by Lily Andersen '30 on October 1, 2026
Sports
The next big question for the Boston Bruins organization: who will get the C? The Bruins went the entire 2025–26 season without a captain. David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Hampus Lindholm were alternating captains for the year. However, this year someone will be given the title before the first regular season game on Sept. 29. The legacy of the Bruins organization has some of the greatest players and leaders in hockey. Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, and Ray Bourque are a few notable players from the list that had a remarkable impact on the league. The Bruins are looking to continue their legacy as General Manager Don Sweeney considers the team’s newest captain for the upcoming season. According to Boston.com, Sweeney states that the newest captain will be announced soon, and the decision that will be made took a lot of thought and consideration. “We are going to announce a captain this year, and we will do that before opening night, so nobody has to ask who it is or what not,” Sweeney said. “We’ve spent a lot of time and we understand the legacy of our organization and we want to do it the right way. But we’ve made it perfectly clear that we’ll be doing that before the season starts.” The two most notable contenders are McAvoy and Pastrnak. Both players have been a part of the organization since the start of their NHL careers, and have demonstrated leadership and great skill over the years. Jon Hines ’29, a Providence College sophomore from Kennebunk, Maine, firmly believes that McAvoy should be given captaincy because of his skill and compassion for the team. “I think that Charlie McAvoy is going to be the best fit for captain next year because he is one of the best defensemen in the NHL,” he said. “He’s one of the best players on the Bruins. Not only that, he really takes pride out on the ice, and he would take a bullet for the team and he really just has the most fight in him out of all of the options.” Yahoo Sports ranked Charlie McAvoy 11th in the league for defensemen, proving his high skill level. Last season, McAvoy took a slap shot to the face, which caused a severe linear jaw fracture, and led to him losing his four front teeth. After just a month of recovery, he returned to the ice, playing with a protective cage and metal hardware in his jaw. Christian Ketchel ’30, a PC freshman, has a completely opposing view to Hines, believing that Pastrnak is the best fit because of his mentality and strong performance last season. “What really makes me believe he is ready for captaincy was his leadership and performance during last year’s first-round playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres,” he said. “To me, that series demonstrated his don’t-quit mentality to the whole team, and seeing him score an overtime goal in game five proved that he was definitely not going to quit even though they were down 3–1.” Both McAvoy and Pastrnak have equally great leadership and work ethic. Sooner rather than later, the evening of Sept. 29 will determine the Bruins’ future.