Avalanche’s Gabriel Landeskog is Youngest Captain in NHL History

Hockey fans the Colorado Avalanche made history on Tuesday afternoon when they named Gabriel Landeskog the new captain of their team.  Now some may think this is just a case of one-upmanship as the 19 year-old becomes the youngest captain in NHL history. Taking the mantle from Sidney Crosby.

Really? I don’t see it like that, as a long time hockey fan it makes total sense to me. The Avalanche have one of the youngest teams in the league and I think one of their peers will do more in the locker room than a 15 year vet.

Landeskog not only won the 2012 Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year, but he also was named to the all rookie team. That’s nice hard-wear in your first season, but he also became a leader on and off ice for the Avalanche. When you have a young player who works his tail off and set the tone for your team you make him the Captain.

Look at other players who became the leaders of their teams at a young age like Steve Yzerman, David Backes and Jonathan Toews. These guys worked hard and became leaders of their teams. I don’t think anyone ever said it was a case of one-upmanship when any of these guys got the “C”. So why are some sports writers taking that angle with Landeskog?

I will say it’s because Sid the Kid is the face of the NHL and those writes north of the boarder didn’t like that the mantle of the youngest captain was taken from him. I think this is a great move by the Avs and wish him the best in the up-coming season.

[NHL.com]