With the exception of four teams, every NHL franchise has a captain at the helm. In fact, one even have two. This past summer, the Carolina Hurricanes announced that Jordan Staal and Justin Faulk would share duties over the course of the season.
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While teams such as the Maple Leafs and Arizona Coyotes (to name a few) are staying patient with their decision, other franchises don’t have to worry, as they’ve had an individual leading the way for quite some time already. We took a look back in recent NHL history to determine the five longest-tenured captains currently playing in the league.
5) Alexander Ovechkin
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Washington Capitals superstar Alexander Ovechkin has been the face of the franchise since entering the NHL in the 2005-06 season. Midway through his fifth campaign with the Club, ‘Ovy’ was given the ‘C’ on January 5, 2010 after the team’s previous captain Chris Clark was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Capitals have been one of the league’s most dominant team’s since the Russian took over, making the playoffs seven out of the past eight seasons since the decision. With that said, Ovy and his teammates are still looking for that first Stanley Cup.
4) Mikko Koivu
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The only Finnish captain in the league, Koivu was awarded the honour permanently on October 20, 2009. He easily leads the way in all-time points by a Wild player with 623 points. Despite not making the playoffs for the first three years under the title, Koivu has led Minnesota to five straight playoff appearances since the 2012-2013 season.
3) Jonathan Toews
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Ahead of the 2008-09 season, Toews became the third youngest captain in NHL history at the time at just 20 years old and 79 days. With three Stanley Cups and a Conn Smythe trophy already to his name, Toews will eventually go down as one of the greatest captains in NHL history, especially when you consider how much time he still has to build on his legacy. The guy is just 29 years old!
2) Sidney Crosby
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‘The Kid’ started the 2007-08 season with the Pittsburgh Penguins’ captaincy and led them to the Stanley Cup Final later that year. At 19 years, nine months and 24 days, Crosby became the youngest captain in NHL history. A winner in every sense of the word, Crosby is one of the NHL’s great leaders and could very finish out his career with a ‘C’ plastered onto his chest.
1) Zdeno Chara
The NHL’s tallest player is also the longest-tenured captain currently playing in the NHL. The Bruins wasted no time, as they named the Slovakian captain ahead of the 2006-07 season shortly after he signed a five-year $37.5 million contract. He has delivered some excellent campaigns in Boston and helped the team capture the 2010-11 Stanley Cup over the Vancouver Canucks. At 40 years of age, he is also the NHL’s oldest current captain.
