“I told him I had goosebumps,” Trouba said Tuesday after Drury, the Rangers general manager, handed him his No. 8 blue sweater with a ‘C’ stitched on the front. “Me and my wife laughed about that after that because I didn’t know what to say. But he told me, and I was excited.”
The 28-year-old defenseman is New York’s first captain in more than four years Ryan McDonagh, who was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Feb. 26, 2018. He is the 28th player to be named captain in Rangers history; Mark Messier held the role twice, from 1991-97 and again from 2000-04.
Trouba said Messier sent him a congratulatory text message Tuesday.
“Which is pretty cool,” Trouba said. “I’ve talked to him a couple of times in the past, but it’s pretty cool to get a text from him.”
Trouba was an alternate captain last season, along with forwards Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Barclay Goodrow and Ryan Strome. He stood out among the Rangers’ leadership group, resulting in the honor Tuesday.
“He played 101 games last year for us and he prepares himself,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “The young players, he took under his wing and helped them be better players. He just looked like a leader. He looked like a character guy and a leader. He played his game every night and it didn’t affect him. Last year , we talked about it all the time. We didn’t discuss it one day and forget about it. We talked about it during the season. We talked about it during the offseason. We just think now is the right time.”
Kreider said in a video released by the Rangers that Trouba was essentially acting as captain last season even when it wasn’t official.
“You’ve been doing the job for a while now, so it’s nice to see you get the letter sewn on your jersey,” Kreider said. “You’ve been a leader on the ice, you’ve been a leader off the ice and a leader in the community. Can’t be happier for you.”
[RELATED: Trouba congratulated by teammates after being named Rangers captain]
The Rangers discussed naming a captain before the start of last season, with Drury even saying he expected it to happen before opening night. They instead went with six alternates because Gallant, who was entering his first season as their coach, said he needed to get to know the players before making such a significant decision.
“The last thing I wanted to do was pick a captain last year and not know or be sure and this year we’re trading him or something like that,” Gallant said. “We feel real comfortable with the guy we’ve got. He’s a character person. I think his teammates really love him. He comes and shows up every night.
“Your captain doesn’t have to be your best player of course, but he has to be a guy that shows up and helps his teammates the most, and I think he does that for us. And he is a good player.”
Trouba, who is entering his fourth season with the Rangers, was acquired from the Winnipeg Jets in a trade on June 17, 2019. He signed a seven-year, $56 million contract with New York a month later. He had 27 points (seven goals, 20 assists) in 70 games in 2019-20, his first season with the Rangers, and 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) in 38 games in 2020-21.
But Trouba increased his production last season with 39 points (11 goals, 28 assists) in 81 regular-season games, setting NHL career highs in goals and plus/minus (plus-25) playing the entire season alongside. K’Andre Miller as his defense partner. Miller turned 22 on Jan. 21.
Trouba then had five points (one goal, four assists) in 20 Stanley Cup Playoff games and became known for some hard, momentum-swinging hits, particularly on Pittsburgh Penguins centers. Sidney Crosby in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference First Round, Carolina Hurricanes forward Max Domi in Game 4 of the second round and forward Seth Jarvis in Game 7.
New York reached the Eastern Conference Final but lost the best-of-7 series to Tampa Bay in six games.
“Every day he brings something to the group,” Drury said. “I think everyone sees the K’Andre relationship and what he does with him because they’re partners, but there are so many things that go into leadership that I don’t see, and you guys (the media) don’t get to see and fans don’t get to see. They’re behind the scenes that I hear about and he doesn’t even tell me about.
“I just think as he’s grown and evolved as a person and a player and a leader, to me he’s the perfect choice.”
Trouba said he doesn’t want to change much despite being captain. He wants the leadership group to remain tight and make decisions together, as it did last season. He said he has already spoken to the other members of the leadership group and relayed that message.
“What I reiterated to them is that I don’t want you guys to act any differently or view me any differently,” Trouba said. “I just want to be another leader on this team. Yeah, I have the privilege of being the captain, but everybody has to do their job and they’re still equally as important in their roles.”
Trouba also said the added responsibility cannot change him as a player or leader.
“That’s actually something I thought a fair bit about, and there’s two times I can look back in my career,” Trouba said. “My second year, I thought I was going to be some different player. I struggled that year. Then, coming here with the contract and getting traded and all that, I was trying to be someone I wasn’t, I thought. I struggled that year.
“When I’m at my best is when I’m myself. I’m not going to change who I am. The reason all this happened is because I was myself and true to myself. I intend on being the same person.”
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