)

Belleville Bulls: Andrew Gibbons (replaced Ryan Rorabeck)

Brampton Battalion: Wojtek Wolski

Erie Otters: Ryan O'Marra

Guelph Storm: Ryan Callahan

Kingston Frontenacs: Adam Nemeth

Kitchener Rangers: Mark Fraser

London Knights: Dylan Hunter

Mississauga IceDogs: Cody Bass

Oshawa Generals: Peter Tsimikalis

Ottawa 67's: Julian Talbot

Owen Sound Attack: Bobby Ryan

Peterborough Petes: Jamie Tardif

Plymouth Whalers: John Vigilante

Saginaw Spirit: Patrick McNeill

Sarnia Sting: no captain

Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds: Tyler Kennedy

Sudbury Wolves: Marc Staal

Toronto St. Michael's Majors: Tyler Haskins

Windsor Spitfires: Paul McFarland

International

• List of Team Canada captains

See also

• List of NHL head coaches
• List of NHL players

Ice hockey personnel | Ice hockey terminology

Mannschaftskapitän