My Pick For Captain of Team Canada: Jerome Iginla

Settle down Crosby fans. I'm not just another Caps fan hating on Crosby, and I'm not saying Crosby isn't qualified to be Captain or wouldn't be a good Captain, but my pick is Jerome Iginla. I suppose there are some other potential nominees for this coveted job-- Scott Niedermayer and Joe Thornton could be tossed into the conversation. It's probably safe to say Patrick Marleau won't be in the mix after last week's events in San Jose.(Marleau was stripped of his "C") All of these players would be great picks to lead Canada into probably the most important tournament it's ever played. The Canadian press has already sent out a warning telling no players to show their faces in their home towns if they don't win gold. And I thought the New York press was tough. Surely this is sarcasm, but there has to be some truth to that. Jerome Iginla is the man Canada needs to lead them to Olympic gold.

Two things really pop out at your when thinking of Jerome Iginla. The first is leadership. Iginla is already an NHL captain so he knows the role of being a captain. Captains must motivate, lead, and set an example for others. Iginla is one of the most respected players in the NHL. Not only is he an elite goal scorer, but he always ranks high in player surveys as one of the best Captains in the NHL. He isn't afraid to drop the gloves as well, almost always in defense of a teammate. These are some of the intangibles that make a great Captain.

The next is experience. Iginla has been part of a gold medal winning team in 2002 and a team that finished in a disastrous 7th place in 2006. This will be his third Olympiad. Some of you may argue that Crosby has the same leadership ability. I most likely would not argue against that, but this will be Crosby's first Olympic experience. Playing for your country is a different beast than playing for your club team. This team will have the pressure of an entire nation on their backs. It's no question that Crosby will be the Captain in years to come, but Crosby needs to be mentored at the Olympic level just as he was when he broke into the NHL. This role was played by Mario Lemieux. I believe this is the role Jerome Iginla can play. Reports are that they may be on the same line so that provides the perfect scenario for Crosby to learn from a player who has all the intangibles of a great Captain, plus has the experience to guide Crosby.

This is my two cents. There is one rather large assumption I've made in this whole thing. I'm assuming Iginla makes the Canadian team. Barring catastrophic circumstances, he'll be there.