Shane Doan was made captain of the Arizona (then Phoenix) Coyotes in 2003, leading them as far as the Western Conference Finals in 2012, but no further. With the news of Doan not returning to Arizona, that now leaves our very own Zdeno Chara as the longest tenured NHL captain.
Given the “C” upon his arrival on July 1st, 2006, he helped the Bruins to get their first Stanley Cup in 39 years, since the days of Bobby Orr, back in 2011. He’s won a Norris trophy for best NHL defenseman, and aside from a two year stretch 2014-2016, made sure the Bruins were in the playoffs.