That capital 'C' goes a long way with Wild

Bruce Bisping, Star Tribune

Defenseman Kim Johnsson said he takes pride in wearing the “C” for the Wild, as he has done during the preseason. “It proves you’ve done something right and it makes you want to keep doing it,” he said.

Players see the chance to wear it as a source of pride but quickly add that all team members buy into leadership by example.

By BRIAN STENSAAS, Star Tribune

Last update: October 8, 2008 - 7:57 AM

Officially, Rule 6.1 of the National Hockey League states that every team must designate one player as captain, who, "shall have the privilege of discussing with the Referee any questions relating to interpretation of rules which may arise during the progress of a game."

This player also gets a three-inch "C" for his game sweater.

But ask around the Wild locker room, and you'll hear that being named captain means much more than talking with the men in stripes and a little bit of extra embroidery.

"It's fun, especially the first time," said Andrew Brunette, who is back with the team this season after being a three-time captain for the Wild from 2001-04. "But just because you have a letter -- leadership is more than that. With or without [the 'C'], you do the same things."

Since its inception, the Wild has rotated its captaincy, generally naming a new one every month of the season.

Veterans and young players on this season's team stand to have a shot at being one of seven possible captains from October through April.

"The fact that we don't name a [seasonlong] captain is probably a statement that we have too many," Wild General Manager Doug Risebrough said. "This is a team game and you need lots of leaders."

Risebrough recalled recently having a conversation in Canada with a person who chastised him for not rolling with one captain all year long in Minnesota. The second-guesser referred Risebrough to the Montreal Canadiens teams that won four Stanley Cups in the late 1970s; Risebrough was a part of those teams.

Risebrough retorted by asking who the captain was of those teams. After two wrong answers, the person got the point.

"It's a very overrated thing for the captain," Risebrough said. "The best captains lead by example. And I've got lots of good examples."

Marian Gaborik, currently in a contract dispute with the team, is about the only player one can rule out for the time being.

Kim Johnsson has been the team's captain through the preseason games in which he has played this year. Nick Schultz wore the "C" last winter. Younger players such as Brent Burns, Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Mikko Koivu join veterans such as Brunette and newcomer Owen Nolan -- the San Jose Sharks captain from 1998-2003 -- as likely candidates.

"It's a great honor," Johnsson said. "It proves you've done something right and it makes you want to keep doing it. Of course I take pride in it."

At 36, Nolan nips Brunette by a year as the team's oldest player. With or without the captaincy, he said he will take on that leadership role for a team that includes four players 23 or younger.

"It's an overall young team, and I've been around quite a while," Nolan said. "I bring a lot of experience, handled a lot of situations.

"[Captaincy] doesn't change your leadership role; you either accept the role or don't accept the role. We'll have plenty of leaders."

Brunette agreed.

"It's just about being yourself," he said. "If you're approachable, you know how the team is feeling. It's not rocket science."