Eleven Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 Inspired by nfreeman's invitation to an invitation to a dustup in the injury thread. Here are my thoughts: I think Pommer is a hell of a two-way forward, and I've always thought that he's underrated by many who think that he should be more of a pure goal-scorer. I do not think he's the best choice for captain on this team. That's not because he isn't a physical player: First of all, he does enough digging into corners and checking, and I do think he's physical; he's just not a hard hitter or a fighter. Second, a captain doesn't have to be the first to lead the charge when things get violent. The Sabres have had captains who weren't (Briere, Perreault come to mind right away) and teams around the league have captains who aren't that type of player (Getzlaf, Crosby, Nash, Parise, Lecavalier--and we'd want each and every of those guys in a Sabres jersey--just to name a very few). So this isn't about Pommer "not responding" to the Lucic hit or anything like that; any of the aforementioned would have done exactly what Pominville did, which is little. I see him as a contributor, but not necessarily as a leader. And that's not a bad thing in and of itself; it's only a bad thing if he's wearing the C. I would have preferred Regehr as captain, but I know a lot of people here wanted someone more "homegrown." Most of all, I want the team to vote a captain, not for the coach to annoint one. I think he's just a placeholder until Myers takes over, though, so it matters little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R_Dudley Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 Good Post and I agree with everything you said. To add a little to the dicussion it's clear to me he is a very good player but i just do not see him demonstrate "Captain" temperament. Temperament is the right word in my estimation to describe what I think is lacking for this teams captain which I feel also needs to be a strong leader. To qualify leadership I looked at this site http://www.nsba.org/...t/LeadQual.html Of course I cannot answer for anybody but myself however subjectively I can say that some of the actions I see (and don't see) on the ice do not meet a lot of the standards i agree with defined on this site as leadership qualities. Last and a great point, I also agree with the idea the player vote as the best way to go if, and i say if players on the team truly have some these qualities. Unfortunately when you do not have that on your team then really who else can you blame but the GM. At the risk of beating the dead horse in other threads, Case in point and a really sad indictment that core changes are needed is the last time this happened (player vote) the majority of the players including the current core still with this team clearly punted that to newest guy added to the room. Maybe, just maybe why Lindy didn't allow a vote again and made the choice himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chileanseabass Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 I think the whole idea that it even matters who is wearing the "C" is vastly overrated. No one on this board knows what goes on in the locker room, or how Pominville chooses to lead. You have your "rah rah" in your face types, and then there are quiet leaders who lead by example. Yzerman was a perfect example of this. I'm not saying Pominville should be compared to Yzerman, but I think his style is much more similar to that of Yzerman. Pominville doesn't seem like a brash, in your face type of guy off the ice, and he certainly isn't on the ice, but neither was LaFontaine, Briere, or Drury. What I have heard about Pominville from media folks is that he takes his job seriously, practices hard, and plays hard. That's "lead by example" material. I have no problem with the team captain not addressing the Lucic/Miller incident. Look at a list of current captains in the NHL and tell me who would have? Maybe Chara, Iginla, Morrow, Backes, Doan or Phaneuf. And that's a maybe. I don't see that as being the captain's job. Maybe in the old days of the NHL, but not now. Times have changed. There are currently only a handful of aggressive hard-hitting captains. In addition to the ones mentioned above throw Pronger in there, but he may never play again, Ovechkin, and his "leadership" is questioned by many, and Dustin Brown, who hits a lot but is notoriously quiet and reserved (which has been a knock on him during his captaincy). I have no problem with the job Pominville is doing, because, lets face it, none of us have any idea of what he is doing as captain. The guy is having a great season offensively, on pace for his best season since 2007-2008. That says a lot more than every other member of the team besides Vanek. If Pominville was struggling or having another mediocre season, then sure, pile on and say he isn't living up to the "pressure" or "expectations" of a captain, but I look at it as though he has risen to the occasion, taking the captaincy in stride, and could end up with a career year. Kudos to him. What this team is missing is not a stronger captain, but people in the locker room who have some balls and can set an example. Mike Grier is the perfect example. I'd be willing to bet $100 he wouldn't have fought Lucic, but you can be sure he would have made a stink about it in the locker room. He's not a super star, wouldn't score many goals, but he played his heart out every shift and had been in the league long enough to know what it takes to succeed in the NHL. And he didn't need a letter on his sweater to tell him to do that. I think Regher could be that player down the road, but as an outsider coming in, playing with a core who "grew up together," I'm sure it's an awkward situation. As long as the core is together, very few outsiders could come in and take over the locker room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 Who can lead this current group of players? Is there any all time great leader out there who would suddenly make this group of players better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Who Else? Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 Pomminstein as Captain is not the problem here. The total lack of organizational pressure is. These 20 something guys on this team are professionals. They didn't get here by being pushed outwardly. To achieve the status, they had to compete to be the best in every league they were in. What happens is that they get complacant. It is up to the organ-eye-zation to restart their competiveness, not for the captain to scream and yell like their collective Daddy's. Who on this team is really worried about their roster spot? With all the inhuries this year, there was only a few times where players could sit. Look how much better Weber is playing now that the rest of the D is healthy. How do you get Roy to plat harder when he already has a good contract and noone on the team to take his spot? How does Pomminstein being rough and getting in the corners help that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eleven Posted February 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 I think the whole idea that it even matters who is wearing the "C" is vastly overrated. I nearly wrote something very similar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 I think R_dudley hit it when he mentioned the word "temperament". Pominville is a lot of good things, and a couple very, very good things, but it appears to me that he doesn't have a captain's temperament. I don't think a captain has to be mean, physical, angry, imposing, or anything like that (although I do truly believe those things help *alot*), but a captain should, above all, have an incredible level of competitiveness to his personality. A level so high that it is contagious and can not be questioned by the non-captains on the team. The captain has to hate losing even unimportant middle-of-the-game kind of battles. From what I can see Pominville has more competitiveness than most on the team, but not all, and not enough to be a captain on *most* teams. Gerbe for one, puts nearly every player on this team to shame with his competitiveness. I think Myers is learning to have that competitivenss full time but doesn't have it quite yet. And, unless we acquire our captain from another team, I think one of those two guys is where the C lands in the near future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROCBuffalo Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 I don't mind pommer as a captain, but it has been the lack of chemistry this team lacks. I am not sure if that falls in the hands of the captain, the coach, or its because every game someone goes down (even the head coach gets injured), is the reason for the lack of having eachother's back and chemistry. Pommer is a great person, good player, and it is unknown about how he motivates the other players. If you want anyone that is the only player on your team in the all star game, i guess it is the best to have your captain representing Buffalo. I thought this team was great when all we had were "A's" out there, illustrating a group of guys who were all leaders on the team. However, I do believe in captaincy, and the whole purpose of a captain is to create a cohesive FAMILY on the ice. The best teams want to play for each other. When pommer said he wouldn't take anyone from the all-star game, even though I think it is abviously a lie, I see where his head is at. He is the captain, he likes the guys on the team and has to show them that he does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTS Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 It's more than just being competitive though. You have to be respected perhaps almost revered. I would agree that the team should choose their captain but I also think it's an overrated position. Leaders are leaders regardless of title. In a egalitarian system such as a sports team there are always those who will provide the attitude for the team without ever being anointed. The "captain" has a lot of responsibilities that other people don't ever want. They are the ones that usually face the media. They are the ones who have to continually answer the ridiculous media questions. I would say that they are the ones who should keep a team from getting too down or too high. In that respect Pominville does a great job. He's pretty even keel on the interviews and to the public. I've said it before and I'll say it again.. the "C" is not the problem. The problem is that this team doesn't know how to win. The Sabres do not have the veteran leadership they need. They have veterans who lead but that's not the same thing. Great teams have veteran leadership with a history of winning. It's that simple. Having that person on the team makes everyone better. There's definitely a level of respect in hockey for those who have accomplished great things, perhaps more than any other sport. It translates into the locker room. The Sabres do not have it. They have Regehr, a player from a perennial under-achieving bubble team. They have Ehrhoff, he made the finals, but he's not been around long enough. They have Leino now, but he's not accomplished enough to serve in that role either. 2010-2011 Bruins - Recchi 2009-2010 Blackhawks - Madden 2008-2009 Penguins - Guerin 2007-2008 Red Wings - Lidstrom (and company) 2006-2007 Ducks - Niedermayer, Pronger, Selanne 2005-2006 Hurricanes - Brind'Amour, Recchi (again) The Sabres... *crickets* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaFontaineToMogilny Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 I've called Pominville a terrible captain on this board earlier. That might be overly harsh, but I think this year has exposed one flaw he has as a captain. I agree that he is responding to captaincy as well as he can, he's on ice performance is great. No one on the team can question his commitment or effort. That he is backing it all up with great numbers and solid play all year, even going to the all star game and showing great clutch performance are all good captain traits. However, for two (three?) months the team was falling apart an unable to pull themselves out of a toxic downward spiral. As some have pointed out, these situations calls for players with very intense locker room presence. It doesn't matter who steps forward, it could be a fringe player like Grier was, the goalie, your enforcer, anybody really. But when there is no one that can play that sort of role, that falls on the captain. He's the one that needs to rally the team and do whatever it takes to prevent that deadly apathy to take hold. As much as I like Pominville as a player and a person, he has not been able to fill that part of the captain role. I think it's unfair to ask it of him, because it is clearly not in his temprament, but he is the captain. It's part of his job now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dEnnis the Menace Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 I've called Pominville a terrible captain on this board earlier. That might be overly harsh, but I think this year has exposed one flaw he has as a captain. I agree that he is responding to captaincy as well as he can, he's on ice performance is great. No one on the team can question his commitment or effort. That he is backing it all up with great numbers and solid play all year, even going to the all star game and showing great clutch performance are all good captain traits. However, for two (three?) months the team was falling apart an unable to pull themselves out of a toxic downward spiral. As some have pointed out, these situations calls for players with very intense locker room presence. It doesn't matter who steps forward, it could be a fringe player like Grier was, the goalie, your enforcer, anybody really. But when there is no one that can play that sort of role, that falls on the captain. He's the one that needs to rally the team and do whatever it takes to prevent that deadly apathy to take hold. As much as I like Pominville as a player and a person, he has not been able to fill that part of the captain role. I think it's unfair to ask it of him, because it is clearly not in his temprament, but he is the captain. It's part of his job now. What about the other 4 veterans that wear the A then? I think it falls on all of them. I agree with what you're saying to an extent. I think what you are saying is his only downfall. I think it would be fair to say though, that any of the other 'core members' of this team could've and should've stepped up, especially Staff or Goose who are both known for being talkative. Pommers said he is a lead by example type, and when the team wasn't doing so hot, he was still performing, and that speaks for itself in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTS Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 What about the other 4 veterans that wear the A then? I think it falls on all of them. I agree with what you're saying to an extent. I think what you are saying is his only downfall. I think it would be fair to say though, that any of the other 'core members' of this team could've and should've stepped up, especially Staff or Goose who are both known for being talkative. Pommers said he is a lead by example type, and when the team wasn't doing so hot, he was still performing, and that speaks for itself in my opinion. I don't know about Gaustad but I think Stafford took a credibility hit after the Drew-man-chu workout. Can you take him seriously now? When your team is dying on the ice is it a good or bad thing to play death metal music? I don't know. Talk is only so good.. you have to back it up on the ice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 It's more than just being competitive though. You have to be respected perhaps almost revered. I would agree that the team should choose their captain but I also think it's an overrated position. Leaders are leaders regardless of title. In a egalitarian system such as a sports team there are always those who will provide the attitude for the team without ever being anointed. The "captain" has a lot of responsibilities that other people don't ever want. They are the ones that usually face the media. They are the ones who have to continually answer the ridiculous media questions. I would say that they are the ones who should keep a team from getting too down or too high. In that respect Pominville does a great job. He's pretty even keel on the interviews and to the public. I've said it before and I'll say it again.. the "C" is not the problem. The problem is that this team doesn't know how to win. The Sabres do not have the veteran leadership they need. They have veterans who lead but that's not the same thing. Great teams have veteran leadership with a history of winning. It's that simple. Having that person on the team makes everyone better. There's definitely a level of respect in hockey for those who have accomplished great things, perhaps more than any other sport. It translates into the locker room. The Sabres do not have it. They have Regehr, a player from a perennial under-achieving bubble team. They have Ehrhoff, he made the finals, but he's not been around long enough. They have Leino now, but he's not accomplished enough to serve in that role either. 2010-2011 Bruins - Recchi 2009-2010 Blackhawks - Madden 2008-2009 Penguins - Guerin 2007-2008 Red Wings - Lidstrom (and company) 2006-2007 Ducks - Niedermayer, Pronger, Selanne 2005-2006 Hurricanes - Brind'Amour, Recchi (again) The Sabres... *crickets* I didn't mean to suggest that a very strong comptetitive temperament is all that's needed to be a great captain, I wasn't meaning to suggest that it might be the most important trait either. I was more or less responding to Pommers' captaincy, or more precisely, what I think is lacking in Pominville that prevents him from being a better captain. Personally, I think he might be about the closest this roster has to a real captain. But I do think the biggest area that isn't getting filled with a Pommer captaincy is the infectous intensity that guys like Gare, LaFontaine, Shoenfeld, and probably Drury seemed to have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwampD Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 Pommer's captaincy reminds me of Stu Barnes' captaincy. That's my only thought on the matter, as I can't say that I've ever given much thought to who our captain was, ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaFontaineToMogilny Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 What about the other 4 veterans that wear the A then? I think it falls on all of them. I agree with what you're saying to an extent. I think what you are saying is his only downfall. I think it would be fair to say though, that any of the other 'core members' of this team could've and should've stepped up, especially Staff or Goose who are both known for being talkative. Pommers said he is a lead by example type, and when the team wasn't doing so hot, he was still performing, and that speaks for itself in my opinion. I agree, ideally there should be this kind of accuntability throughout the roster. The problem is that when it is lacking, and it is not Pomminsteins fault that it is lacking, someone has to step out of their comfort zone to be that guy. When no one does, the captain has to either take that role or push someone else into it. If no one does anything, you end up with a team that gets outworked, take the ice expecting to lose, makes horrendous on ice decissions etc. and you get into a self-feeding situation that becomes toxic. As far as I can see from the outside, that is excactly what happened to the Sabres. It's typical that a rut like that is broken by a kind reboot (in our case the all star break hopefully). You are completely right though that this function should not have to fall on Pominville, and I blame the front office for getting rid of the locker room leadership and leaving the team vulnerable to the kind of debacle the past few months were. But it is what it is, and Pominville has not been able to fill that function. That said, I am not sure anyone else on the team would have fared any better as captain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabres Fan in NS Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 While I do not think too much of Pominville's captaincy, he probably wasn't the worst choice. The Sabres do not have a man on their roster that would be a true "captain". Very few captains are perfect in that role ... Messier and Yzerman come to mind and that is about it. I think Myers will likely be the captain soon, perhaps even next season, depending how things unfold. Sometimes a team just has to name it's best player as captain, even if they are not a real "captain". I believe that was the case when Perreault was captain. By that logic one could make an arguement that Vanek should have been captain, with Pominville the "A". I am not sold completely on the best situation ... team vote, or coach named. Either option has it advantages and disadvantages. I suppose in a situation where the captain is obvious then possible locker room dissention could be avoided by having the coach name the captain. In a team vote the risk of possible locker room dissention may be out-weighed by locker room buy in as a result of the vote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesportsbuff Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 In the past, I was never a huge fan of Pominville and often referred to him as overpaid and soft, but he has really grown on me this year. Not that he isn't "soft," but his play has spoken for itself and he has easily been our best player-- scoring goals, setting up goals, power plays, shootouts -- he does it all and does it remarkable well. You can see his frustration at times if you look hard enough, but you'll never see him have some kind of outburst like swearing at officials, getting involved in a fight, breaking a stick or throwing a water bottle --- which may or may not be a good thing, depending who you ask. He is well-respected and you can tell he wants to win. I think he was the obvious, and probably the only real option for captain this season. You can't deny the way he's played this season, and I don't think the team has been struggling because of a lack of commitment to Pominville or anything like that. I mean, last year they played with their captain in the press box for half of the season, so you certainly can't blame any of the Sabres' woes this year on his captaincy. There are probably things he could do better.. I don't know how thing are behind the scenes, but he seems like a somewhat quiet type... maybe not the guy you would want to give a motivational speech or a "rally the troops" type of guy. He seems genuinely nice, too. I've never met any of the Sabres in person, but you can just tell that guys like Kaleta, Miller, Goose, and even Stafford have a "mean" side to them off the ice. Pominville seems like he wouldn't hurt a fly's feelings.. which makes me wonder if he has the ability to call someone out on a mistake or tell them they're doing something wrong, to hold his team mates accountable. So all of that said, he is probably not the best long-term solution. OP said he is essentially a place holder for Myers -- I, too, once thought the same thing. But I've lost a lot of my faith in Myers developing the way we want a captain to develop, and right now my vote for next captain (which doesn't mean next season, but down the road a year or two) would go to Gerbe, hands down. Vanek & Regehr aren't even in the conversation. I don't want the team to vote, either, but I think if they did, Gerbe would be one of the top choices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfreeman Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 I think Pommer is a hell of a two-way forward, and I've always thought that he's underrated by many who think that he should be more of a pure goal-scorer. I do not think he's the best choice for captain on this team. I see him as a contributor, but not necessarily as a leader. And that's not a bad thing in and of itself; it's only a bad thing if he's wearing the C. I think he's just a placeholder until Myers takes over, though, so it matters little. I generally agree with all of this. I would add that, as I've said previously, I think he's well overpaid I also think this team continues to be a bunch of fragile little children, so the choice of captain probably matters on this team more than it should and more than it does in many other cases. Finally, I think Gaustad earned the captaincy in last year's playoffs. Pomminstein as Captain is not the problem here. The total lack of organizational pressure is. These 20 something guys on this team are professionals. They didn't get here by being pushed outwardly. To achieve the status, they had to compete to be the best in every league they were in. What happens is that they get complacant. It is up to the organ-eye-zation to restart their competiveness, not for the captain to scream and yell like their collective Daddy's. Who on this team is really worried about their roster spot? With all the inhuries this year, there was only a few times where players could sit. Look how much better Weber is playing now that the rest of the D is healthy. How do you get Roy to plat harder when he already has a good contract and noone on the team to take his spot? How does Pomminstein being rough and getting in the corners help that? Is this a slur? What does this mean, exactly? I think R_dudley hit it when he mentioned the word "temperament". Pominville is a lot of good things, and a couple very, very good things, but it appears to me that he doesn't have a captain's temperament. I don't think a captain has to be mean, physical, angry, imposing, or anything like that (although I do truly believe those things help *alot*), but a captain should, above all, have an incredible level of competitiveness to his personality. A level so high that it is contagious and can not be questioned by the non-captains on the team. The captain has to hate losing even unimportant middle-of-the-game kind of battles. From what I can see Pominville has more competitiveness than most on the team, but not all, and not enough to be a captain on *most* teams. Gerbe for one, puts nearly every player on this team to shame with his competitiveness. I think Myers is learning to have that competitivenss full time but doesn't have it quite yet. And, unless we acquire our captain from another team, I think one of those two guys is where the C lands in the near future. 100% agree with the bolded parts. Pommer is a great person, good player, and it is unknown about how he motivates the other players. How do we know this? I've said it before and I'll say it again.. the "C" is not the problem. The problem is that this team doesn't know how to win. The Sabres do not have the veteran leadership they need. They have veterans who lead but that's not the same thing. Great teams have veteran leadership with a history of winning. It's that simple. Having that person on the team makes everyone better. There's definitely a level of respect in hockey for those who have accomplished great things, perhaps more than any other sport. It translates into the locker room. The Sabres do not have it. They have Regehr, a player from a perennial under-achieving bubble team. They have Ehrhoff, he made the finals, but he's not been around long enough. They have Leino now, but he's not accomplished enough to serve in that role either. 2010-2011 Bruins - Recchi 2009-2010 Blackhawks - Madden 2008-2009 Penguins - Guerin 2007-2008 Red Wings - Lidstrom (and company) 2006-2007 Ducks - Niedermayer, Pronger, Selanne 2005-2006 Hurricanes - Brind'Amour, Recchi (again) The Sabres... *crickets* Good call. I would love to see a guy like Recchi on the Sabres. I've called Pominville a terrible captain on this board earlier. That might be overly harsh, but I think this year has exposed one flaw he has as a captain. I agree that he is responding to captaincy as well as he can, he's on ice performance is great. No one on the team can question his commitment or effort. That he is backing it all up with great numbers and solid play all year, even going to the all star game and showing great clutch performance are all good captain traits. However, for two (three?) months the team was falling apart an unable to pull themselves out of a toxic downward spiral. As some have pointed out, these situations calls for players with very intense locker room presence. It doesn't matter who steps forward, it could be a fringe player like Grier was, the goalie, your enforcer, anybody really. But when there is no one that can play that sort of role, that falls on the captain. He's the one that needs to rally the team and do whatever it takes to prevent that deadly apathy to take hold. As much as I like Pominville as a player and a person, he has not been able to fill that part of the captain role. I think it's unfair to ask it of him, because it is clearly not in his temprament, but he is the captain. It's part of his job now. Good post. What about the other 4 veterans that wear the A then? I think it falls on all of them. I agree with what you're saying to an extent. I think what you are saying is his only downfall. I think it would be fair to say though, that any of the other 'core members' of this team could've and should've stepped up, especially Staff or Goose who are both known for being talkative. Pommers said he is a lead by example type, and when the team wasn't doing so hot, he was still performing, and that speaks for itself in my opinion. I completely agree that the other 4 have failed too. I didn't mean to suggest that a very strong comptetitive temperament is all that's needed to be a great captain, I wasn't meaning to suggest that it might be the most important trait either. I was more or less responding to Pommers' captaincy, or more precisely, what I think is lacking in Pominville that prevents him from being a better captain. Personally, I think he might be about the closest this roster has to a real captain. But I do think the biggest area that isn't getting filled with a Pommer captaincy is the infectous intensity that guys like Gare, LaFontaine, Shoenfeld, and probably Drury seemed to have. Yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Who Else? Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 Finally, I think Gaustad earned the captaincy in last year's playoffs. Is this a slur? What does this mean, exactly? I don't know what it means. When I typed Pommin-ville, it automatically changed to Pomminstein when I posted it. It even does it when I edit it. When I read it, it made me chuckle, and for the record I certainly wasn't trying to make fun of anyone especially the player. You make a good point on Gaustad. After last year I thought it was pretty much a lock considering there was no way they were going to give it to a new guy again. I really don't think a captain does what this team needs, that is up to the GM and coach. That being said I'm glad out of this group it is Pommin-ville. Holy cow it did it again someone must be messing around so I'm going to edit with a dash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fan2456 Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 I think R_dudley hit it when he mentioned the word "temperament". Pominville is a lot of good things, and a couple very, very good things, but it appears to me that he doesn't have a captain's temperament. I don't think a captain has to be mean, physical, angry, imposing, or anything like that (although I do truly believe those things help *alot*), but a captain should, above all, have an incredible level of competitiveness to his personality. A level so high that it is contagious and can not be questioned by the non-captains on the team. The captain has to hate losing even unimportant middle-of-the-game kind of battles. From what I can see Pominville has more competitiveness than most on the team, but not all, and not enough to be a captain on *most* teams. Gerbe for one, puts nearly every player on this team to shame with his competitiveness. I think Myers is learning to have that competitivenss full time but doesn't have it quite yet. And, unless we acquire our captain from another team, I think one of those two guys is where the C lands in the near future. I'll agree wholeheartedly on Myers but not Gerbe. While I love his heart, I just don't see him having a very long career in the NHL. He is no Theo Fleury. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueBlueGED Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 I personally would have chosen Vanek or Regehr, but I don't think either would have been appreciably better than Pominville. The problem, as has been pointed out, is the team really doesn't have an ideal captain. For me, in addition to everything various posters said about temperament, my ideal captain plays in all situations. I want my captain to be out there for every important power play, penalty kill, and every time the team needs a clutch goal. Pominville certainly fills that criteria, even if he is lacking elsewhere with his personality. If a team has a franchise defenseman, I generally think he should have the C. I certainly wouldn't want to give it to Myers yet, and I'm not sure if he has the personality for it either (at least not yet), but he's definitely the guy I'd peg long-term to be captain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eleven Posted February 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 I don't know what it means. When I typed Pommin-ville, it automatically changed to Pomminstein when I posted it. It even does it when I edit it. When I read it, it made me chuckle, and for the record I certainly wasn't trying to make fun of anyone especially the player. You make a good point on Gaustad. After last year I thought it was pretty much a lock considering there was no way they were going to give it to a new guy again. I really don't think a captain does what this team needs, that is up to the GM and coach. That being said I'm glad out of this group it is Pommin-ville. Holy cow it did it again someone must be messing around so I'm going to edit with a dash. Try using one "m" and see if that helps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Who Else? Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 Try using one "m" and see if that helps? Ha and I shake my head everytime some one writes Meyers. Thanks for the tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robviously Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 Finally, I think Gaustad earned the captaincy in last year's playoffs. If we make Gaustad the captain after he pussed out earlier this year when Miller got run, we might as well just contract the team. He literally just skated the other way after seeing our *star* goalie (and his supposed best friend) get run. Then after two weeks and a visit to the Wizard of Oz to find his courage, we saw the Bruins again and he engaged in the single greatest "not in the face!" fight with Lucic that any of us have ever seen. Thrilling stuff. Gaustad isn't really big or strong or tough. Even if he's vocal, it's not like he backs that up on the ice. He's just a mediocre hockey player whose best asset is apparently that he's sorta tall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eleven Posted February 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 If we make Gaustad the captain after he pussed out earlier this year when Miller got run, we might as well just contract the team. He literally just skated the other way after seeing our *star* goalie (and his supposed best friend) get run. Then after two weeks and a visit to the Wizard of Oz to find his courage, we saw the Bruins again and he engaged in the single greatest "not in the face!" fight with Lucic that any of us have ever seen. Thrilling stuff. Gaustad isn't really big or strong or tough. Even if he's vocal, it's not like he backs that up on the ice. He's just a mediocre hockey player whose best asset is apparently that he's sorta tall. He literally skated right into a throng of Bruins and other Sabres that were piled up after the incident. He figuratively skated the other way. (He figure-skated away?) Either way, can't make him a captain now. Nope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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