Captain Shamrock
Well-Known Member
I thought I would start a thread for all the devoted Flyers' fans on TTP and any other web site for that matter. This article discusses the new Captain and how much of a poof the old Captain was, being French-Canadian and all......
Commander of the Brigade
Primeau named new captain
It is just not the same in other sports. When teams in football, basketball, even baseball, designate captains, it is more for show, a kind of English royalty with no power. In hockey, however, it is no joke. The "C" is the mediator of the locker room, the messenger between coaching staff and players, and the glue that holds the team together. When center Keith Primeau replaced defenseman Eric Desjardins on Tuesday to become the 13th captain in Philadelphia Flyers history, it was as significant a move as a team could make.
"The coaching staff, (Assistant General Manager) Paul Holmgren, and myself met three or four times to make sure that Keith had a situation that he would be comfortable in with the other players and the assistant captains wouldn't be offended by it," Flyers President and General Manager Bob Clarke said. "When we talked to the assistants (Mark Recchi and John LeClair), they were in support of Keith being captain. It has made what could have been a tough deal...very easy for us."
Desjardins had held the title since March 27, 2000. He felt the responsibility of the role was diminishing his play. The 32-year-old defenseman has dealt with several obstacles in his time as captain, most recently during last season's first-round exit from the Stanley Cup playoffs.
"We felt that Eric Desjardins had done a real good job as captain through some pretty trying times," Clarke said. "We weren't aware of how it was affecting him and when he told us, we felt that it was courageous on his part to say that and to admit that he wanted to change."
Desjardins ranks second all-time among Flyers defensemen (behind Mark Howe) with 306 points (74G, 232A) in 509 games. He finished the 2000-01 season with 48 points (15G,33A), the third-best total of his career. Still, he had not shown the defensive brilliance that we have all come to know over the years. Through eight games this year, Desjardins has posted three assists and has yet to score a goal.
Recchi (1991-95, 1998-present) and LeClair (1994-present), who will remain assistant captains, are each in their eighth season as members of the Flyers organization. One might assume that the normal right of passage should be to hand the reigns of the captainship over to one of them. Not so, though. This squad features countless players who stand out as leaders and whose presences loom large both on and off the ice.
"We think that this is a group that has lots of players who are leaders and real good people on our hockey club," Clarke said. "[Flyers Head Coach Bill Barber] uses seven or eight of them as a group to rely heavily on, including Primeau, and our conclusion was that Primeau would be the best player to be captain of this group."
Primeau previously served as captain while a member of the Carolina Hurricanes during the 1998-99 and part of the 1999-2000 seasons. His acquisition from the Hurricanes, along with a fifth round choice in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft in January of 2000, for Rod Brind'Amour, Jean-Marc Pelletier, and a second round pick in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft is deal that has been paying nothing but benefits for the Flyers.
In Game Four of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 2000 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Primeau's goal in the fifth overtime defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in the longest game in Flyers history, giving them a commanding 3-2 lead that they would not relinquish. The 6'5", 220-pound center has plugged a hole in the middle of the lineup, helping make things happen for his linemates. Primeau tied a career-high with 73 points (34G,39A) last season, creating dynamic timing with Recchi and making the most out of the young Simon Gagne. His presence in the Flyers lineup was never more felt when he was injured at the close of the 2000-01 regular season with a strained knee. Primeau was unable to suit up for the first three games of their first round playoff matchup with Buffalo and the Flyers were clearly lost without their leader.
As they move their way through the regular season and into a run at the Stanley Cup, the Flyers need to stay on the same page and create the chemistry of champions. The role of Primeau as captain will be a major factor in making or breaking that possibility. He was sure that he had all his first mates on board when claiming the offered position.
"I accepted the position on one condition...as long as the other guys were all on the same page with it as well, primarily the older guys, guys that have been Flyers longer than I have, Johnny (LeClair), Rex (Recchi), Toc (Tocchet), other leaders on the hockey club, and they were in full support," Primeau said. "That made my decision a lot easier."
The Captain would like to thank his Public Relations genius
Brian Marks for this wonderful article.
Commander of the Brigade
Primeau named new captain
It is just not the same in other sports. When teams in football, basketball, even baseball, designate captains, it is more for show, a kind of English royalty with no power. In hockey, however, it is no joke. The "C" is the mediator of the locker room, the messenger between coaching staff and players, and the glue that holds the team together. When center Keith Primeau replaced defenseman Eric Desjardins on Tuesday to become the 13th captain in Philadelphia Flyers history, it was as significant a move as a team could make.
"The coaching staff, (Assistant General Manager) Paul Holmgren, and myself met three or four times to make sure that Keith had a situation that he would be comfortable in with the other players and the assistant captains wouldn't be offended by it," Flyers President and General Manager Bob Clarke said. "When we talked to the assistants (Mark Recchi and John LeClair), they were in support of Keith being captain. It has made what could have been a tough deal...very easy for us."
Desjardins had held the title since March 27, 2000. He felt the responsibility of the role was diminishing his play. The 32-year-old defenseman has dealt with several obstacles in his time as captain, most recently during last season's first-round exit from the Stanley Cup playoffs.
"We felt that Eric Desjardins had done a real good job as captain through some pretty trying times," Clarke said. "We weren't aware of how it was affecting him and when he told us, we felt that it was courageous on his part to say that and to admit that he wanted to change."
Desjardins ranks second all-time among Flyers defensemen (behind Mark Howe) with 306 points (74G, 232A) in 509 games. He finished the 2000-01 season with 48 points (15G,33A), the third-best total of his career. Still, he had not shown the defensive brilliance that we have all come to know over the years. Through eight games this year, Desjardins has posted three assists and has yet to score a goal.
Recchi (1991-95, 1998-present) and LeClair (1994-present), who will remain assistant captains, are each in their eighth season as members of the Flyers organization. One might assume that the normal right of passage should be to hand the reigns of the captainship over to one of them. Not so, though. This squad features countless players who stand out as leaders and whose presences loom large both on and off the ice.
"We think that this is a group that has lots of players who are leaders and real good people on our hockey club," Clarke said. "[Flyers Head Coach Bill Barber] uses seven or eight of them as a group to rely heavily on, including Primeau, and our conclusion was that Primeau would be the best player to be captain of this group."
Primeau previously served as captain while a member of the Carolina Hurricanes during the 1998-99 and part of the 1999-2000 seasons. His acquisition from the Hurricanes, along with a fifth round choice in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft in January of 2000, for Rod Brind'Amour, Jean-Marc Pelletier, and a second round pick in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft is deal that has been paying nothing but benefits for the Flyers.
In Game Four of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 2000 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Primeau's goal in the fifth overtime defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in the longest game in Flyers history, giving them a commanding 3-2 lead that they would not relinquish. The 6'5", 220-pound center has plugged a hole in the middle of the lineup, helping make things happen for his linemates. Primeau tied a career-high with 73 points (34G,39A) last season, creating dynamic timing with Recchi and making the most out of the young Simon Gagne. His presence in the Flyers lineup was never more felt when he was injured at the close of the 2000-01 regular season with a strained knee. Primeau was unable to suit up for the first three games of their first round playoff matchup with Buffalo and the Flyers were clearly lost without their leader.
As they move their way through the regular season and into a run at the Stanley Cup, the Flyers need to stay on the same page and create the chemistry of champions. The role of Primeau as captain will be a major factor in making or breaking that possibility. He was sure that he had all his first mates on board when claiming the offered position.
"I accepted the position on one condition...as long as the other guys were all on the same page with it as well, primarily the older guys, guys that have been Flyers longer than I have, Johnny (LeClair), Rex (Recchi), Toc (Tocchet), other leaders on the hockey club, and they were in full support," Primeau said. "That made my decision a lot easier."
The Captain would like to thank his Public Relations genius
Brian Marks for this wonderful article.
