The National Hockey League (NHL) is a professional ice hockey league composed of 32 teams, founded in 1917. Each team may select a captain, who has the "privilege of discussing with the referee any questions relating to interpretation of rules which may arise during the progress of a game." Each team is also permitted to select alternate captains, who serve when the captain is not on the ice. Captains are required to wear the letter "C" on their uniform for identification while alternate captains wear the letter "A"; both letters are in height.

Rule 6.2 of the 2008–09 Official NHL Rulebook indicates that "[only] when the captain is not in uniform, the coach shall have the right to designate three alternate captains. This must be done prior to the start of the game." Many NHL teams with a named captain select more than two alternate captains and rotate the "A"s among these players throughout the season.

Goaltenders are not permitted to serve as captains during games. This rule was instituted in 1948 after teams complained that it took Montreal Canadiens goaltender Bill Durnan too long to skate to talk with the officials and back to his crease. Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo served as captain for two seasons (2008–09 and 2009–10), but because of the League's rule, he was not allowed to serve as captain on-ice or wear the "C" on his jersey, though it was incorporated into the artwork on his mask. As a result, the Canucks were allowed to dress three alternate captains in games, as opposed to the League standard of two. Two (of the three) alternate captains handled on-ice duties in Luongo's place. Other than Durnan and Luongo, five other goaltenders have captained their team: John Ross Roach of the Toronto St. Patricks, George Hainsworth of the Montreal Canadiens, Roy Worters of the New York Americans, Alec Connell of the original Ottawa Senators and Charlie Gardiner of the Chicago Black Hawks.

When Connor McDavid was named captain of the Edmonton Oilers, he became the youngest permanent captain in NHL history. Gabriel Landeskog of the Colorado Avalanche and Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, are the second- and third-youngest players to be named captain in NHL history, respectively. In 1984, Brian Bellows was named interim captain of the Minnesota North Stars when Craig Hartsburg was injured, and is the youngest player to captain a team in NHL history. However, because Bellows served only on an interim basis, McDavid retains the distinction of being the youngest permanent captain in the League's history. Mark Messier is the only player to captain two separate teams to Stanley Cup championships, those being the 1989–90 Edmonton Oilers and the 1993–94 New York Rangers. Sidney Crosby also became the youngest captain to win the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009, when Crosby was just 21 years old. The oldest permanent captain in league history was Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins, who turned 43 years old during his last NHL season (2019–20) with the Bruins.

Key Spent entire NHL career with team + Position abbreviations Abbreviation DefinitionC CentreLW Left wingRW Right wingD Defenceman

Captains

Twenty-nine of the thirty-two NHL teams currently have a captain, with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, and Vancouver Canucks being the three exceptions. Of the twenty-nine captains, twenty-two of them have been with their team for their entire NHL career. The current longest-tenured captain in the league is Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who has served in that role since May 31, 2007. +List of current NHL Captains Team Captain Since Pos Anaheim Ducks 2026–27 Boston Bruins 2026–27 Buffalo Sabres 2024–25 Calgary Flames 2023–24 Carolina Hurricanes 2019–20 Chicago Blackhawks 2026–27 Colorado Avalanche 2012–13 Columbus Blue Jackets Dallas Stars 2013–14 Detroit Red Wings Edmonton Oilers 2016–17 Florida Panthers 2018–19 Los Angeles Kings 2026–27 Minnesota Wild 2020–21 Montreal Canadiens 2022–23 Nashville Predators 2017–18 New Jersey Devils 2020–21 New York Islanders 2026–27 New York Rangers 2025–26 Ottawa Senators 2026–27 Philadelphia Flyers 2023–24 Pittsburgh Penguins 2007–08 San Jose Sharks 2026–27 Seattle Kraken 2024–25 St. Louis Blues 2026–27 Tampa Bay Lightning 2024–25 Toronto Maple Leafs 2024–25 Utah Mammoth 2024–25 Vancouver Canucks Vegas Golden Knights 2020–21 Washington Capitals 2009–10 Winnipeg Jets 2023–24

Alternate captains

Thirty-one of the thirty-two NHL teams have named at least the regulation two alternate captains with the exception of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Of the eighty-nine alternate captains, forty-five of them have been with their team for their entire NHL career. Teams that have named more than the regulation two alternate captains (or three in the case of teams without a captain) are required to rotate the two (or three) "A"s between those players by methods of their choosing. The current longest-tenured alternate captain in the league is Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who has served in that role since 2008. +List of current NHL alternate captainsTeamAlternate captain(s)SincePosAnaheim Ducks 2025–26 2025–26 2023–24 2026–27 Boston Bruins 2026–27 2025–26 2023–24 Buffalo Sabres 2024–25 2024–25 Calgary Flames 2022–23 2026–27 Carolina Hurricanes 2021–22 2019–20 2019–20 Chicago Blackhawks 2025–26 2026–27 Colorado Avalanche 2016–17 2023–24 Columbus Blue Jackets 2021–22 Rotating 2026–27 Dallas Stars 2022–23 2024–25 2019–20 2017–18 Detroit Red Wings 2025–26 2025–26 Edmonton Oilers 2026–27 2019–20 2026–27 2015–16 Florida Panthers 2016–17 2022–23 Los Angeles Kings 2025–26 2025–26 2026–27 Minnesota Wild 2021–22 2023–24 Montreal Canadiens 2026–27 2023–24 Nashville Predators 2026–27 2024–25 2023–24 2025–26 New Jersey Devils 2025–26 2022–23 New York Islanders 2024–25 2024–25 2026–27 2026–27 New York Rangers 2023–24 2018-19 Ottawa Senators 2022–23 2026–27 2026–27 Philadelphia Flyers 2023–24 Travis Sanheim 2025–26 Pittsburgh Penguins 2017–18 2008–09 San Jose Sharks 2024–25 2026–27 2024–25 2025–26 Seattle Kraken 2024–25 Vince Dunn 2026–27 D2021–22Brandon Montour2026–27DSt. Louis Blues 2026–27 2026–27 2025–26 2020–21 Tampa Bay Lightning 2022–23 2024–25 Toronto Maple Leafs 2016–17 2024–25 Utah Mammoth 2024–25 2024–25 Vancouver Canucks 2025–26 2026–27 2025–26 2026–27 2026–27 2022–23 Vegas Golden Knights Jack Eichel 2023–24 William Karlsson 2023–24 2020–21 Washington Capitals 2026–27 2025–26 2023–24 Winnipeg Jets 2019–20 2016–17

See also List of current AHL captains and alternate captains

References Team rosters

Specific