David Pastrnak was wearing an alternate captain's 'A' on Tuesday night. But a since-deleted post from Tottenham Hotspur's official X account might have told us that won't be the case for much longer.
Spurs shared a piece on midfielder Xavi Simons' recovery visit to Boston, which included a stop at the Bruins' training facility. The post noted Simons "exchanged jerseys with captain David Pastrnak" — notable phrasing, given Pastrnak currently wears an 'A,' not a 'C.' The photo that accompanied it showed Pastrnak holding a black Bruins sweater with the spoked-B on the front and no captain's designation visible — apparently bearing Simons' No. 7 on the shoulder rather than Pastrnak's No. 88.
The post vanished without explanation. Tottenham's own website, which the post linked to, quietly refers to Pastrnak as a "Boston Bruins ice hockey legend" — no mention of captaincy.
Pastrnak played it cool, sort of
Asked about the slip-up before Tuesday's preseason game against Philadelphia, Pastrnak didn't exactly deny anything. "I had a couple of texts," he said. "You know, it's a football team, so I don't think you guys should worry about the football team. It was great to have Xavi around and meet up with him."
That's a very diplomatic non-answer from a man who knows exactly what was in that post.
Whether Spurs' social media team jumped the gun or simply copied language from a brief they were given without realising its significance, the result is the same: a Premier League club sitting near the bottom of the table may have scooped the Boston Bruins' own captaincy announcement. The Bruins haven't confirmed anything officially, and they may well address it on their own terms — but the internet has a long memory, even for posts that get deleted in a hurry.
"I don't think you guys should worry about the football team," Pastrnak said. Fair enough. The football team did enough worrying for everyone.
