The Law of Four- Habs Go With Four Alternates

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There will be no player wearing the 'C' emblem next year at the Bell Centre as today it was announced that for the first time since 2009-10, the Montreal Canadiens will opt to have no official Captain on the ice and will instead go with four alternate captains instead.

Andrei Markov, Max Pacioretty, Tomas Plekanec and P.K Subban have been chosen to fill the various leadership roles next season. Ever since former captain Brian Gionta opted to join the Buffalo Sabres as a free agent, the Habs franchise has been slow to appoint a successor, Subban appeared to be the main candidate, but it appears that he will not be the ruler on ice just yet.

But what is the effect of selecting four different leaders? Well it does means that the Habs have a new flux of leadership on ice which could create better harmony on ice which will be needed after the problems that Subban's contract negotiation caused. However, with no out and out figure to guide them, it could cause issues with leadership because each alternate will require equal respect and authority on the ice. Pacioretty, Plekanec and Subban are all very talented individuals but not quite compatible as equal status leaders and this could lead to a clash of egos in the dressing room!

The Canadiens came close last season to breaking the 21 year wait for a Canadian side to win the Stanley Cup, this year they could well challenge again. I just hope this gamble pays off well for them.


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