Roman Reigns: Nashville Predators Name Josi Captain

NASHVILLE, TN — The Nashville Predators named defenseman Roman Josi the eighth captain in team history Tuesday at a press conference ahead of the traditional twinight preseason double header with the Florida Panthers.

Josi, 27, was drafted by Nashville in 2008 and served as a full-time alternate captain during last season's Western Conference championship-winning campaign. Josi replaces Mike Fisher with the "C" after the veteran center's retirement this summer. Bern-born Josi is the second Swiss captain in NHL history following the New York Islander's Mark Streit, also born in the Canton of Bern.

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"This is the right time to name Roman the captain of our franchise," Poile said. "Not only is he one of our best players, but he's also become one of the top defensemen in the entire League. He's respected by his teammates, coaches and opponents and he represents our organization and logo with the utmost class and integrity on and off the ice. I know Roman is ready to become captain and I have no doubt he will fulfill these duties with the same passion we've become accustomed to seeing from him day after day."

The Predators also named defenseman Ryan Ellis as associate captain; Ellis sustained an injury in the Stanley Cup Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins and is out through December. Alternate captains will be forwards Ryan Johansen and Filip Forsberg and defenseman Mattias Ekholm.

"I'm really excited and it's obviously a huge honor," Josi said. "I've had some really good guys to learn from with Shea Weber and Mike Fisher in the time I've been here. I know we have a great leadership group, a great group of guys, so I'm really excited. I was really happy when coach told me, but it's definitely something I never dreamed about when I was a little kid. You always dream about playing in the NHL, but being a captain of an NHL team, it's definitely something I never thought about. It's a huge honor and I'm just really excited to get going."

Josi's predecessors as captain are:

• Tom Fitzgerald 1998-02
• Greg Johnson 2002-06
• Scott Walker Jan. 12-27, 2003
• Kimmo Timonen 2006-07
• Jason Arnott 2007-10
• Shea Weber 2010-16
• Mike Fisher 2016-17

After Tuesday's games, the Predators travel to Tampa and Columbus Friday and Sunday, respectively, and then return to Bridgestone Arena for home contests against the Blue Jackets September 28 and Lightning September 30. The team begins the regular season on the road October 5 at Boston and will play at Pittsburgh October 7 before the home opener against Philadelphia October 10.

Image via Wikimedia Commons user Michael Miller, used under Creative Commons