Oleksy during one of his stops in Washington this season. (Caps Outsider)
Caps/Bears defenseman and all-around good guy Steve Oleksy was named captain of the Hershey Bears today.
According to Tim Leone, Dan Byers’ injury led to Bears’ coach Troy Mann declaring Oleksy the team captain for the rest of the season.
The gravity of the honor was not lost on Oleksy, 29, an undrafted heart-and-soul fan favorite who rose from the ECHL to the NHL and now wears the “C” for the AHL’s most historic franchise.
“Obviously, it’s been a pretty crazy road,” Oleksy said. “To get rewarded like that, it’s an amazing thing. Not just a team like this with so much history, but a team like this with such a good group of guys and a lot of leaders in the room.
[Steve Oleksy’s captain selection greeted by barrage of pucks, ice shavings, cheers by Hershey Bears]
We here at Caps Outsider wish to congratulate Oleksy and wish him and the first-place Bears the best of luck down the stretch.
Thank U every1 for the kind words but I owe thanks to a # of people that have provided encouragement and wisdom to put me in this situation.
— Steven Oleksy (@StevenOleksy) March 5, 2015
RT to congratulate the 42nd captain in team history, @StevenOleksy. #HBH pic.twitter.com/5cDzkVHErB
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) March 4, 2015
