Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, the Flyers' fourth-line center who is one of the few France-born players to ever reach the NHL, became emotional as he talked about being named an alternate captain Thursday.
"Obviously, I'm proud," he said. "Super happy to be able to represent the team this way and to be able to help the guys more in the locker room."
"Belly," coach Dave Hakstol said, "embodies all the characteristics and traits of a Flyer."
Bellemare replaced Mark Streit, who was traded Wednesday to Tampa Bay (and then Pittsburgh) as an alternate captain. He and Wayne Simmonds are the alternates, while Claude Giroux is the captain.