NASHVILLE — General manager David Poile and coach Peter Laviolette noticed how the Predators picked
Seeing what Josi's teammates decided made selecting the Predators' eighth captain in franchise history that much easier.
"Roman has played with and mentored under two of our best captains ever in Shea Weber and Mike Fisher," Poile said Tuesday. "He was also always part of the leadership group when those two guys were captains."
Josi, 27, replaces Fisher, who retired last month . The native of Bern becomes only the second player from Switzerland to be named a captain in the NHL. Mark Streit, named captain of the New York Islanders in 2011, was the first. Poile called Josi not only one of the NHL's best
"Roman is our Roger Federer," Poile said. "He's a tremendous competitor. He's always very classy."
Laviolette said the decision came down to Josi and
The coach said Josi's growth, maturity and character as a person, player and teammate make him the perfect fit as the Predators' next captain.
"He has the ability to lead men, which we've experienced in the past few years and certainly last year," Laviolette said. "He has the work ethic both in games and in practices to set the right example for our group. He has the respect of everybody in our organization as well as his peers in the league."
The Predators drafted Josi with the 38th pick overall in the 2008 entry draft, and he played in the 2016 All-Star Game in Nashville. He also was a full alternate captain last season under Fisher.
Josi also is one of five
The new captain thanked both Poile and Laviolette for the opportunity and his general manager for comparing him to Federer.
"It's a huge
Josi talked a couple weeks ago about how much all of the Predators learned from Fisher as a great role model and what an
"Obviously, we want to take that next step," Josi said. "Last year we got really close, but we didn't reach our ultimate goal."
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