updated 2:25 a.m. ET Oct. 1, 2008

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Roberto Luongo is the new captain of the Vancouver Canucks, although he won’t wear a C on his jersey.

According to the NHL rulebook, goalies may not technically “act” as captains. The rule was put in place in the late 1940s following criticism that Canadiens captain Bill Durnan was too often leaving his crease to protest calls, in effect creating timeouts for Montreal.

Defensemen Willie Mitchell and Mattias Ohlund and forward Ryan Kesler will be alternate captains for Vancouver.

“I’ve been speaking up more compared to last year, compared to the first year especially,” said Luongo, who was traded from Florida to Vancouver in 2006. “I’m not going to change my ways. There’s more than one way to lead a team and I m going to do my best.”

The Canucks were without a captain after Markus Naslund signed with the New York Rangers. The Swedish forward, whose leadership was often criticized, had worn the C since 2000.

Other Canucks captains have included Mark Messier, Stan Smyl, Orland Kurtenbach and Trevor Linden, who retired this summer.

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