Blakeâ€^TMs leadership potential â€" and how the new coach sees things evolving
Posted by David Pollak on August 28th, 2008 at 10:27 pm | Categorized as General, Hockey, NHL, Sharks, Sports

This will be a tag-team effort.

My colleague Mark Emmons is working on a story that looks at the fitness program Rob Blake puts himself through to prepare for the challenges of the NHL season at age 38. Thatâ€^TMs scheduled to appear in the print edition early next week.

But Mark also talked with Blake about any leadership role he might see himself taking in the Sharks locker room. Hereâ€^TMs the report:

New Shark Rob Blake knows what itâ€^TMs like to lead a hockey team as the former captain of the Los Angeles Kings. Heâ€^TMs coming to a team where there has been a long-running debate about whether Patrick Marleau should be the Sharks captain. Does Blake think that he could end up with some sort of letter on his jersey?

â€oeIf it happens, great,” Blake said. â€oeBut you learn that you need a lot of leaders in the locker room.”

Blake went on to say that heâ€^TMs been in this position once before â€" when he was traded from L.A. to Colorado in 2001 and was part of the Avalancheâ€^TMs Stanley Cup title run.

â€oeThey had such great leaders in Joe (Sakic), Peter (Forsberg), Adam Foote and Ray Bourque,” Blake said. â€oeYou just find a way to fit in. You know when the time is to speak or show something on the ice. This team has good leaders in Patty, Joe (Thornton), (Evgeni) Nabokov, JR (Jeremy Roenick). Iâ€^TMll try to find my role as the season goes on. Thereâ€^TMs no reason for me to think that Iâ€^TMm going to run things coming in. But if you take the time, you eventually fit in.”

Sharks General Manager Doug Wilson said any decision about captains will be made entirely by Todd McLellan.

â€oeThatâ€^TMs completely up to the coach,” Wilson said. â€oeThe coach will decide who plays and everything else.”

OK, hereâ€^TMs where I jump back in . . .

If you recall, I asked McLellan about the captaincy on June 12 â€" the coachâ€^TMs first day on the job â€" and he had this response.

â€oePatrick Marleau is the captain of this hockey club,” McLellan said at the time. â€oeHe has done nothing in my opinion to change that to this point. But in fairness to everybody involved, I would like to have the opprotunity to sit down with him and talk about leadership and the responsibilities that go with it. My experience with Patty, my knowledge of him, would indicate he would be a very good captain, But Iâ€^TMd like to know what his thoughts are on it. Weâ€^TMll see what happens when camp comes around.”

Since that time, McLellan and Marleau have had multiple conversations, including at least one lunch together. And when I asked the coach this week if he had given the matter further thought, he left the impression the conversations with Marleau went well.

â€oeI donâ€^TMt think youâ€^TMre going to see many changes,” McLellan said, â€oebut itâ€^TMs hard not to see Blake or Boyle in the mix when it comes to wearing the â€^~A.â€^TM ”

Last season, the Sharks had three players with the â€^~Aâ€^TM on their jerseys â€" Thornton, Mike Grier and Craig Rivet. With Rivet traded to Buffalo, itâ€^TMd be a pretty easy transition to move Blake (or Boyle) into that role.

*****The Sharks new coach wasnâ€^TMt ready to go public yet with projected lines or defense pairings going into training camp. But donâ€^TMt be too shocked if McLellan is tempted to revisit the on-again, off-again experiment that his predecessor tried a year ago with Marleau at left wing on Thorntonâ€^TMs line. Just saying.

• http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/2008/08/28/blakes-leadership-potential-and-how-the-new-coach-sees-things-evolving/#comment-14843

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