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By Josh Martin, Sports Editor

e Vancouver Canucks captaincy
is up in the air, as goaltender
Roberto Luongo stepped down
as the team’s leader last week. The
pressure finally got to Luongo after
two years where, not only did he have
to deal with pucks flying at him at 100
miles per hour but he also had to be
held responsible for his team, for both
the good times and the bad times. That
isn’t always easy for a goalie who wants
to focus on his own game rather than
having to deal with media questions like,
“How do you feel after that loss?” in a
6-1 blowout.

Luongo’s numbers in the post-
season last spring seemed to have
drastically decreased from his previous
years where he went 6-6 with a 3.22
goals-against average and a .895 saves
percentage. His first appearance in the
post-season during the ’06-’07 year was
by far his best individually speaking,
with a 1.77 GAA and a 941 SV%

+ Who Will Be Captain?

and then in the ’08-’09 season with a

2.52 GAA anda 914 SV%. With less
responsibility perhaps Luongo will be
able to re-create those numbers down
the stretch and focus on himself more
rather than his team.

Now, with the “C” on the table, it
comes down to the top two candidates
who have the criteria to fit that role,
Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler. Out of
ten students at Douglas College that I
have spoken to, seven of them seemed
to favour the American star, Kesler. The
common answer was that he is a lot
more vocal than Henrik and he “wears
his heart on his sleeve.” Something that
former captain Trevor Linden did as
well, and we all know how successful
and respected he was and still is.

Kesler is noted for his tremendous
work ethic and his never say never
attitude. Last year he had a career-high,
reaching 25 goals and 75 points and was
also a runner-up for the Frank Selke
Trophy which is awarded to the forward
who best excels in the defensive aspects

of the game. Kesler brings a fresh
emotion to the rink and in the locker
room which makes him a vital asset
to the squad. The second-line center
would thrive under the role as the
leader of his team.

Picking Henrik Sedin as captain,
the Canucks will have the best player
in their organization lead their team.
That seems to make the most sense
when you look at teams across the
NHL. Usually the top player who the
team needs in a game-to-game basis are
wearing the capital ‘C’ on the front of
their jersey. Sidney Crosby, Alexander
Ovechkin, Joe Thornton, Jarome Iginla,
Jonathon Toews, etc. the list goes on

       

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and on. Even though Henrik may not
be considered the most talkative guy

in the dressing room he does possess
those skills and leadership qualities that
a captain should have. Winning the Art
Ross and the Hart Memorial trophies
last year automatically gives Henrik
the edge, plus his nine seasons that he
has under his belt with the Vancouver
Canucks organization, makes him the
longest serving Canuck along with his
brother, Daniel. He would also be the
second Swedish captain in Canucks
history, next to Markus Naslund, who
was considered one of the best leaders
this franchise has ever had, serving
eight years from 2000-2008.

RN

Henrik & Daniel Sedin

 

Just wish it wasn’t Jeter

By Garth McLennan

o say that I’m a Derek Jeter
[i= would be a bit of an

understatement. Aside from
having a picture of him on my wall
for years now, a prized fly-ball hit
by him that I caught at a Yankees-
Mariners game in Seattle last year
encased on my book shelf and the
Todd McFarlane-made Jeter action
figure sitting right beside it, the
number one thing I asked my Dad for
last year at Christmas was a genuine,
stitched Jeter jersey. I constantly keep
up to date with the Yankees, not just
because I love the team (although I
do) but because I like to keep up with
Jeter. So it is safe to say that I’m a fan
of the Yankees’ captain.

However, I certainly was not
a fan of Jeter’s actions during last
Wednesday’s game between New
York and the Tampa Rays.

As most are aware by now,
during the Yankees’ eventual 4-3 loss
to the Rays in a pivotal pennant-race
game, Jeter took what appeared to be
a painful blast to his left arm from
Tampa pitcher Chad Qualls’ fastball.

At least, that was the image everyone
watching the game got by Jeter’s
actions following the play where one
of the game’s classiest and most well-
respected players hopped around in
seeming agony. Apparently it was so

_bad that New York’s trainer had to be

called onto
the field
to analyze
the terrible
injury.

The
trouble is
of course
that the
so-called
injury
didn’t
really
happen. Instant replays of the incident
clearly showed that the ball struck
the knob of Jeter’s bat, not the 36-
year old himself. However, due to the
lack of instant replay in baseball, the
game’s umpire was bamboozled by
Jeter’s actions and the former World
Series MVP was permitted to take
first base on the play.

Jeter himself admitted his

 

fraud in post-game interviews and
what was distressing was instead

of talking about how wrong diving
is in principle and apologizing for
his actions, there wasn’t a trace of
remorse. It was equally surprising
when a number of other prominent
baseball
figures,
including
Joe Torre
and Tampa
manager
Joe Maddon
(after the
game and
Tampa’s
victory;

- immediately
following
the call of Jeter to first, Maddon
argued so much that he was booted
from the game) praised Jeter for
doing whatever it took to gain a win
for the Yankees.

I understand all the reasons why
Jeter did what he did. Yes, it was a
critical game in the series between
the two clubs with first place in the
pennant-race on the line. Yes, Jeter

has said many times that he’ll do
everything and anything to help his
team win and yes, he was mired in
a slump. I get all that, I do, but that
doesn’t make it right.

There’s a reason why I admire
Derek Jeter so much. It is because
in a sport where there is a seeming
never-ending stream of instances
of cheating and dishonesty among
people at all levels of the game, Jeter
has been one of the few shining lights
in baseball. He’s always been a model
of professionalism, class, ability and
sportsmanship, and he’s become
almost universally loved because of
it.

Blatantly feigning an injury
and taking a dive, even if it was to
get his team ahead however, runs in
complete contradiction to that image.
A player of Jeter’s skill and reputation
shouldn’t have to resort to gutter-level
tactics like that to help his team.

Sure, everyone makes mistakes,
and this won’t suddenly make me a
Jeter-hater or anything like that, but
the Derek Jeter I saw on Wednesday
definitely wasn’t the guy I’ve looked
up to and admired for years.

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