Filling The ‘A’: Griffin’s Pick For The Anaheim Ducks Next Alternate Captain
We here at Pucks of a Feather are nominating which players we feel should wear the ‘A’ next season and it is now my turn to pick a player.
When the Anaheim Ducks decided to let a former Stanley Cup champion, Francois Beauchemin, walk away in free agency on July 1st, they didn’t just lose a solid defender and a veteran, they lost a leader and an alternate captain.
Beauchemin’s departure leaves a vacancy is the captaincy department. Ryan Getzlaf will remain captain and Corey Perry will remain an alternate captain, but we do not know who will be named the second alternate captain for next season.
Rich got us started with his pick of Kevin Bieksa, the defensemen the Ducks recently acquired from the Vancouver Canucks.
First, Rich’s pick is a very valid one. Most teams in the NHL will have at least one blue-liner sporting either a ‘C’ or an ‘A’. It’s a common trend because leadership on the back end is extremely important.
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Yes, Bieksa has yet to play a game in a Ducks sweater, but he was a big leader and great locker room guy in Vancouver. Bieksa was awarded the ‘A’ in Vancouver before the 2010 season and spent 356 games as one of the Canucks alternate captains, which means he’s spent more than half of his career fulfilling a leadership role and sporting the ‘A’ (668 career games played).
The Ducks defensive group is young and Cam Fowler may be the only one who you could really consider to be somewhat ready to take a leadership role, but I don’t see that happening.
I think the most logical scenario here is that the Ducks go back to the captaincy format they had in 2013-2014 when three forwards sported lettering (Getzlaf, Selanne & Koivu).
With that, my pick to get the ‘A’ stitched on their sweater is……
The term ‘lead by example’ seems to be misused often in today’s sports world. That is unless your using the term when talking about Andrew Cogliano, then, in that case you’re using the term perfectly and you are spot on.
When you look up ‘iron man’ in the dictionary, you find a picture of Andrew Cogliano.
He currently holds the record for most consecutive games played amongst active players at 622 games (658 if you include the postseason). He is also just one of eight NHL players to ever play at least 600 consecutive games. What makes this even more impressive is that this streak started with his first career NHL game, meaning that he has never in his career missed a game for any reason……
How impressive is that?
Hockey is one of the most violent and physical games and Cogliano has been an absolute warrior. Playing in as many games consecutively as he has isn’t just about the luck of not getting injured, well some luck, but it is more than anything about preparation and dedication. Preparation in training during the offseason and dedication to take care of his body during the season.
If you follow the Anaheim Ducks instagram page, you will often see videos of the team going through pre-game stretching lines. If you look closely you’ll often see Andrew Cogliano leading those lines and taking every measure to ensure his body is ready to go at game time.
On the ice Cogliano might resemble the Ducks style of play better than anyone.
He is tenacious on the fore-check and it often leads to turnovers that generate high quality scoring chances. You will never see him take a shift off and that style of play is contagious, especially on a young team like the Ducks.
With a salary cap hit of $3 Million for the next three seasons, Cogliano is the perfect example of getting the ‘bang for your buck’ as the guy is ready to go 100% full tilt every night.
Overall, Cogliano is the type of player that every franchise needs to have. Not just for his scoring or his great skill, but for his tenacity, high motor and off-ice work ethic and preparation. There are 29 other GM’s in the NHL wishing they had an Andrew Cogliano on their team.
If there’s one thing every great captain and alternate captain should do, it’s play hard every single night, just as Cogliano has done his entire career.
With Beauchemin gone, I personally think it is time for the number 7 jersey to get an ‘A’ stitched onto it.
Next: Rickard Rakell Finally Ready To Breakthrough For The Anaheim Ducks