Steering the ship: How Stamkos and Toews captained their teams to the Cup Final

Dedication, drive, heart, leadership, and respect.

All traits that the captain of a championship team should possess and expect from their teammates.

Captains wear the C for a reason. The organization wants a particular person steering the ship during the wild ride of winning a Stanley Cup because bumps and skids happen, and the right individual needs to be there to correct them when things are amiss.

Captaincy is a job that is earned. It's normally thankless, but is so important that a team can crumble without it.

The Chicago Blackhawks and Tampa Bay Lightning have handed the honor of captain to the guys they believe are right for the jobs.

Jonathan Toews and Steven Stamkos fit the bill and have not disappointed as they lead their squads to the Final.

Toews, a chief with an intense and focused on-ice expression speaks up when he needs to, while letting his performance do the talking.

He scored his team's first two goals in their series-deciding Game 7 on Saturday against the Anaheim Ducks, giving them the burst they needed to take home the victory.

The humble commander, however, deflected the recognition after the contest and spoke more about his team's effort as a whole.

"We always do a great job of looking at the big picture and realizing the potential of our team," Toews said. "We don't need to go on a long stretch of wins and win the Presidents' Trophy and have the regular season of our lives to have the confidence that we can go the distance in the playoffs. We know we've just got to get there."

Spoken like a true leader.

Toews' teammate, Patrick Kane, has the utmost respect for his captain and made sure to let it be known that his teammate deserves credit for the job that he's done so far.

"It speaks volumes about the character in this room, and the leadership, starting with the captain," Kane said after Game 7 against the Ducks. "You get two goals (from him) right away. It’s pretty remarkable how he shows up in these games, and seems to come through time after time."

On the flip side of the coin is Stamkos, a brash 25-year-old, whose game-changing scoring ability has made him one of the league's best players.

The face of the franchise is a perfect fit for the role. The Lightning have faith in the superstar bringing them to the promised land and as time has gone on, Stamkos has grown into the important role admirably.

He, like Toews, leads through example. When he's going well, the team follows, which has been evident throughout the postseason as they've taken down some serious competition, thanks to their potent scoring attack.

"You know what? We've played in some pretty special buildings along this playoff run so far," Stamkos said. "You start in Detroit, you go to Montreal, you come here … I think it's the first team to beat three Original Six teams to get to the Final if I'm not mistaken. That says how tough the road has been. Those are tough places to win."

A valuable captain also keeps his team in check, while never letting their common goal disappear, even if things are going bad. This is an important ability that Stamkos used to help his team recoup after a devastating 7-3 loss in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final against the New York Rangers.

"We're not going to sit here and sulk and feel sorry for ourselves," Stamkos said. "We have to go and win a game on the road to get to the Cup finals. We're confident with our ability to win a game on the road. For whatever reason, we've played better on the road than at home the last couple of times, so we'll try to put a positive spin on it."

The Lightning captain also showed how much he values a team first motto. He moved from center to the wing to allow Valtteri Filppula - and the team's - offense to improve.

"Think about it,” a coach told Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. “How many star players would agree to switch positions as easily as he did that late in the season? Very impressive and unselfish."

It's obvious that both Toews and Stamkos can lead as they've proven on their respective journeys towards hockey's greatest prize, but who will have dibs on lifting Lord Stanley's Cup at the conclusion of the Final?

The answer to that question will begin to form when the series starts on Wednesday.