HENDERSON, Nev. -- The Chicago Blackhawks don’t have a captain, but Seth Jones said he’d be happy to be their next one.
“I’ve always wanted to be a captain,” the defenseman said at the NHL North American Player Media Tour on Tuesday. “I’ve learned from some great leaders -- Shea Weber, Nick Foligno, Jonathan Toews -- I mean, I played with some of the greatest captains that we’ve seen. It would be pretty special.”
Jonathan Toews was Chicago’s captain from July 18, 2008, to April 13 of this year, when the Blackhawks said they would not re-sign Toews, who became an unrestricted free agent after the season. Toews helped the Blackhawks to Stanley Cup wins in 2010, 2013 and 2015.
“I understand where the organization is at,” Jones said. “I’m focused on going and just playing my game and leading whether I have a C, an A or nothing on my jersey. I don’t think that should change.
“‘Tazer’ always used to say that in the room the past couple of years: ‘Everyone has a voice in here, everyone is allowed to speak up and say what they want. It shouldn’t be just four or five guys who are able to talk.’ If you’re an 18-year-old, you should be able to speak your mind. So, I really took that to heart.”
Jones is entering his third season with the Blackhawks, who acquired him from the Columbus Blue Jackets on July 23, 2021. Five days later, he signed an eight-year, $76 million contract ($9.5 million average annual value) with Chicago.
He has 374 points (82 goals, 292 assists) in 730 NHL games with the Nashville Predators, Columbus Blue Jackets and Blackhawks. He had 37 points (12 goals, 25 assists) in 72 games last season with Chicago.
Weber was Predators captain from 2010-16. Jones was selected No. 4 by Nashville in the 2013 NHL Draft and played there from 2013-16.
“Weber, he was pretty much in the prime of his career when I was drafted,” Jones said. “Didn’t talk much; he led by example on the ice. Obviously was a great player but he always did the little things, blocking shots, things a defenseman should do. When we weren’t playing well, he could go off. He had a temper, but it was always of good things. It was always because he wanted to make us better. It wasn’t him taking out his frustrations on us. But you do need a little bit of that, I think as a captain or as a leader.”
“And Tazer, toward the end, still vocal in the room at intermission and it’s just how smart he was. He could still see the game and knew what was going on, of course, out there. So, it’s a little bit different but I think Tazer wanted the team to lead itself a lot, everyone in the room to lead. Not that Shea didn’t.”
Foligno was Blue Jackets captain from 2015-21, the same time span in which Jones played there. The two are teammates again with the Blackhawks, after they acquired Foligno and forward Taylor Hall from the Boston Bruins on June 26.
“He’s a special guy, a special human,” Jones said. “He cares so much about the players he plays with, the organization he’s on and the community. Big family guy, he’s got beautiful kids and he’s just a great guy to have in the locker room. He knows how to lighten the room up a little bit, when need be, crack a good dad joke. He’s the king of dad jokes. He’s just great, a great guy.”
