i also think a big part of this is ppl just not really knowing what a captain does in hockey. which is fine, ppl can enjoy hr without thinking abt hockey!
but if we're talking abt it, captains r mostly just the social + communicative pressure point of a team. they are not assigning bag skates or punishing teammates, not running practice. they talk to management on behalf of players, talk to coaches on behalf of players, and talk to refs during games about rules. that’s basically it. they send the “be on time/stick to dress code” texts, help set tone in locker room, & often organize pre-season get-togethers, practices, dinners, etc
they do tend to be some of the best players, but that’s more correlation than function—those are usually the guys already seen as leaders or the ones a team builds around during a rebuild. exactly like shane/ilya were for the metros, bears, & even centaurs (even tho ilya signed there, not drafted)
so that's why i feel strongly abt shane not really caring about the captain title and actually being relieved not to have it in ottawa, where he can just be one of the guys. :) on the metros he’s grateful, a bit flattered, takes it seriously ofc, but it’s not something he’s emotionally attached to—he plays because he loves hockey, not the hierarchy around it. ilya, meanwhile, has always been more socially oriented in that way, especially when he’s not deep in the worst of his depression like in tlg!!
