New Jersey Devils award veteran forward Zach Parise with captaincy -NHL News Update
Remaining without a captain after having traded, Jamie Langenbrunner, to Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils will finally be re-stitching the “C” on a players jersey for the upcoming 2011-2012 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season, but this time veteran
forward, Zach Parise, will have the honour of leading the team.
During the offseason, Zach Parise made a recovery from a low-key past regular season where he sustained a knee injury and managed to play only 13 games last October. He signed a one-year contract with the team after making a recovery worth $6 million, which
will make him an unrestricted free agent (UFA) next July.
Before training camp began this year, Parise hinted at becoming captain and expressed how he would have to lead a team full of youngsters acquired over the offseason.
"Of course I would like to. I think right now, with our team, we're in a transition period where for six years, I was always the youngest guy and all of a sudden I'm one of the oldest. We're at a point where there are a lot of veteran guys who aren't with
us anymore”, Parise said.
Earning respect is not something Parise worries about wearing the “C” on his jersey because he believes that it comes from who you are as a player and not what your designation on the team is.
"As a player, you try to take a little bit more of a leadership role every year. Whether you have the 'C' or not, it's not as if players are going to look at me different. That's just now how it is. Players just respect other players whether they got a 'C'
on their jersey or not", Parise added.
Since being picked 17th overall during round-one of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Parise has been on the New Jersey squad and might be entering his final year if both stakeholders do not agree on a long term contract during the season.
According to New Jersey, they are willing to keep the high scoring forward on their line-up and will eventually work something out before the upcoming season comes to an end.
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