On Monday, the San Jose Sharks named Joe Pavelski the ninth captain in Sharks history. Pavelski, 31, who was a 7th round pick of the Sharks in 2003 will be entering his tenth season with the club.
“Obviously, it’s a huge honor. I’m excited to have an opportunity like this,” Pavelski told the Sharks radio network. “It means a lot, but it really can’t change anything about the player I am or what my game is going to be like. It’s got to keep put the work in, try to get better every day, and, you know, perform. So, it’s exciting.”
The Sharks alternate captains will be former captain Joe Thornton (who was captain of the Sharks from 2010-14) and Logan Couture.
“I’m super happy for [Pavelski],” Thornton told the Sharks website. “… We all think [he’s] our leader anyways, so really nothing changes, but now it’s official that he’s the captain. I think it’s great for him and it’s well-deserved.”
New San Jose coach Peter DeBoer explained the move saying that Pavelski stood out in a room full of candidates.
“There’s a lot of leadership candidates here, but it’s his time,” DeBoer said. “He’s grown into a leader on this team and, you know, a key player, and he has the respect of everybody in the room and everybody I’ve talked to, and I’ve witnessed it firsthand.”
The Sharks, who didn’t have a captain last season, missed the playoffs. They hope that this new leadership group can bring them back to the playoffs and to try and drop their reputation for underperforming once they get there.
“Obviously, you’re not doing this alone,” Pavelski said. “There’s a lot of guys with experience who have been in the role before; they know what to expect. It’s just about our expectations and raising them again.”
“The guys in this room believe it’s close, even with a year like we had last year,” Pavelski said. “We believe it’s close. The foundation is there and the players are here to do it, and it’s about getting the job done now.”
