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MARK STONE NAMED FIRST CAPTAIN IN VGK HISTORY

On January 13, 2021

The wait is over, the Golden Knights officially have their first captain in franchise history. Mark Stone was named captain of the Golden Knights via the team’s social media account.

Alex Pietrangelo and Reilly Smith have been named alternates.

Honestly I was kind of speechless. It’s very humbling for me. It’s a big honor. Something I’m not going to take lightly and something I’ve very excited to do. -Mark Stone

He’s as fine a person as you can find in this game. You like him off the ice, you like him on the ice. -George McPhee

He’s a tremendous competitor. He likes nothing more than when someone on the team scores, not just himself personally, that says a lot about his character and what type of leader he is. -Max Pacioretty

You want a guy who is dedicated to winning, who plays the right way and if you watch him play he’s underrated in terms of everything he can do on both ends of the ice. There’s not many guys in the league that can put up the numbers offensively that he does year in year out and contribute the way he can defensively. To me, that’s winning hockey and that’s what you want in your captain. You want a guy that’s going to give it to you every single night, the consistency like that, he’s certainly a special player. -Alex Pietrangelo

It’s been 40 years since an NHL team has won the Stanley Cup without a captain. That doesn’t mean you can’t do it. I don’t think that it’s an accident that that’s the case. -Pete DeBoer

We had with McPhee, DeBoer, and myself we thought we had the obvious guy and this was the time to name the captain. He embodies everything we want in a captain and that includes a great deal of humility. -Kelly McCrimmon

DeBoer: “I’m A Believer In A Captain”

By Ken Boehlke

On April 23, 2020

In Team Ops

Since the beginning, the Golden Knights have had 23 captains. Technically, they’ve had about 10 with a variety of players wearing “A’s” through the first three seasons, but the underlying mantra of “23 captains” has been a part of the fabric of the Golden Knights’ locker room since they first got together back in September of 2017.

With the new coach in town, that could be changing in the very near future.

I’m a believer in a captain and I think we have a lot of candidates in that dressing room. I’m still getting to know the group, but that’s something I’ll have to discuss with Bill Foley and George and Kelly and see what their feeling is on it. -Pete DeBoer on VGK Q&A Podcast for season ticket holders

Vegas is one of five teams in the NHL currently without a captain. They are also the only team that has not had a captain in any of the previous three years. No captainless team has won the Stanley Cup since 1972.

In the 30/31 team era (00-18) there were 18 seasons. Only 2 times did all teams have a captain. 7.1% of teams went without a captain. 0% of them won the Cup (0 of 34)
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) August 19, 2019

I think the reason we didn’t have a captain in Vegas, to begin with, was the identity of this team, basically coming out of expansion you were getting all these guys that were left unprotected or traded for, was the strength of the team was going to be in the group. -DeBoer

That reason was repeated time and time again by management, coaches, and the players during the Gallant era. DeBoer thinks the time is near that the first “C” is stitched into a Golden Knights jersey.

Who Has Established Themselves Enough To Be The Knight Commander?

By Jason Pothier

On August 19, 2019

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

Since the Expansion Draft, the Vegas Golden Knights have “had 23 captains.” Each player, no matter of skill, salary, or demeanor all have an equal say in the Golden Knights locker room.

It’s utopia, and it’s kind of seemed that way in reality too.

For two seasons the franchise has been largely successful, so it’s hard to nitpick. However, both playoff runs were cut short. Go ahead and laugh but there could be a connection.

Over the history of the league, the Stanley Cup has been hoisted 101 times. One thing most of those Cup winning teams had in common was a captain. Heck, the 1989 Stanley Cup winning Calgary Flames had two captains. It’s that voice that leads by example on and off… you know all the talking points so I won’t waste your time.

The last captainless Stanley Cup winner was the 1971-72 Boston Bruins. The team had a vacancy at the captain’s role but had four alternates. They didn’t have a problem winning the finals without a captain, in fact, they did it two years prior. Same formula, no C, four As. It also didn’t hurt that Boston had the greatest defenseman in league history on their side.

Don’t Expect A Golden Knights Captain Any Time Soon

By Ken Boehlke

On August 16, 2018

In Team Ops

Last year the Golden Knights were one of just a handful of teams that did not have a player wearing a “C” on the ice. Instead, they opted for what they called a “leadership group” which was a rotating cast of about seven alternate captains.

They went on to have an incredible season on the ice and players still rave about how amazing the group was off it. Plus, they were able to integrate new players starting a few days before the season began with Malcolm Subban, a waiver add in December in Ryan Carpenter, and the trade deadline acquisitions of Ryan Reaves and Tomas Tatar, without a hitch.

Yet, the question still seems to be floating around the organization, who will become the team’s first captain?

The short answer, and the right answer, is no one.

Nothing’s been said. I don’t think anybody is too worried about it. We have a ton of really good leaders. Old guys, young guys, so it’s really a collective group thing and I think everybody in the room is absolutely fine with that. –Deryk Engelland to NHL Network

Before Opening Night last year, the team announced Deryk Engelland, Jason Garrison, James Neal, David Perron, Luca Sbisa, and Reilly Smith would wear “A’s.” However, throughout the course of the season and into the playoffs Pierre-Edouard Bellemare became a staple as an alternate as well.

With Garrison, Neal, Perron, and Sbisa all gone, there certainly could be some consideration to hand the captaincy over to Engelland. However, the more likely scenario is for the team to add players like Nate Schmidt, Jonathan Marchessault, Cody Eakin or even a newcomer like Paul Stastny or Nick Holden to Smith and Bellemare in the leadership group.

The Golden Knights organization, especially when it comes to symbolic things, are very much believers in the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mindset. Thus, as Western Conference Champions, don’t expect to see a “C” on any players sweater any time soon.

Although, the argument can be made that it is broke. No team since the 1972 Boston Bruins has won the Stanley Cup without a captain. The Golden Knights were three wins away from bucking that trend, but they didn’t. Personally, I’m skeptical that the lack of a “C” on a jersey was the reason, but hockey players are weird, so who knows what they believe.

Golden Knights Probably Won’t Have A Captain To Start Season

By Ken Boehlke

On September 7, 2017

In Personnel

Would it be Deryk Engelland, James Neal, Jason Garrison, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, or even someone else we haven’t really considered having the famous “C” stitched on to their first Golden Knights jersey? Well, it looks like the correct answer, at least to start the season, will be none of the above.

We’ll sit down with the coaches and decide what we want to do. We may be better off just having a leadership group than naming one guy captain. (You) really don’t want to put a C on a guy unless this is going to be a person that’s going to lead us for a long time. -George McPhee

As we discussed on the latest podcast, there’s really not a single player that stands out as the guy who would make sense to be the captain of the Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury would make the most sense but in the NHL, goalies cannot be designated captain. Next up would likely be Engelland, but he’s on the back-nine of his career and may struggle to even get on the ice consistently this year. Then there’s Neal, who has been an assistant in the past, but could be a trade candidate at the deadline in February.

So McPhee, Gallant, and Co may go down the three alternate captains road. It’s not unprecedented in the NHL. Last year neither the Hurricanes nor the Leafs named a captain, and there have been many vacant captaincies across the league over the past decade. There’s also the Minnesota Wild, who famously (or infamously) rotated captains each month for the first few years the franchise was in existence. Wouldn’t expect VGK to try that plan.

Instead, expect the Golden Knights to name multiple assistants as a part of their “leadership group.” There’s only one name almost guaranteed to be among that group, and that’s Engelland. The rest are about as fluid as those last defenseman spots.

McPhee said this is part of a press conference today at City National Arena. Here’s the whole presser.

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Praise Be To Foley, Vegas Golden Knights Hockey Website

Tag: Captain

MARK STONE NAMED FIRST CAPTAIN IN VGK HISTORY

DeBoer: “I’m A Believer In A Captain”

Who Has Established Themselves Enough To Be The Knight Commander?

Don’t Expect A Golden Knights Captain Any Time Soon

Golden Knights Probably Won’t Have A Captain To Start Season

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