The Colorado Avalanche have announced today that Gabriel Landeskog will take over duties as Captain this season. Landeskog will replace Milan Hejduk as captain, after Hejduk told the coaching staff he no longer wanted the role.
Being only 19 years and 286 days old, Landeskog becomes the youngest player in NHL history to become captain of his team. The previous benchmark was set by Sidney Crosby, who was 11 days older than Landeskog when he was named the Penguins captain in 2007.
While it may come as a surprise to some that Hejduk relinquished his role as captain, Landeskog being chosen as the replacement may have been a no-brainer.
In 2010-11, only his second season with the Kitchener Rangers, Landeskog took over as captain and became the first European born player in franchise history to fill that role. Despite the added pressure, Landeskog picked up his production for the Rangers in his sophomore campaign and rallied for 66 points in 53 games. Landeskog was also chosen as an alternate captain in 2012 while playing for Sweden in the World Championships, building his case even further.
With the announcement, Gabriel Landeskog becomes the fourth captain in Colorado Avalanche history. He follows in the footsteps of Joe Sakic, Adam Foote, and the aforementioned Hejduk. Sakic is the longest serving Avalanche captain, holding the position from 1995 to 2009 when he retired.
