The Blackhawks have named defenseman Brent Seabrook as their new alternate captain, coach Joel Quenneville announced Thursday.
With the departure of Patrick Sharp, Seabrook will join Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith as the team's captains.
"I'm very honored to wear a letter for the Chicago Blackhawks," said Seabrook, who found out during a team meeting Wednesday night.
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Seabrook, 30, has served as a reserve alternate captain in the past, but now it's official.
His teammates already know the Blackhawks defenseman has been a known leader in the locker room, and the "A" on his sweater just reaffirms that.
“For many years, he’s been one of those guys that we can look up to and learn from,” Toews said. “He’s been a great friend and a great teammate. We know that won’t change the way he does things, and he’s been a huge part of our locker room and our success on the ice.”
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Seabrook, who was drafted by the Blackhawks in the first round of the 2003 NHL Draft, has been a crucial part of the team's turnaround and recent success.
He was dubbed "Mr. Overtime" in 2013 after potting the game-winning, series-clinching goal versus Detroit in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals and another in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against Boston.
Before the 2015 Stanley Cup Final, the Blackhawks spoke highly of Seabrook's underrated leadership and how important of a role he had played to get them past the first three rounds and, eventually, the fourth.
“He’s one of those guys who says the right things, does the right things, on the bench as well," Quenneville said in June before Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. "Over the course of meaningful games, big shifts, he seems to rise to the challenge. We’ve seen him come up with some clutch goals in overtime and regular season the same way.
"The bigger the games get, he responds."
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In all 10 seasons with the Blackhawks, Seabrook has accumulated 318 points (71 goals, 318 assists) in 763 regular-season games, and has averaged at least 20 minutes of ice time per game.
He also has 19 goals and 38 assists in 112 postseason games.
Seabrook is in the final year of a five-year, $29 million contract, and said he "had talks" with general manager Stan Bowman about a new deal, but concluded "that's about it."