One’s a soft-spoken junior. The other’s an outspoken
sophomore. But together, Ben Street and Blake Geoffrion are captains in the
waiting for the UW men’s hockey team.

The Badgers had their end-of-the-year awards banquet Friday,
recognizing members of the team for their performances during the 2007-08
season. While the event was a chance to reflect on the season that was, the
focus of Mike Eaves’ squad has already shifted to next year.

For the first time since 2003-04, Wisconsin will have two
captains and no assistant captains — a change of pace from the most recent
season, in which senior Davis Drewiske donned the “C” on his sweater,
with Street and senior Kyle Klubertanz serving as assistants.

On its surface, the decision to name co-captains might be a
bit of a strange one. Instead of having one true team leader in the locker room
and on the ice, the Badgers now have two.

In Street and Geoffrion, though, the talented UW team that
came within one goal of the Frozen Four should be in good hands.

Either one could have earned the title of Mr. Reliable.
Street played in all 40 of Wisconsin’s games, and never went more than three
games without recording a point. Meanwhile, Geoffrion missed just four games
while playing in the World Juniors and had only one stretch of more than two
games in which he was held scoreless. The duo trailed only Kyle Turris in
scoring, finishing in a tie for second on the team with 30 points (Street
notched 13 goals and 17 assists, while Geoffrion added 10 and 20).

Production like that — as well as the dependability — is
definitely something fans want to see in their team leaders.

But captains can’t be fully identified by stats alone.
Whoever takes on the added responsibility needs to have a sense of maturity and
an innate ability to lead.

Street has shown he’s got these characteristics already,
serving last year as an assistant captain under the tutelage of Drewiske;
Geoffrion continues to exhibit his comfort with the team, and has had plenty of
family history to draw on for leadership (his dad, grandfather and
great-grandfather all played in the NHL).

Mix their personalities together, and you’ve got the recipe
for success.

Street is not the most vocal member of the team, preferring
to speak softly and let his play do the talking — much in the way Drewiske
carried out his captain duties. Geoffrion, on the other hand, is a whole
different story.

Perhaps the loudest member of the Badgers, Geoffrion is not
afraid to get in your face both verbally and physically — especially if you’re
a member of the opposing team. His game is all about annoying the opponent,
getting under their skin and taking advantage of a flustered foe. In some ways,
he’s like the A.J. Pierzynski or Charles Barkley of college hockey.

With such contrasting styles of play, it might seem somewhat
of an anomaly that they’ll be leading the team in tandem. Looking closer at the
situation, however, one might find the move much more strategic than it
appears.

Aside from what they do on the ice, the Street/Geoffrion
regime will provide balance to a team that looked inconsistent at times this
past season. The calmness and consistency of Street should keep the Badgers
grounded and level-headed, while the physical play of Geoffrion will give the
team an added level of intensity both in the locker room and on the ice.

Last season, Drewiske was looked up to by a very young UW
roster that boasted nine freshmen and nine sophomores. Now that they have
developed and matured with a year of experience under their belt, the team is
ready to make the leap.

Street and Geoffrion are just the guys to make that happen.

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Tyler is a junior majoring in journalism. Let him know
what you think makes a perfect captain by e-mailing him at [email protected].