The best player who has pulled a Crimson sweater over his shoulders the last two years will notice something different when he does so in the hockey team’s season opener at Brown. This year, Moore’s sweater carries a new adornment—the Captain’s C.

He was not lauded for his skating, or his puck handling, or his scoring touch—all of which he has in spades. Senior Dominic Moore was christened the Harvard hockey captain by unanimous vote because of his leadership and the respect accorded him in the locker room, said his teammates.

“The whole team, all the members of each class, from the seniors down to the freshmen, they all have a great deal of respect for him,” sophomore goaltender Dov Grumet-Morris said.

“Dom’s the obvious choice,” added junior forward Tyler Kolarik. “He’s a leader by example. This year he’s really ready to shoulder that load.”

Moore, the Crimson’s third leading point-scorer from last season’s ECAC championships squad follows in the shoes of previous captains Peter Capouch ’02 and his older brother Steve Moore ’01. He was named to the pre-season All-ECAC team earlier this year after last season, when he scored 13 goals and notched 16 assists, including key playoff goals against Brown, Clarkson, and Cornell. His 2000-2001 season was even more productive, with Moore tallying 15 goals and 28 assists.

“Dom’s a poised, confident and positive person,” junior linemate Rob Fried said. “That attitude is going to be important for the team this season.”

Still, Moore’s skills go a long way into determining how opponents and teammates view him. He is, after all, Harvard’s best clutch player and the focus of opponent’s defensive attentions.

“He’s probably the best player in the league, and one of the best players in the country,” Grumet-Morris said. “It made the pick a relatively easy one.”