Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly scrapbook for NHL.com. Fischler also known as "The Hockey Maven," shares his insight and humor with readers each Wednesday.
When the Chicago Blackhawks named Connor Bedard the 37th captain in franchise history, it inspired a question: Is a 20- or 21-year-old too young to be wearing a "C"? The Blackhawks don't think so. Neither does the San Jose Sharks. And we can't forget Connor McDavid and Gabriel Landeskog.
Can a player be too young to be a team captain in the NHL?
The San Jose Sharks voted nay on that question, along with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Macklin Celebrini at age 20 was named Sharks captain Sept. 25, the youngest in their history. Only 10 days earlier, the Blackhawks caused an enthusiastic stir by naming Connor Bedard, 21, their new captain.
Connor McDavid remains the youngest captain in NHL history (19 years, 266 days) since he was given the title by the Edmonton Oilers on Oct. 5, 2016, breaking the record held by Landeskog (19 years, 286 days) when the Colorado Avalanche named him captain Sept. 4, 2012.
Joe Thornton, Sharks captain from 2010 to 2014, presented a "C"-adorned team sweater to the popular center last Friday after practice at Sharks Ice at San Jose.
"I know how much this guy means to everyone in this room and the whole Bay Area," Thornton said.
"Huge honor. I think just something that I can't really take lightly," Celebrini said Sept. 25. "Obviously, there's a responsibility that comes with that, but at the same time, I'm not really going to change who I am or what I do. But, like I said, just a huge honor first and foremost."
Celebrini and Bedard each excel with a blend of talent, character and natural leadership qualities. Those traits also were evident 40 years ago when Steve Yzerman at age 21 startled the hockey world after he was named captain of the Detroit Red Wings. "Stevie Y" eventually helped turn the Red Wings into Stanley Cup champions.
"It didn't matter to us that Stevie was 21," Red Wings executive vice president Jim Devellano wrote in his autobiography, "The Road to Hockeytown: Jimmy Devellano's 40 Years in the NHL."
"Jacques Demers, our coach -- and I -- believed that a team's best player should always be its captain. We won the Stanley Cup three times -- 1996-97, 1997-98, and 2001-02 -- with Stevie at the helm."
What's true for Celebrini and Bedard held for Yzerman like it once did for Wayne Gretzky. "The Great One" was all of 22 at the start of the 1983-84 season when he captained the Edmonton Oilers to its first Stanley Cup championship later that spring.
"Nobody said Wayne was too young," wrote Oilers Hall of Fame defenseman Kevin Lowe in "Champions: The Making of the Edmonton Oilers," his autobiography. "Making him captain was the natural thing to do."
Ditto for Bedard.
"I can't think of a better person to lead us into the next generation of Blackhawks hockey than Connor," Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said.
Those who know Bedard best -- the general staff, teammates and the media -- concur that Bedard fits the Celebrini-Yzerman-Gretzky mold.
"Bedard is the best player on the team," Tracey Myers, who covers the Blackhawks for NHL.com, said in an email. "He's the face of the team, the everything of this team. This is truly Bedard's team and was his team from the moment he was drafted (No. 1) in 2023."
The same leadership qualities were apparent with Jonathan Toews who at age 20 was named Blackhawks captain July 18, 2008. Toews-Bedard comparisons are inevitable especially since Patrick Kane was Toews' wingman for years.
Kane signed a two-year, $16 million contract with Chicago on July 23 and named an alternate Sept. 15.
"I asked Kane if Bedard had any Toews vibes," Myers wrote. "Patrick said, 'Teammates and people gravitate toward the player. They gravitated toward Toews. I see it with Connor. They want to hang out with him. want to talk to him, want to be around him. Making Connor captain was a great decision.'"
Bedard's return to action remains uncertain after he had surgery on his left shoulder for an injury sustained while practicing in Vancouver on July 2. He led the Blackhawks with 75 points (30 goals, 45 assists) last season despite missing 13 games.
"Just having the trust from (those) people -- I care about their opinion and how they value me,"
Bedard said. "It's special."
"Connor wants to win more than he wants to score points," Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill told the "NHL Wraparound" podcast Sept. 10. "His intent is always to do it right to win. I'm demanding of my best players. What I like about Connor is that he takes it and doesn't make excuses.
"Patrick's impact on Berard is going to be immense because Kane is such a great pro. What I know about Connor is that when he does return,, he'll push the envelope."
Don't be surprised if, next spring, an NHL envelope contains a Hart (MVP) Trophy vote inside for either or both first-year captains -- Celebrini and Bedard."
