Canucks captaincy: An unending summer of discontent

VANCOUVER — Glad we didn't miss anything.
When last I worked, prior to my longest vacation since the summer of Grade 10 when I lost that plum dishwashing job at Mr. Jakes, an eatery in Richmond similar in name and style to Mr. Mikes but minus the suave cache, the local sports universe crackled with chatter about the cheap nfl jerseys
Vancouver Canucks' captaincy and the B.C. Lions' winlessness at Empire Field.
Six weeks later, nothing has changed.
Next thing you'll tell me is Gordon Campbell is still premier.
The Lions, who crammed two road wins into their summer, try again Saturday to win outdoors in Vancouver for the first time since 1982.
And the Canucks could end the captain's debate next week when Roberto Luongo(notes) arrives ahead of training camp.
Henrik Sedin(notes) tried to quell the discussion Tuesday but failed badly, partly because he only says stuff but doesn't actually write newspaper stories or file radio reports. Maybe Sedin should just get a blog like everyone else.
Until the Canucks begin their great salary-cap limbo and jettison a player or two before the National Hockey League regular season begins, the 'C' and whether a finely-tuned, highly-sensitive starting goalie is the best player to possess it, could dominate training camp.
“It's nothing I want to talk about because we have a captain and he's been great for the team,” Sedin insisted Tuesday after most of Vancouver's top players mustered for the first time at the Canucks' arena. “All his teammates are supporting him and know what he brings. There's nothing for me to talk about.”
Nice try, Hank. The Sedins have been here 10 years now; you think they'd know the market by now.
“We support him,” Daniel Sedin(notes) said of Luongo. “He's been there for us. He's been a good leader, as good a captain as I ever had. If he doesn't feel he can do it or he needs to focus on his game, that's up to him. From the players' perspective, he's our leader and he's going to keep being our leader, too, if he chooses to step down.”
Asked if the captaincy should be entirely Luongo's decision, Daniel said “of course.”
And Canuck management feels the same way. That's why they sent Luongo into the summer with a couple of nudges and a wink and instructions to think hard about his role and decide if his leadership really requires the validation of the 'C' and all the baggage it brings, Indianapolis Colts jersey
evident in the encumbered captain's refusal during another sub-par playoffs last spring to speak with reporters the morning of games.
The goaltender-as-captain has been a failed experiment by general manager Mike Gillis and coach Alain Vigneault, but they'd desperately rather Luongo be the one to end it by gracefully relinquishing his letter.
So far, he still has it. Upon his return from Sweden, Henrik discovered only the newly-minted replicas of the Hart and Ross trophies he won last season but not the captaincy he could carry a lot more lightly than does Luongo.
But the goaltender's fierce pride and stubbornness — Luongo worked out in Florida during the summer with Ian Clark, whom Gillis fired in June as part of his attempt to bring the goaltending position back under team rule — makes surrendering the captaincy more difficult.
If Luongo insists on keeping it, the Canucks may yield once again to his wishes although Gillis demonstrated his willingness to terminate failed experiments when Ryan Walter, hand-picked by the GM two years ago, was dismissed as assistant coach in August.
The Sedins are the least of the Canucks' problems.
Regardless of letters — and remember, Daniel didn't even regularly have an 'A' last season — the elite twins hold themselves to a higher level of accountability than any other Canucks. Four points or minus-four, win or lose, the Sedins await the media's arrival after every game to answer for themselves and their team.
“Everyone should do that,” Daniel said Tuesday. “It can be tough after games when you've had a tough game. [But] if you're there when you play good, you've got to be there when you play bad.”
The Sedins are “team” players in every sense.
While Henrik will be questioned daily about the unlikeliness of Dallas Cowboys jersey
defending his scoring title or amassing another 112 points, his far greater concern is helping the Canucks get past the second round of the playoffs.
“We have to put points aside,” he said. “We have to start looking at the team and making the playoffs and then go further in the playoffs. That's how I feel.”