No captain, no problem

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“We’re one of those teams that don’t worry too much about captains and assistant captains,” Martin told RocketFAN. “I think every player wants to be a captain and every player wants the nostalgia of being a captain, but very few, I really believe there’s very few know how to lead and the importance of leading and some of the things that go into it.”

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That is why the Rockets are not rushing the process.

Martin said the team has already started having internal conversations about its leadership group, with Nate Corbet and Tomas Poletin now back with the team after their NHL opportunities.

“It’s going to be a leadership group,” he said. “We will have a captain sooner rather than later. We will have three assistant captains sooner rather than later. But there’s going to be a group that extends past that that will be announced as part of our leadership group.”

The idea is bigger than who gets a letter.

Martin sees leadership as part of the development process for every player who comes through the Rockets organization.

“Everybody can’t be a captain or an assistant captain on their jersey,” he said. “But we want our guys when they’re at the next level to be captains and assistant captains, and that’s an important piece of the development. We’re not just developing goaltenders and forwards and defensemen here. We’re developing human beings and leaders.”

That may be one of the most important parts of Martin’s philosophy.

He doesn’t believe leadership comes in one particular form, and he doesn’t want the Rockets trying to create a dressing room full of players who all lead the same way.

Some players will be vocal. Others will lead through their actions.

Some will be comfortable addressing a room. Others will earn respect simply through the way they prepare and compete every day.

“I think it’s important to have different types of leadership style,” Martin said. “We’ve got guys that are vocal; we’ve got guys that are quiet that do it by the way that they walk, not necessarily what comes out of their mouth.”

Martin believes there are as many as 10 different styles of leadership, and he wants his players to understand that leadership isn’t something reserved for the loudest voice in the room.

He also doesn’t believe great leaders are simply born that way.

“I think leadership is something that everybody thinks people are just born with, and I think that’s crazy,” Martin said. “I think you can develop good leaders and we try to do that here.”

For Martin, that development includes emotional intelligence, building one-on-one relationships and understanding what teammates need from one another.

It also means understanding that leadership is not about being the boss.

The captain Martin wants is someone who puts the team ahead of himself.

“I don’t want a captain who’s the boss of everything,” he said. “I want a captain who is a servant leader, is drawn to his teammates, wants to do right by the group and carries a little bit of that onus on them.”

That responsibility becomes even more important with a young team.

The Rockets have plenty of older players who have already been through the Western Hockey League experience with Martin. That familiarity has helped create a situation where the coaching staff doesn’t have to be the only voice setting standards.

Martin said the veterans know what is expected, while the younger players are eager to learn.

“There doesn’t have to be the coach driving a message and setting a standard,” Martin said. “These guys know what our standard is and they know what we’re trying to get to.”

That is perhaps the biggest change Martin is seeing inside his dressing room.

The players are beginning to take ownership of the culture themselves.

“They’re starting to push each other and take some of the onus off of the coaching staff in that regard, which allows you to coach and teach more,” he said.

And that is exactly what Martin wants.

The Rockets are not simply trying to identify one player who can lead the team. They are trying to create an environment where leadership becomes part of everybody’s responsibility.

When the eventual captain is announced, he won’t be expected to do it alone.

There will be a group around him, each bringing a different personality, experience and leadership style to the dressing room.

Martin believes that gives the Rockets something more valuable than simply having a captain.

“I think it’s important that they understand the onus they have to the group,” Martin said. “I think it’s important that they understand that they have to have each other’s back and they have to be really supportive when a message is being delivered.”

And when the Rockets finally put the “C” on one player’s jersey, Martin wants the decision to reflect everything the organization is trying to build.

“I’m really confident in the group that we are going to have this year though, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to name that [captain] in the coming days.”