Cam Neely, Don Sweeney Discuss Potential of Naming Captain For Bruins Next Season
One of the topics of conversation this offseason for the Boston Bruins has been about naming a captain.
Since 2006, the Bruins have had just three captains. Zdeno Chara was the longtime captain from 2006-20, followed by Patrice Bergeron from 2021-23, and Brad Marchand most recently held the honor from 2023-25 until he was traded to the Florida Panthers.
The team did not have one single captain this season, however did have three alternate captains in Hampus Lindholm, Charlie McAvoy, and David Pastrnak.
Bruins head coach Marco Sturm was asked about it on Sunday in his final press conference of the season where he stated that he would not mind one, but did not think it negatively impacted the team not having one this past season.
“I always said I wanted a cap, but now being through that first time, me as a head coach not having a captain, and I thought it went really well,” said Sturm. “Maybe because guys were very close. The leadership group, I thought they did a good job overall. Everyone had their input. There was no outsider. We always kept it really tight. So I actually didn't mind it. But having said that, that will be more conversation to have with Don [Sweeney], how we [are] going to move forward. But personally, I liked how we handled and especially the players how they handled the situation all year long.”
In the final end of season press conference, the same question was asked to Bruins president Cam Neely and general manager Don Sweeney on Wednesday afternoon.
“Well, I think obviously we would love to name a captain,” said Neely. “But we've had some great captains here, so one of the things that we want to do is make sure we're picking the right guy and Marco's going to be a big part of that. So having a new coach come in and implementing a new system, getting to know the players, I think it only made sense to see how the season played out and then we're going to have plenty [conversations]. We've already started discussions about that for sure and we're going to have plenty more in this offseason.”
Pastrnak and McAvoy were both mentioned in the question. Sweeney spoke highly of both players and discussed what factors go into picking a team captain.
“They're great people,” said Sweeney. “They're great teammates. They’re great Boston Bruins. So, for us, we look at the big picture and saying where is everybody in their own personal development, their own family dynamic, and who can impact us the most without impacting themselves and how they go about their daily life. Leadership is a collective process and I think we proved this year that those guys took ownership of it. We grew, they grew, and now you're going to eventually get to the point where you feel comfortable that we are going to have another captain here.”
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Kim Rankin is one of the lead writers for Boston Bruins on SI and Boston College On SI. A 2020 graduate of the University of Alabama. she joined Alabama Crimson Tide On SI in February 2024 covering baseball, softball, football, men’s basketball, and more for BamaCentral, but has also contributed to Missouri Tigers On SI. She previously worked as the brand manager at Tide 100.9 FM in Tuscaloosa, Ala. She has covered a wide variety of events including SEC Championships, NCAA Regionals, and bowl games.