Captain Blake… huh?
September 30th, 2009, 10:44 am
The news is out– Blake with the C, Boyle and Joe the A’s.
I’m stunned.
Ray Ratto turned out to be right:
The team captain will be Rob Blake. Not because the Sharks announced it, which they didn’t, but because he is the painfully obvious choice. Yes, even more painfully obvious than Dan Boyle.
Now normally, in an article such as this (or really, in writing of any quality), when a question is asked (or implied, as it is here), that question is usually ANSWERED. Nope. Ratto prattles on, talking about how the team needs to worry about depth.
WHY THE F IS IT OBVIOUS?
Maybe it is obvious to Ratto. Maybe it’s obvious to all the reporters that go into the locker room and talk to the players. Or talk to the coaches and management. But I’m not one of those, dammit. I want to know. The big question, now implied (and no doubt will not be answered) is, why not Boyle? Boyle will be on this team for a long time. Boyle has taken the heat in the press. Boyle has expressed a desire to be in that role, and a respect and understanding for what the captaincy entails. What did I miss? Blake has a one year deal, at 39 years old. The Sharks will have to go through this whole mess again next year, and the year after that if Blake returns, ad nauseaum. Clearly there’s a compelling reason why Blake is the choice amidst all this, and Boyle wasn’t suitable.
What’s the reason??
No, really, I’m asking, that’s not a rhetorical question.
Seriously. Tell me.
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I haven’t been this confused since I found out The Blair Witch Project wasn’t real.
What? It’s not? Damn. Are you gonna tell me there’s no Santa Claus either?
I heard this rumor back in July and told Mike about it. I didn’t believe it then and I’m still having a difficult time believing it now.
I don’t hate it. Am I suprised? Definately. Now if Joe was given the C I probably would have blown a gasket but all in all there are alot of worse combinations then the one we ended up with. Rob Blake although over paid is a winner he has an Olympic Gold and a Stanely Cup ring hes played along some of the greatest players to play in the league and I think his presance seemed to helped out some of the younger members of the blue line.
Although I’d rather have seen Boyle as the captain don’t get me wrong, but Blake could be gone after this year, the team is going to be a very different team after next year with cap restraints so we could just as easily see Boyle as the team Captain in the 2010-2011 season.
very simple… this year everyone will go out and buy a Blake jersey with the C and next year everyone will want the Boyle “C” jersey. Let’s not forget this is a business. Granted, he’s not the worst choice in the world but let Boyle learn from the vet and make more money while doing it.
doesn’t Blake have a really strong reputation for conditioning and preparation? Is that true? If so, that may have something to do with it.
Are you speaking for the Hogzilla organization now T-Bag? Without express written consent you are not an authorized spokesperson for the team 😉
Hogzilla’s has a pretty compelling point.
That’s the most cynical, jaded thing I’ve read in a long time.
I like it.
Seriously though, I’ve said in the past that I’ll stick with this team as long as they are legitimately trying to win. If they are making on-ice leadership decisions based on jersey sales, that’ll be tough to stomach.
The picks are good enough. Boyle still gets an A, when he had nothing last year. Gives the Sharks another year to choose between Boyle and Pavs (or to see if they even have the money to resign Pavs in order to give him the C). Those 3 guys were probably the most effective players last year in the playoffs, as well.
However, it is going to be tough for Blake to argue calls with the ref when it is him going to the penalty box most of the time. “Hooking, that wasn’t hooking! I’m totally as fast as Jonathan Toews!”
Demers in as 6th Dman. Good luck, kid.
@Ruben – you think Boyle, Joe, and Blake were the 3 most effective players in the playoffs? I don’t think I’d agree at all!
I don’t think the Blake selection is good or bad, but while it was surprising given the names that were bandied about this off-season, it’s not totally crazy.
1. He’s the most experienced player on the roster.
2. He’s the most accomplished player on the roster.
As Ian noted above, he’s won Olympic gold and been on 3 Olympic teams, and virtually all Team Canada teams in best-on-best tournaments. He’s got a Norris trophy and a couple of Norris finalists. 7-time All-Star for what it’s worth, and 4 times he’s been named to the All-NHL 2nd team or better. He has the Stanley Cup and 3 finals. I get that none of this necessarily makes him a “leader” per se.
But, for a team with a lack of winning history, he’s the one player that has experienced winning and success at a very high level. I know Boyle has been championed and Blake is old and on his way out, but Boyle is not exactly in Blake’s pedigree of performance. Blake has had almost 2 decades of Boyle’s best seasons.
Mike… I totally agree. This make no sense with Blake playing at most two more years in the league… Boyle is the blue line anchor of this team and the most vocal…
I am confused about Joe also… Why not Murray???
No doubt Blake has the credentials and the street cred to be the Sharks captain, but will he be the voice needed to take the Sharks to the next level? I guess we’re gonna find out.
Hopefully we’ll all be back here in June saying it was a brilliant choice.
Wasn’t he captain for forever in LA? Maybe they went with Captaincy experience? I liked Boyle’s attitude too though. Perhaps next year
This is a pivotal year for this franchise (duh..) and I think the selection of Blake is just as much to protect Boyle as much at anything else. After this season, success or failure, it’s hard to see Blake coming back. Which means we’ll be getting another new captain.
If we take the cup the C gets passed off to Boyle with the job of turning it into a dynasty when everyone wants to resign for below market value.
If we lose again Boyle doesn’t have his leadership questioned for not winning. Blake retires, the whole team gets an overhaul and we start fresh with Boyle as the captain.
Do I agree wholeheartedly that Blake should be the captain of the Sharks? No, he was in LA too long for me to ever like him that much. Do I think it makes sense. Sure, i can deal with it.
Adam nailed it.
As far as your last comment, Doug, personally I’m not convinced that the team’s fortunes will turn on who has the “C”.
Is it important? Sure.
But for all the talk, we on the outside have no idea just what goes on in that locker room–let alone in the heads of the players (as became painfully evident with news of Murray’s leadership presence, a fact that I’m not sure anyone predicted)
At the end of the day, letter or not, Boyle is probably going to be heard in there this year. So I don’t see this as being a big deal.
Nick hit it right on the head.
Ok instead of restating what has already been written I would say ditto to what Nick said. He stated exactly what I was thinking. And I do hate him due to him being in LA and then the times we played COL in the playoffs.
@Tomi
Those three were the top three scorers for the Sharks last playoffs. Personally, I thought Thornton played well, I remember a handful of slam dunks that Seto and Pavs missed on passes from him. I think most everyone agrees that Boyle was our best player overall, both statistically and effort-wise. Blake was a -5, but Nabby had a lot to do with all the minuses going around with quite a few soft goals. Otherwise he had a goal and 4 assists in 5 games, not bad for a Dman.
Nick brought up some interesting points. Otherwise, I think who the C is on affects the Sharks chances about .1% in the quest for the Cup. Then again, I’ve never been in a locker room, but if that’s so important I’ll just defer to the experts.
Dan Boyle should be the captain. Rob Blake, however, will be a great captain. Here’s why I think he was chosen:
Blake gets a ton of respect from teammates, opponents, and, most importantly, the refs. I think DW and TM decided the vocal, hold-your-feet-to-the-fire cappy is less important than an elder statesman who has won it all, and who knows the refs and can pull a little influence. But what the hell do I know?
After spending much time on the podcasts downplaying the significance of who gets the “C”, getting your knickers in a twist over the announcement doesn’t make much sense.
I do agree that the “painfully obvious” statement was never expanded on.
So how’s this: coach Mac is from Detroit, and their recent MO is to have Norris-winning defensemen as the captain = painfully obvious who had to be Sharks captain.
This is a good point. I’ve been talked off the ledge since yesterday. Blake isn’t a bad choice, but I clearly think there was a better one. In the end, I return to my original hypothesis- it probably won’t matter a huge amount (it does matter a little). The Ratto thing does bug me though; I suppose your guess is as good as any.
Did anyone see the Western Conference preview on On The Fly last night. They talked to Remenda, and the 3 names that he mentioned in this order were: Rob Blake, Dan Boyle, and Joe Pavelski. He got 2 of the 3 right! Blake has years of experience in being Captain, and has had a lot of success in that role (both in the NHL and International levels). He has been here a little bit longer than Boyler, and this is most likely a transition period where he will hand of the reigns to someone else when he decides to retire. He’s been a mentor to all the young d-men on the team, which will benefit them in their careers. And he’s a media guy as well, whether it be on the bench or in the locker room.