And your captain is: Ben Smith!
The @TorontoMarlies announced today that Ben Smith will serve as the team’s captain and Colin Greening and Rich Clune will serve as alternate captains for the remainder of the 2017-18 @TheAHL season.#MarliesLive pic.twitter.com/e4H2UxWILo
— Toronto Marlies (@TorontoMarlies) January 3, 2018
Smith is an obvious choice for captain. He’s an experienced veteran who is also doing a lot of goal scoring (15 goals so far), he’s good with the media, has a great attitude and is pretty much the embodiment of Mike Babcock’s idea of a good pro.
The only player who comes close to that on the team is Colin Greening, and there he is as an alternate. He’s the guy most players will tell you will end up a coach one day when they do their 20 questions bits.
The man they all say lightens up the team while working hardest in the gym rounds out the group. Rich Clune is a consummate pro who plays less than he’d like, but is always in every game he dresses for 100%.
This is a good group which frees up the young prospects to focus on playing the game. Going without a captain for some psychological reason, or as a message to the players, always comes off as a bit silly, particularly in the AHL.
The Marlies have a man in charge now. Over to you Leafs, maybe it’s time you named someone.
Who would you name today as captain of the Maple Leafs?
| Patrick Marleau | 280 |
| Morgan Rielly | 420 |
| Auston Matthews | 800 |
| Nazem Kadri | 82 |
| Someone else | 41 |
