Beyond the ‘C’: The Story of the Philadelphia Flyers

This post is very different compared to the other Beyond the ‘C’ posts. This is a straight opinion about the captain situation in Philadelphia. The same will be for Florida, Detroit, New Jersey, and Nashville. This is Beyond the ‘C’: The Story of the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Philadelphia Flyershave been led by captain Chris Pronger for some time now. This concerns me now because he has been battling an injury. Here is the video that ended his season. That makes this article short. This is strictly an opinion, and after hearing the deal the Flyers have made, it supports my theory.

My brother Derek called me earlier to talk about the deal that Philly got Shea Weber. There is a slight chance that Nashville can match his offer sheet, but it is unlikely. Now that Philly has a star defenseman who is used to being a captain, that is their ticket. I think, and Derek agrees, that Shea Weber is there to force Pronger to retire and take the captaincy. I’m not saying they want to just throw Pronger to the curb, but they realize he isn’t coming back.

Before the Shea Weber thing went down, I figured they would make Claude Giroux the captain. It seemed like he was the most talked about player this season. Hell, he was voted to be on the cover of NHL 13 by the fans. That says a lot. I just think he isn’t fit to be captain just yet. I’m glad they brought in Weber.

Editor’s Corner:

Eugene Markman writes for Broad Street Buzz. He is very happy that Pronger was the captain, but he even knows that he might be done there. Here is his statement.

“I didn’t know exactly what to expect from Chris Pronger when he came to Philly. He has a great resume, but he’s up there in years. He quickly proved that his age hasn’t stopped his greatness. He’s very solid in his own end, and he makes everyone on the ice better. It’s hard to judge how well of a captain he is here because in his first season with a C on his chest, he only played 14 games due to injury. However, prior to being named captain, he was always considered one of the leaders of the team. He worked hard, played smart, and spoke up when he felt he needed to. He messed with opponents, doing whatever he could to get them off their edge (stealing pucks in 2010 Finals). He fits our city well because he always comes to play, he plays with an edge, and he shows that he cares. In Philly, we want our athletes to be emotional, and we want them to play to the best of their abilities. Chris fills that perfectly. It’s too bad his concussion may cut his career here short, but we’ll always appreaciate what he did in his brief time in Orange and Black.”

Closing Argument:

This article was very short, I know. I just felt it was a waste to tell you about a captain that wasn’t here. This is the same thing I will do with teams who don’t have captains. If you don’t like it, let me know. You can always reach me on Twitter.

Next up is a player who has had a lot of buzz on his captaincy. Monday is Beyond the ‘C’: The Story of Dion Phaneuf.