White gets his 'C' legs as leader of the Bandits
Published: February 05, 2010, 10:42 pm
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You can count the number of players who have been captain of the Buffalo Bandits on one hand.
There was Jim Veltman, who played with the Bandits from 1992 through 1995. Then there was Brian Hall, who had the job for two seasons. Rich Kilgour, an original Bandit who took the "C" from Hall for 1998 Veltman and held on to it until he retired after the 2009 season.
Now it's Chris White. The 29-year-old defender will take the title into tonight's game between the Bandits and the Toronto Rock in HSBC Arena (7:30 p.m., Radio 1520 AM).
"It's definitely an honor, especially when you look back on the history of the Bandits — one of the greatest organizations in lacrosse history," White said.
White was the logical pick for captain when Kilgour retired in the offseason. Kilgour missed much of last season because of injuries, and White often filled in for him. When it was time to pick a replacement, coach Darris Kilgour didn't waste much time.
"The number one thing with Whitey is, I know his effort level," he said. "I know it's always going to be there. I know he's always going to be "team first.' He can take it when I give it to him. You have to be able to yell at your leaders. If you yell at your leaders, everyone else falls in line.
"Whitey is a little bit of everything for us. He's a great "D' guy. He transitions when he has to. He always has the right thing to say in the locker room."
The role of a captain varies from sport to sport. Some teams, such as those in baseball, don't even bother picking one. But in hockey, the position carries a great deal of weight and is the subject of much discussion in and out of the dressing room.
White, in his sixth season as a Bandit, says lacrosse follows the hockey model when it comes to captains.
"Lacrosse and hockey go hand-in-hand," White said. "Definitely this year, I've thought about it a little more. I kind of expect more out of myself to lead these guys. I'm not much of a yeller and a talker. I'll leave that up to Darris. I just want to go out there and work hard. If these guys see I'm working hard and laying it all out on the floor, hopefully, they'll follow behind. The work ethic will be there for me."
Darris Kilgour added, "The captain has a huge role. When I gave it to Whitey, I was thinking of him having it for the next 10 years. I definitely see him on this team for that long, and he does a great job. [The captaincy] definitely is prestigious."
In addition to setting that good example during the course of a game, a captain's job is to be something of a coach's ambassador when necessary.
"It's my job when I have to replay a message that the coach wants to send to the referees and kind of figure what's happening, and find out some answers for Darris," White said.
In the dressing room, White has tried to be a little more vocal than he has been in the past — following the example set by Rich Kilgour.
"Last year you always heard Richie saying the last thing [before taking the field], so I'm trying to throw my influence in there," White said. "I'm trying to take what he showed me, but so far it's not panning out for us."
While no one is citing White's work as captain as the reason behind Buffalo's slow 1-4 start, the team's problems have prompted him to be a little more encouraging to his teammates than he might otherwise be.
"I definitely like to keep things positive," White said. "You have to not look at the record, and just keep looking forward to the next game, the next shift."
That next game is a big one for the Bandits, who are looking way up at Toronto (3-1) in the Eastern Division. A win narrows Toronto's lead to a game and a half, while a loss makes it 3½ with only 10 games to play. The Rock had a stunning, 17-5 win over Rochester earlier this season, although it lost the rematch a week later.
"The [Rock] are a hard-working team," White said. "They have a new coach, new management. They have instilled the attitude that they are going to outwork teams. They might not be the most talented bunch of guys. On paper, Rochester should blow them out of the water, but when it comes down to it, you have to be willing to work harder than the next guy."
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