Patrice Cormier to wear the ‘C’ for the Manitoba Moose

WINNIPEG — Patrice Cormier was named the Manitoba Moose new captain only hours before their season opener.

Cormier, 26, replaces John Albert who departed in the off-season to play in Finland.

“To have the ‘C’ is obviously special and to have the coaches regard you in that way and have the respect of your teammates,” said Cormier through a media release. “I take great pride in it and will do the best I can to lead this team and be a good leader.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "To have the 'C' is obviously special and to have the coaches regard you in that way and have the respect of your teammates," said Cormier through a media release. "I take great pride in it and will do the best I can to lead this team and be a good leader."

Cormier has been with the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets franchise since 2010 after coming over in a trade with the New Jersey Devils. He’s played in 52 career NHL games with the Jets and Thrashers. Cormier was sixth in Moose team scoring last season with 15 goals and 17 assists in 65 games and was an alternate captain for the Moose in their first year back in Manitoba.

“Patrice has great work ethic. He’s a leader who brings players together and has tremendous values,” said Moose head coach Pascal Vincent in a statement from the club. “He’s a very good captain. He’s a very good leader, but most importantly he’s a very good person.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Patrice has great work ethic. He's a leader who brings players together and has tremendous values," said Moose head coach Pascal Vincent in a statement from the club. "He's a very good captain. He's a very good leader, but most importantly he's a very good person."

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The Moose open the season with a two game road trip in Des Moines, Iowa. They’ll play games against the Wild on Friday and Saturday before their home opener on Tuesday.