from Chris Pinkert of St.LouisBlues.com,
The Blues officially introduced Pietrangelo as the club’s new captain during a press conference Thursday afternoon at Scottrade Center. The 26-year-old native of King City, Ontario will join an exclusive list of former Blues to wear an embroidered ‘C’ on the front of the jersey. That group that includes such legendary names as Al Arbour, Brian Sutter, Brett Hull, Al MacInnis, Wayne Gretzky, Bernie Federko, Chris Pronger and Barclay Plager.
“When you look at the guys who wore the ‘C,’ those are some big shoes to fill,” Pietrangelo said. “Not just good leaders, but good people that have represented themselves and their teammates in a great way. It’s my job now to carry on that tradition.”
The decision to name a captain came less than two months after the previous captain, David Backes, departed for the Boston Bruins via free agency on July 1. Backes had served as the Blues’ captain for the better part of five seasons from 2011-16.
“Being a top draft pick and watching him grow into an elite player in our game, Alex is the perfect age to take the leadership role for this group,” Armstrong said. “We have turned into a younger nucleus of a team, and he can guide that through the next number of years. We’re excited to have him as a captain.
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added 3:47pm, St. Louis press release is below...
(Aug. 25, 2016) – St. Louis Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced today the club has named Alex Pietrangelo (puh-TRAN-geh-loh) the 21st Captain in franchise history. In addition, the team announced that defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk and forwards Paul Stastny, Alexander Steen and Vladimir Tarasenko will serve as assistant captains.
Pietrangelo will enter his seventh full season with the Blues in 2016-17. Last year, the 6’3, 210-pound defenseman appeared in 73 regular season games, logging 37 points (seven goals, 30 assists) and 20 penalty minutes. During the 2016 postseason, Pietrangelo dressed in all 20 Blues games, tallying a playoff career-high 10 points (two goals, eight assists) and 16 penalty minutes.
Overall, Pietrangelo has accumulated 255 points (51 goals, 204 assists) in 459 regular season games, while he is the only defenseman in Blues history to record at least 40 points in each of his first four full NHL seasons. Originally drafted fourth overall by the Blues in 2008, the King City, Ontario, native has also contributed 22 points (four goals, 18 assists) in 46 career postseason appearances, including a single-season career-best 10 points (two goals, 8 assists) during the Blues’ trip to the Western Conference Final in 2016. At just 26 year old, he ranks fifth among defensemen in Blues history in points and plus/minus (+53), while he shares third in game-winning goals (11). Pietrangelo earned NHL Second Team All-Star honors in both 2011-12 and 2013-14, while also finishing in the top five in the Norris Trophy voting in those seasons.
Internationally, Pietrangelo is a three-time medalist with Team Canada, earning silver at the 2010 World Juniors and capturing gold at the 2009 World Juniors and the 2014 Olympics. In addition, Pietrangelo will represent Canada at the upcoming 2016 World Cup of Hockey in Toronto.
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