Florida Panthers Captaincy. An Alternate View: Part 2 of 2
By Editorial Staff
A team Captain is the leader on your team. Someone who can guide a team through the good times and the bad times,and it takes everything you have to be a Captain in the NHL today. Why should Ed Jovanovski or Stephen Weiss be the next Florida Panther to bare the “C” on his jersey?
Ed Jovanovski is no stranger to being a Florida Panther, in fact he was part of the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals Florida Panthers club. From 1995-1999 Jovanovski was a Florida Panther until he was traded in the seven player deal to the Vancouver Canucks for Pavel Bure. After leaving Florida Jovanovski became a solid defender for the Vancouver Canucks, reaching the prime of his career, showing he could have 40-50 points seasons. Then the Phoenix Coyotes snatched him up with a 5 year, 32.5 million dollar contract. In Phoenix, Ed Jovanovski would have the best season of his career, putting up a total of 51 points and making and making a showing in the 2008 NHL All Star game. That 5 year, 32.5 million dollar deal would be the last Ed Jovanovski would sign with the the Phoenix Coyotes, and now Ed Jovanovski has returned to were it all started. Jovo signed a 4 year, 16.5 million dollar deal with the Panthers in July this past summer in hopes of leading the club back to the Stanley Cup Finals again.
Florida Panthers center Stephen Weiss has been with the Florida Panthers his entire 9 year career, and he is no doubt a favorite among the Florida Panthers community and always will be as long as he is a Panther. Now Stephen Weiss seems to be the fan favorite to be the next team Captain, but should he be? Stephen Weiss has had a very solid career indeed putting up a total of 333 points in his 9 year career with the Panthers. Why should Stephen Weiss be the Florida Panthers next team captain? Well for one, he is very loyal. I look back at a comment Stephen Weiss made a while ago saying that he would stay in Florida as long as they would let him. Stephen Weiss wants to do great things for this Panthers team, the players look up to him, and Weiss seems to be well respected by the Florida Panthers organization, and that respect continues to grow year after year.
Ed Jovanovski and Stephen Weiss, are the two players who I think can make the best Captains for the Florida Panthers, and I would be happy with either one as our next team captain. Both are very deserving players and I wish we could have two team captains, but sadly we cannot. Therefore, I think that the Panthers next team Captain should be Ed Jovanovski. He has big veteran presence, he has been to the Stanley Cup Finals before,and he has appeared in many all star games, showing that Jovo has pretty much done it all. He may have a couple more all star games and maybe even a Stanley Cup appearance in store for him, and why not do all of that as the Florida Panthers team captain. That’s my opinion on who should be the Florida Panthers next team captain. Who do you think will become the next Panthers next team captain?
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