As the Habs season gets going there is one thing that I’ve noticed, if anyone on this team deserves to wear the Captain’s ‘C’, its Brian Gionta.
Gionta has been great at almost ever aspect of the game so far for the Habs. He currently leads the team in goals with 4, and of those some have been bring-you-out-of-you-seat, highlight-reel quality. Also, despite being one of the smallest players in the league, he is always playing in front of the net and fighting for position. If he gets pushed out of the way or knocked down, he bounces right back up and continues to fight for the rebounds.
He plays great defensive hockey in all three zones and spends quality time on the penalty-kill. The term “Speed Kills” most certainly applies to Gionta as he buzzes around the ice and creates turnovers and odd man rushes.
Lastly, his leadership on and off the ice has become quite apparent. He is respected by his teammates for what he does for the team and it shows in the way they support him. He leads by example on the ice and I’m sure he is very vocal in the locker room. He also seems to be handling the Montreal media well and that goes a long way when it comes to leaders on this team.
All around Brian Gionta seems to be the type of guy the Canadiens need as their next Captain. He has big shoes to fill left by the departed Saku Koivu, but even though he is small, I’m sure he will fill them just fine.
If you have any comments of questions, please write to j.wright@habsworld.net