Best NHL captain from each franchise: Dallas Stars – Derian Hatcher
At 6-5, 245lbs., and in his prime, defenseman Derian Hatcher truly made a name for himself during his tenure with the Dallas Stars in the 90s. It was in that decade that once Hatcher was named captain, truly put on a show for hockey fans when they made the playoffs every season from 1996 to 2000.
Hatcher turned the Stars into consistent contenders in the mid to late 90s which ended with a Stanley Cup championship in 1999. He made NHL history as the first-ever American-born captain to win it all representing the state of Michigan to the highest degree.
Considering that Hatcher was a big part of that Stanley Cup championship run, this massive success has yet to be duplicated even decades later. Even to this very day, no other captain on the Stars has been captain for as long as Hatcher was which lasted from 1995 to 2003.
For many years now, fans of the Stars will always be enthusiastic whenever they speak about Hatcher. Just two years after he retired in 2008, he was quickly inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame where his accolades are put on display much to the awe of hockey fans that visit Eveleth, MN