Ross Bernstein is the author of nearly 50 sports books, including The Code: The Unwritten Rules of Fighting and Retaliation in the NHL, I Love/Hate Brett Farve, Raising Lombardi: What It Takes to Claim Football’s Ultimate Prize, and Raising Stanley: What It Takes to Claim Hockey’s Ultimate Prize. He has been featured on CNN and ESPN, as well as in the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. He lives in Eagan, Minnesota. Bobby Clarke is a former player for the Philadelphia Flyers and a member of the NHL Hall of Fame. In retirement, he has twice served as the Flyers’ general manager and is currently the team’s senior vice president. He lives in Philadelphia. Scott Stevens played 22 seasons in the NHL as a defenseman for the Washington Capitals, St. Louis Blues, and New Jersey Devils, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame. He lives in Far Hills, New Jersey.

Wearing the C

Leadership Secrets from Hockey’s Greatest Captains

By Ross Bernstein

Triumph Books

Copyright © 2012 Ross Bernstein
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-60078-757-7

Contents

Contents,
Foreword by Bobby Clarke,
Foreword by Scott Stevens,
Preface,
Introduction,
1. What Did It Mean For You To Wear a Letter?,
2. Who Were the Captains You Really Looked Up To or Admired And Why?,
3. So How Do Coaches And GMs Really Choose Their Captains?,
4. What’s the Deal With Players-Only Meetings?,
5. What Life Lessons Do You Think You Learned From Wearing A Letter That You’ve Now Been Able To Apply To Business?,

CHAPTER 1

What Did It Mean For You To Wear a Letter?

“O Captain! my Captain! …”

To get asked to serve as a captain at any level of hockey is an outstanding distinction to have on your résumé, but to be selected to wear it in the National Hockey League — that’s a pretty elite fraternity. There are only 30 teams, which means there are only 30 guys who wear the C, along with another 60 who wear the A. That’s it. In a league where up to 800 players see time on the ice every season, that says something. It says you’re a leader. So to be named as a team leader, to be that liaison between the players and the coaching staff, and to be the face of your franchise both on and off the ice — it’s a privilege reserved for only the very best of the best. Yes, to wear the C in the NHL is without question the ultimate honor in all of sports. That’s right. You see, in hockey being the captain actually means something. In most sports the captaincy is more about popularity than about leadership. No disrespect to the other sports, but hockey is different, and it’s always been that way. Sure, major league baseball catcher Jason Varitek was a leader with the Boston Red Sox, but as the team captain, what did he actually do? And does Eli Manning, quarterback of the NFL’s New York Giants, have any official duties as the team captain other than standing there for the pregame ceremonial coin flip?

In hockey, meanwhile, the guys who wear the letters have actual on-ice responsibilities and duties. Yes, they have an official capacity, it’s not just for show. During games they’re the ones who are appointed to interact with the referees in order to keep their teammates and coaches informed about penalties, infractions, and lineup changes. In fact, the refs and linesmen will only talk to them, nobody else. That’s just a tiny piece of what a captain really does, though. Perhaps most importantly, it is he who must serve as the liaison between the players and management. The coaches will devise a game plan and then lean on their guy to make sure it gets executed properly. They can preach to the players all they want to on the ice about X’s and O’s, but there will be no buy-in until the cap’ sells it to the boys in the dressing room. The players hear the coaches, but they don’t necessarily always listen to the coaches — big difference. It’s like when your mom asks you to do something you don’t want to do, versus when your best friend’s mom asks you to do the same thing. Best friend’s mom 1, your mom 0.

That dynamic, of being the conduit between the coaches and players, is a very slippery slope. The captain will be held to a higher standard, and quite frankly, most players can’t deal with that kind of stress. That’s why there’s only one captain. And that’s why picking him is such an ordeal for teams to go through. He has to convey their message on a daily basis, while playing spy, constantly reporting back to the enemy camp. It can be tricky, to say the least. Leadership is a bizarre intangible; there’s no set guidelines to follow when selecting a captain. Each team has its own rationale for picking their guy to lead the rank and file. And if there’s drama brewing within that rank and file, it’s up to the captain to convey that intelligence back to the coaches. They need to know about it so that they can address it. Little things lead to big things in locker rooms, and they need a mole on the inside who can keep them up to speed on everything going on. Sound crazy? Welcome to the world of an NHL captain.

And that’s just the beginning. In practice captains have to be the ones who set the tone and lead by example. They have to be the hardest-working guys out there, regardless of whether or not they feel good or are injured. The guy with the C outworks everyone else, that’s why they call those extra workout sessions during the summer “captains’ practices.” And if the team’s in a slump, it’s up to him to figure out a way for them to get out of it. For the captain, it’s all about personal sacrifice and putting the needs of others before himself. Translation: it’s all about the team. Always.

Off the ice, meanwhile, he will have many other duties. In the locker room he has to be the glue that holds the team together. He’s the guy who has to create and foster team chemistry by making the rookies feel comfortable alongside the grizzled veterans. If a kid fresh up from the minors isn’t fitting in, it’s up to the captain to bring him up to speed and build his confidence. If that means staying after practice and working with him one-on-one shooting pucks for a few hours, or helping him figure out the coach’s playbook, or taking him out for a beer if he’s homesick for mommy, then so be it. That’s all part of the job.

It’s also up to the captain to quell the drama that can and will occur when you have grown men of all ages bickering and whining about the amount of ice time they are or aren’t getting, or about how much money they are or aren’t making. It’s up to them to keep the peace between the Canadians, Russians, Czechs, Americans, and Finns — all of whom, by the way, want more ice time and money. Different music choices in the dressing room, different restaurant choices on the road, bed-check at the hotel, making sure everybody’s on the bus on time, figuring out the seating arrangements for the charter flight to Winnipeg — that all falls under his jurisdiction. Trouble at home with the wife or girlfriend? Go talk to the captain. Unhappy about getting sent down to the minors? Ohhh, caaaptain …

The captain has to make tough, unpopular decisions on a daily basis, many of which are going to alienate him from his teammates. He is the one who is going to have to call a player out who isn’t pulling his weight. It is he who must demand accountability in practice every single day. And nobody will listen to him or respect him unless he is the hardest working guy in practice himself. It’s up to him to call players-only meetings when things aren’t going well. It’s up to him to have the team over to his house for a barbecue on an off-day, where guys can get together and let their hair down. It’s up to him to coordinate the logistics for the entire team to meet off the grid at an out-of-the-way tavern, where they can all sit in the back room, drink beer, and let off some steam — without worry or repercussion of the coaching staff punishing them for doing something wrong.

When the team is winning, the media talks to all the players in the locker room. Everybody’d fat and happy when the team is winning. But when things go south and the team heads into the tank — and they all do — it’s the captain whom the media want to talk to. And they want answers. As the face of the franchise, like it or not, that’s his responsibility. All of this and so much more falls on the captain’s shoulders. Oh, and on top of all that, he still has to do his job as a first-line player and put up points. Everybody is counting on him to lead the team to victory, no matter what. Talk about pressure!

For all of these reasons and so many more, finding the right captain to lead your team is a huge deal. The captain isn’t necessarily your best player, he’s your most respected player. He’s a guy who’s liked and admired yet can still have difficult conversations with his teammates when need be. He sacrifices his body by blocking shots, and you’d better believe he won’t take a bad penalty or a selfish penalty that will put the opposition on the power play. No way. The DNA of the prototypical captain can embody many different characteristics. He’s humble, hard-working, dynamic, strong, fearless, selfless, courageous, sensitive, and above all else … he leads by example. (You will hear that phrase way too many times in this book, and for that I pre- apologize.) In a nutshell, he’s the team’s conscience — always putting what he feels is best for the team above all else. The top officers in the military are taught to care for their soldiers’ needs before their own, and the same is true for the man who wears the C. To him, the C stands for character.

Again, it’s up to the coaches and general managers to find the right captain for their particular team. That’s the key. If it’s an older, veteran-laden team, then maybe they need a quiet captain who just says the right things and sets a positive tone. If it’s a young team full of rookies or foreign players, then maybe you need a vocal leader who’s going to get after guys with fire and brimstone. Either way, it takes just the right blend of leadership, athletic ability, and likability to make a good captain.

Great NHL captains are synonymous with their teams. Even casual hockey fans know that the “Great One,” Wayne Gretzky, led his Edmonton Oilers to four Stanley Cup titles in the mid-’80s; that “Stevey Y” (Yzerman) was the heart and soul of his Detroit Red Wings squad for more than two decades; that “Super Mario” (Lemieux) overcame injuries and cancer to lead his Penguins to a pair of titles in the early ’90s; and that “Mess” (Mark Messier) was the king of Gotham City after delivering on his personal guarantee that his Rangers would end their 54-year Cup drought in ’94. You just can’t make this stuff up, folks. And they know today that “Sid the Kid” (Crosby) wears the C in Pittsburgh, that “Ovie” (Alexander Ovechkin) is the other commander-in-chief of our nation’s capital, that the “Z-Man” (Zdeno Chara) towers above all others in Bean Town, and that “Captain Serious” (Jonathan Toews) quietly leads the way in the Windy City.

Like mythical figures, they become the proverbial “face of the franchise” that the fans identify with. In the new digital age, they truly transcend the game in ways Gordie Howe, Rocket Richard, and Bobby Hull could have never imagined. And it goes far beyond marketing — they are icons whose jerseys are sold by the truckload to every diehard fan who cheers for them. Loyal fans take genuine pride in their leader. After all, he’s their guy. And, yes, that loyalty sells tickets — lots of tickets, and beer, and parking, and corporate signage on the dasher boards, and luxury suites, and on and on … cha-ching! Branding is everything in today’s game, and usually your captain’s jersey is the No. 1 seller. He’d better be good.

The best captains possess certain intangibles that can only be described as extraordinary. The have the ability to rise to the occasion. It’s in their blood. When the game is on the line, that’s when the captain plays bigger than everybody else. That’s when he earns his paycheck — in crunch-time, in the clutch. He’s the guy with icewater in his veins, in overtime of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Need a big goal, a game-winner? He’s your guy. If he can’t make an end-to-end rush capped off by the perfect toe-drag, top-shelf, back-handed wrister, then he’ll deflect it in form the point with his teeth. That’s his role. He’s a two-way player who’s not afraid to go into the corners or stand in front of the cage. And if someone messes with one of his teammates, he’s the first guy there to drop the mitts and start throwin’ hands. He’s the leader, the protector … no matter what. Nobody puts Baby in a corner!

I wrote a book a few years ago titled The Code: The Unwritten Rules of Fighting and Retaliation in the NHL and, in so doing, learned all about the sacred honor code that governs when, where, why, and how players can fight. The code says heavyweights fight heavyweights, lightweights fight lightweights, goalies fight goalies, and yes … captains fight captains. In the 2012 Stanley Cup semifinals between Phoenix and Los Angeles, this code got put to the test when Kings captain Dustin Brown laid out Coyotes defenseman Rostislav Klesla. Phoenix’s longtime captain Shane Doan, wanting to protect his teammate’s honor, immediately challenged Brown to a fight, and the gloves came off. That’s how you earn respect in the National Hockey League. Doan, the face of the Coyotes franchise — having been with the team since its days in Winnipeg — is one of the most respected players in the game today because of the way he leads by example and stands up for his teammates.

The captain is the guy who’s there when things get tough. He remains calm and cool through adversity, and you can always count on him to be right there by your side. He’s your biggest cheerleader, as well as the first guy to go over to his goalie to offer words of encouragement after he lets in a soft goal. After the game he’s the first guy in line to shake hands, looking guys in the eye, giving them a firm grip, congratulating them on their victory. He wins with class and loses with dignity. He’s the leader, yet he doesn’t relish the spotlight. He’s humble. He gives 110 percent every day and always leaves everything out on the ice. When the team doesn’t play well, he points to himself first with humility and says, “Boys, I have to be better.” And he will be, because he’s the captain. And so will everybody else, because they trust him and they believe in him. He’s their leader. With grit and tenacity, he inspires those around him to be greater together than they could be individually. That’s what great leaders do, they get everybody rowing the boat in the same direction — all focused on a common goal.

The captain rises to the occasion and inspires greatness from all who follow. That’s his job. If he does it the right way, he is adored, beloved, cherished, and put upon a pedestal. His legacy will only grow over time. If not, he’s either demoted or, in all likelihood, traded away so that they can give the C to someone else and try it all over again. There may not be a tougher, more stressful role in all of sports than that of an NHL captain. Yet it’s the most rewarding job in all of hockey. Heck, it’s the most coveted role on the team that nearly every player who pulls on an NHL sweater aspires to reach at some point in his career. They may not say that publicly, but deep down they want the C. Everybody wants the C. When that big C gets sewn onto his jersey, it gives him confidence, courage, and strength. It’s as if he transforms into Superman the moment old Clark puts on that cape — it gives him super powers us lowly mortals can only dream of. Got it?

Here’s what some of those superheroes had to say about what it meant for them to don the C …

Adrian Aucoin

It was extremely special to wear the C in Chicago because of all the history with that franchise. A real honor. Just knowing the guys who wore it before me — Chris Chelios and Dirk Graham, whom I had a lot of respect for — made it even more meaningful to me. I know that you don’t always need a letter on your jersey to be a team leader, but it says a lot about the kind of person you are and about the level of hard work that you’ve put in.

There are different types of captains for different types of teams, I think. When I was in Chicago [2005–2007], we were a really young team — so I kind of took on more of a teaching role. We knew that we were in a transition at that point and that we probably weren’t going to be competing for the Cup, so we worked really hard on getting better every day. That became our focus — what we could do to continually improve and come together as a team. When you become your team’s captain, you sort of wind up becoming a father figure to the other guys, like it or not. That’s just a part of the job. You have to be able to steer them in the right direction if they get off course. When they’re not too sure which way to go, and which choices to make, then you need to step in and show them the way. The right way. Eventually, that team went on to win it all, so I took a lot of pride in knowing that I had played a small part in the development of some of those younger players.

David Backes

Being the captain, it’s a big honor. With it comes a lot of responsibility, though. It means making decisions that aren’t necessarily what’s best for yourself, but what’s best for the team. It means you have to be the hardest working, most committed guy out there — every day, no matter what. Your work ethic sets the tone. It’s up to you to set an example for the rest of the team and to hold everybody accountable to that. There’s no excuses when you wear the C, the buck stops with you. That’s your job, that’s the deal.

Leading by example means having self-control. It means knowing when to choose your spots. When the other team’s biggest guy punches you in the face, you’ve got a decision to make. Is this my chance to show how tough I am, where I can take a stand and prove myself, and show those guys that we’re not going to be intimidated? Or is this my chance to show my toughness by being disciplined, by showing my dedication to my teammates by taking that punch and not retaliating? If we score on the ensuing power play, then I am vindicated. That’s a tough, heat-of-the-moment decision — but one you find yourself having to make more often than not in this game. When you master those situations and get a grasp of when each response is best, that’s when you know you’ve come a long way in being a good leader.

(Continues…)Excerpted from Wearing the C by Ross Bernstein. Copyright © 2012 Ross Bernstein. Excerpted by permission of Triumph Books.
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