List of current NHL captains and alternate captains facts for kids
The National Hockey League (NHL) is a professional ice hockey league with 31 teams founded in 1917. Each team can select a captain, who has the "sole privilege of discussing with the Referee any questions relating to interpretation of rules which may arise during the progress of a game". Each team is also allowed to pick alternate captains, who work when the captain is not on the ice. Captains have to wear the letter "C" on their uniform to show who they are; alternate captains wear the letter "A". Both letters are 3 inches (7.6 cm) in height.
Some teams in the NHL do not have a captain. Rule 6.2 of the 2008–09 Official NHL Rulebook says that "[only] when the Captain is not in uniform, the Coach shall have the right to designate three Alternate Captains. This must be done prior to the start of the game." Many NHL teams with a captain select more than two alternate captains and change who wears the "A" for different games during the season.
Goaltenders are not allowed to be captains during games. This rule was made in 1948 after teams did not like that it took Montreal Canadiens goaltender Bill Durnan too long to skate to talk with the officials and back to his crease. However, Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo was the team's captain, but because of the NHL rule against goaltender captains, the league did not allow Luongo to act as captain on-ice. Because of this, the Canucks were allowed to have three alternate captains in games, instead of two that most teams have. Two (of the three) alternate captains took care of Luongo's on-ice work: Willie Mitchell (then alternate captain) talked to the officials. Luongo was not allowed to wear the "C" on his jersey, but it was part of the artwork on the front of his mask. Other than Durnan and Luongo, five other goaltenders have been captain o their team: John Ross Roach of the Toronto St. Patricks, George Hainsworth of the Montreal Canadiens, Roy Worters of the New York Americans, Alex Connell of the Ottawa Senators, and Charlie Gardiner of the Chicago Black Hawks.
When Connor McDavid was named captain of the Edmonton Oilers, he became the youngest permanent captain in NHL history. Gabriel Landeskog of the Colorado Avalanche and Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, are the second- and third-youngest players to be named captain in NHL history, respectively. In 1984, Brian Bellows was named interim captain of the Minnesota North Stars when Craig Hartsburg was injured, and is the youngest player to captain a team in NHL history. However, because Bellows served only on an interim basis, McDavid retains the distinction of being the youngest permanent captain in the League's history. Mark Messier is the only player to captain two separate teams to Stanley Cup championships, those being the 1990Edmonton Oilers and the 1994 New York Rangers. Sidney Crosby also became the youngest captain to win the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009. The oldest permanent captain in league history was Mark Messier of the New York Rangers, who turned 43 years old, during his last NHL season, 2003–04. The longest tenure in league history was Steve Yzerman of the Detroit Red Wings, who served as captain of the Red Wings for (nineteen seasons) twenty years.
Captains
Twenty-six of the thirty-one NHL teams currently have a captain. The five teams without a captain are the Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, and the Vegas Golden Knights. Of the twenty-six captains, twenty of them have been with their team for their entire career. The current longest-tenured captain in the League is Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins, who has served in the role since October 3, 2006.
Alternate captains
Teams that have named more than the regulation two alternate captains, excluding those without a captain, are required to rotate the two "A"s between those players by methods of their choosing. The current longest-tenured alternate captain in the League is Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins, who has served in the role since 2006.
| Team | Alternate captain(s) | Since | Pos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anaheim Ducks | Ryan Kesler | 2015–16 | C |
Josh Manson |
2019–20 | D | |
| Jakob Silfverberg | 2019–20 | RW | |
| Arizona Coyotes | Niklas Hjalmarsson | 2017–18 | D |
| Phil Kessel | 2019–20 | RW | |
| Derek Stepan | 2017–18 | C | |
| Boston Bruins | Patrice Bergeron |
2006–07 | C |
| David Krejci |
2013–14 | C | |
| Buffalo Sabres | Marcus Johansson | 2019–20 | LW |
| Jake McCabe |
2019–20 | D | |
| Calgary Flames | Mikael Backlund |
2018–19 | C |
| Sean Monahan |
2015–16 | C | |
| Matthew Tkachuk |
2018–19 | LW | |
| Carolina Hurricanes | Jordan Martinook | 2019–20 | C |
| Jaccob Slavin |
2019–20 | D | |
| Chicago Blackhawks | Patrick Kane |
2019–20 | RW |
| Duncan Keith |
2008–09 | D | |
| Brent Seabrook |
2015–16 | D | |
| Colorado Avalanche | |||
| Erik Johnson | 2017–18 | D | |
| Nathan MacKinnon |
2016–17 | C | |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | |||
| Cam Atkinson |
2018–19 | LW | |
| Boone Jenner |
2015–16 | C | |
| Seth Jones | 2018–19 | D | |
| Dallas Stars | |||
| John Klingberg |
2017–18 | D | |
| Alexander Radulov | 2017–18 | RW | |
| Tyler Seguin | 2017–18 | C | |
| Detroit Red Wings | Justin Abdelkader |
2016–17 | LW |
| Luke Glendening |
2019–20 | C | |
| Dylan Larkin |
2018–19 | C | |
| Frans Nielsen | 2018–19 | C | |
| Edmonton Oilers | |||
| Leon Draisaitl |
2019–20 | C | |
| Adam Larsson | 2017–18 | D | |
| Ryan Nugent-Hopkins |
2015–16 | C | |
| Darnell Nurse |
2019–20 | D | |
| Florida Panthers | |||
| Aaron Ekblad |
2016–17 | D | |
| Jonathan Huberdeau |
2018–19 | LW | |
| Keith Yandle | 2017–18 | D | |
| Los Angeles Kings | Jeff Carter | 2015–16 | C/RW |
| Drew Doughty |
2016–17 | D | |
| Minnesota Wild | Zach Parise | 2012–13 | LW |
| Ryan Suter | 2012–13 | D | |
| Montreal Canadiens | Paul Byron | 2018–19 | LW |
| Brendan Gallagher |
2015–16 | RW | |
| Nashville Predators | |||
| Mattias Ekholm |
2017–18 | D | |
| Ryan Ellis |
2017–18 | D | |
| Filip Forsberg |
2017–18 | LW | |
| Ryan Johansen | 2017–18 | C | |
| New Jersey Devils | |||
| Nico Hischier |
2019–20 | C | |
| Kyle Palmieri | 2017–18 | C | |
| Travis Zajac |
2013–14 | C | |
| New York Islanders | |||
| Josh Bailey |
2018–19 | RW | |
| Cal Clutterbuck | 2016–17 | RW | |
| New York Rangers | |||
| Jesper Fast |
2018–19 | RW | |
| Chris Kreider |
2017–18 | LW | |
| Marc Staal |
2010–11 | D | |
| Mika Zibanejad | 2018–19 | C | |
| Ottawa Senators | |||
| Mark Borowiecki |
2018–19 | D | |
| Thomas Chabot |
2019–20 | D | |
| Ron Hainsey | 2019–20 | D | |
| Philadelphia Flyers | |||
| Sean Couturier |
2018–19 | C | |
| Kevin Hayes | 2019–20 | C | |
| Jakub Voracek | 2018–19 | RW | |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | Kris Letang |
2017–18 | D |
| Evgeni Malkin |
2008–09 | C | |
| St. Louis Blues | |||
| Alexander Steen | 2011–12 | LW | |
| Vladimir Tarasenko |
2016–17 | RW | |
| Ryan O'Reilly | 2019–20 | C | |
| San Jose Sharks | |||
| Brent Burns | 2019–20 | D | |
| Tomas Hertl |
2019–20 | C | |
| Erik Karlsson | 2019–20 | D | |
| Joe Thornton | 2014–15 | C | |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | Victor Hedman |
2017–18 | D |
| Ryan McDonagh | 2018–19 | D | |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | |||
| Mitch Marner |
2019–20 | RW | |
| Auston Matthews |
2019–20 | C | |
| Morgan Rielly |
2016–17 | D | |
| Vancouver Canucks | Alexander Edler |
2016–17 | D |
| Brandon Sutter | 2016–17 | C | |
| Christopher Tanev |
2016–17 | D | |
| Vegas Golden Knights | Deryk Engelland | 2017–18 | D |
| Max Pacioretty | 2018–19 | LW | |
| Reilly Smith | 2017–18 | RW | |
| Mark Stone | 2019–20 | RW | |
| Washington Capitals | Nicklas Backstrom |
2010–11 | C |
| John Carlson |
2019–20 | D | |
| Winnipeg Jets | |||
| Josh Morrissey |
2019–20 | D | |
| Mark Scheifele |
2016–17 | C |
- Player is currently on the injured reserve list
- Player is injured and expected to miss the remainder of the season.
Images for kids
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Sidney Crosby, the longest tenured captain in the NHL, and captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins since 2007. The captain can be identified by the large "C" on his jersey.
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Jonathan Toews, captain of the Chicago Blackhawks since 2008
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Alexander Ovechkin, captain of the Washington Capitals since 2010
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Gabriel Landeskog, captain of the Colorado Avalanche since 2012
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Evgeni Malkin, the longest tenured alternate captain in the NHL, and alternate captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins since 2008
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Nicklas Backstrom, alternate captain of the Washington Capitals since 2010
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Brendan Gallagher, alternate captain of the Montreal Canadiens since 2015
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Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, alternate captain of the Edmonton Oilers since 2015
