Mark Streit Chosen To Be 13th Captain Of Islanders

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) — Mark Streit is the 13th captain in New York Islanders history, replacing the retired Doug Weight after missing all of last season because of a shoulder injury.

The 33-year-old defenseman pulled on his new Islanders sweater with the 'C' sewn on it following practice at the Nassau Coliseum on Wednesday afternoon. Streit, entering his fourth season with New York, is the first NHL captain from Switzerland.

Streit is taking over for Weight, who retired in May to become an Islanders assistant coach and senior adviser to general manager Garth Snow.

In his first two seasons on the ice with the Islanders, Streit served as an assistant captain and led the team in ice time. He was the club's leading scorer in the 2008-09 season and third the following year.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.