Shawn Horcoff gets a ‘C’ for his efforts
The Edmonton Oilers have bestowed the captain’s ‘C’ upon centre Shawn Horcoff. Horcoff, who is one of the team’s veteran players, has been a key leader for the Oilers for many years, and
has also been a key offensive contributor for the Oilers. The reception of the captaincy is an upgrade over the alternate captain’s ‘A’ that Horcoff has sported over the past few seasons.
Horcoff will be the 13th captain in the team’s history, and he supplants Ethan Moreau, who held the position last season. Moreau, himself an established National Hockey League veteran,
was placed on waivers by the Oilers at the end of last season. He was later picked up by the Columbus Blue Jackets on 30 June.
Drafted 99th overall by Edmonton in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, Horcoff has played his entire career for the Oilers. The Native of Trail, British Columbia made his NHL debut on 4 December
2000, and he scored his first career goal just nine days later. In the 2005-06 season, he became the team’s first-line centre, and he was one of several important offensive contributors during the Oilers’ run to the Stanley Cup Finals.
In an attempt to elevate his play to an even higher level, Horcoff had the Easton hockey equipment company design a custom stick for him after the 2006-07 season. With his newly-designed
sticks in tow, Horcoff managed to successfully regain his scoring touch.
Horcoff remained busy during the 2007 offseason, as he joined the National Hockey League Players Association’s search committee to find a replacement for Ted Saskin. The committee eventually
chose Paul Kelly as the new leader of the NHLPA.
Horcoff’s best single-season output came in 2005-06, where he scored a career-high 22 goals and 51 assists for a total of 73 points. In 637 career NHL games, Horcoff has scored 133 goals
and 241 assists for 374 points.
Tags: