With NHL players barred from the PyeongChang Olympics - and with them the abundance of skill that Canadian hockey has been synonymous - this year's Canadian Olympic ice hockey team is choosing to award the "C" to a player with a wealth of experience.
Chris Kelly was announced as the captain of the Canadian men's hockey team ahead of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic tournament. Although it may not seem like an obvious choice, Kelly's veteran experience and calming influence make him an ideal choice for that role on a Canadian team that enters the games not being the most skilled team for the first time in over a decade.
"Such a great honor,” Kelly said via Neil Davidson of The Canadian Press.
"And very humbling."
This year's team - famously devoid of active NHL players - still carries a wealth of professional experience, but none are more qualified than Kelly. After playing 833 games over 14 NHL seasons, notching 123 goals and 289 points, Kelly encountered every challenge professional hockey has to offer and is the only player on the roster with a Stanley Cup victory, serving in an underappreciated role with the 2011 Boston Bruins.
"There's so many great people in that locker room who could ultimately be wearing it. It's a thrill," Kelly said.
Kelly was never the most gifted player and his resiliency was arguably his greatest asset during his NHL career, a quality that could come to define this group in PyeongChang, with the nation's expectations still astronomically high.
There are more prominent players in the tournament, to be sure, and Canada can't afford to coast on its pristine reputation in PyeongChang. Pavel Datsyuk and Ilya Kovalchuk headline the Olympic Athletes from Russia squad, Brian Gionta is looking to spark a redemptive effort from the U.S., while presumptive 2018 first overall pick Rasmus Dahlin is looking to prove why he could be an international superstar amid a deep Swedish outfit.
Kelly's professional experience and style of play are emblematic of this Canadian team that will need to scrap its way through the tournament. Undoubtedly, he's looking forward to the challenge.
Kelly isn't the tournament's biggest star, nor can anyone say with certainty that he's the best player on the Canadian team. But with a wealth of experience and a capacity to play his best hockey on the biggest stage, the decision to name Kelly captain may look better in retrospect as Canada once again tries to prove its hockey supremacy to the world in the most uncertain of times.
