One member of the Calgary Flames will wear two C’s on his jersey this season when the team’s new captain is announced.
In a Tuesday interview on The Rod Pedersen Show, newly appointed head coach Ryan Huska touched on who will lead the roster going forward.
“We’ll have a captain this year,” Huska revealed. “There’s a number of people that we have in mind and we’ve thrown around a lot. There’s a lot that comes into it.”
According to Huska, who was promoted back in June shortly after former bench boss Darryl Sutter was fired, the new captain will be decided upon by the management staff.
“It’s such a big decision for an organization. You want to have the right person that’s going to represent your franchise and help bring the team along,” he explained. “So, there’s a lot of weight that goes on to this person’s shoulder. It’s not a job that someone can take lightly.”
It’s been over two years since former Flames captain Mark Giordano was selected by the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft, leaving Calgary without a leader. As for when the announcement of his successor will occur, Huska kept things pretty vague but said fans can expect something soon.
“We’d like to have something and someone in place sooner than later,” the coach explained. “That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s before camp. It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s during the exhibition season.”
“We have to find a guy that’s that’s kind of all in,” he added.
Huska has been with the Flames organization for nearly a decade. He began as the head coach of Clagary’s AHL affiliate, the Adirondack Flames, in 2014, eventually transitioning to an assistant position at the NHL level.
When asked about living and working in Calgary, the 48-year-old had nothing but praise for the city.
“This has been my favourite spot to be, by far. It’s a big city, but it’s got the small city feel,” he said. “I don’t think there’s a lot of cities around North America… that match Calgary and what it has to offer. It’s a tremendous place to be.”
He is also optimistic that the Flames, who disappointingly missed the playoffs by a razor-thin margin last year, are ready to bounce back this season.
“We have a lot of guys that weren’t happy with the way things went last year,” Huska said. “I feel like they’re ready to come back and they’re ready to if you want to call it make amends for last year.”
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